Let’s face it, flying is pretty boring for the most part. Especially long-haul flights when there’s nothing to do but cycle between forms of entertainment and wait for the time to pass.
One highlight, though, is the meal. A little in-flight picnic or even a full-blown meal, it’s a perfect way to break up the flight and keep your energy going on the way to your destination.
The only difficulty is choosing the right meal. The pressure! The indecision! What if it’s not great and then you’re stuck with that until you land at your destination? What if it’s a little too heavy for your stomach?!
Well, according to Dr Karan Rajan, there is actually a definitive answer to this quandary.
The best food to order during a flight
In a recent TikTok video, Dr Rajan advised that if you want to have airline food that ‘tastes better’, you should choose umami-rich foods.
These foods include meats, tomatoes, and cheeses.
Apparently, this is because the low cabin pressure when you fly impacts your tastebuds, meaning that sweet and salty flavours are muted but umami tastes are amplified.
He added: “This is gonna sound strange, but you can also wear earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones to boost your sense of taste.”
This is because the constant sound of the engine, as well as your ears popping, stimulates the middle ear nerve which negatively impacts your ability to taste sweet and salty flavours.
Finally, the doctor said hydrating before meals is an ‘absolute must’ and if you’re on a long-haul flight, consider saline nasal sprays as flying 35,000 feet in the air, combined with the dry air inside the cabin, dries out your mouth and sinus cavities.
Smell receptors and taste buds (both of which are essential for taste) require some kind of humidity to work optimally.
Who knew!