Beans and broccoli causing turbulence in the sky: Foods to avoid when flying

WE reveal the food you should avoid before you fly if you want to avoid belching and bloating on a plane.

Travel sickness on plane

TRAVELLERS are being advised to remove beans, bread and broccoli from their diet before flying.

The three Bs are among a range of foods that can produce two more Bs - belching and bloating - by causing gases in the stomach to expand. The result, known as Jet Bloating, is lose-lose for the sky-high traveller and those within close proximity.

In 2006 a flight in the US was forced to divert and land after passengers noted a suspicious smell in a bathroom.

The odour was that of a spent match, lit by a fellow passenger to disguise an unfortunate wind incident.

Singapore Airlines has released a guide on how to prevent bloating, fatigue, jet lag, travel sickness and indigestion whilst flying, recommending you go easy on deep fried goodies (slow indigestion), salty snacks (water retention), carbonated drinks and peaches (gas) in the lead-up to take-off.

Green tea is good for stimulating digestive enzymes and has all-round detoxifying properties which help to alleviate trapped wind, a common in-flight problem, it states. Other helpful foods are bananas, berries, onions and garlic.

To aid indigestion the airline suggests you eat food such as potatoes, turmeric and pineapple. And fish is easier to digest than meat.

If you are an anxious flier get stuck into a few celery sticks before boarding as they can relax your central nervous system. Vitamin B can reduce stress, but stick to whole cereal grains and leafy green vegies. Foie gras and beans are also vitamin B foods, but these may cause more problems than they solve.

Ginger can be useful in coping with travel sickness. The airline suggests ordering a ginger ale, or an Oriental dish in which ginger appears.

There are associated belching risks with the ginger ale option, though. According to medical clinic Travel Doctor carbonated drinks cause bloating through expansion of stomach gases on descent.

Perhaps it's best to play safe and let the ale go flat before pouring it into the little plastic cup.

Dehydration can cause headaches, stress and a general feeling of wooziness, so plenty of water and/or juice is recommended.

If you want to get down to work in-flight and you're travelling business or better, the airline suggests brain food such as Lobster Thermidor, an arrangement involving a lobster tail sauteed in butter, flambeed in brandy, sprinkled with cheese and served with creamy mushroom sauce, garlic and spicy mustard.

DIY pre-flight menu aimed at ensuring you board your flight relaxed and wind resistant

Breakfast

Wholemeal toast, banana, seeds

Lunch

Boiled potatoes with celery sticks

Dinner

Turmeric fish with pineapple-stuffed onions.

To Drink

Flat ginger ale

Water