Aviation diet

[RichT]

Does anyone know of a Dietician that specializes in aviation or at least has a passing knowledge of our work profile. I am not especially fat but could do with loosing a few pounds. I use the gym regularly and try to eat healthily but having to eat meals in the cruise and working alternating late and early shifts makes it quite difficult. I have spoken to one that had no knowledge of flying and the recommendations were just impossible to follow.

[niknak]

The effect of flying on the body and unusual eating patterns are not too far removed from working an irregualr shift pattern on the ground.

I've worked shifts for 30 years now and the pattern has been close to regular, but never a structured roster, so I find that if I eat at normal meal times, my body doesn't appreciate being given food when it doesn't benefit from it, i.e a family meal before a night shift, breakfast at 8am on a morning shift etc.

I have found that when I am working and feel hungry, eat little and often helps, i.e just top up, (if the workplace environment allows).

Flying coleagues have also told me that they keep a watch set to UK time, and eat at the times they would in the UK, regardless of where they happen to be. It often means having breakfast at 5pm, but as they are only away for days at a time, it seems to work very well and they have no problems.

[RichT]

I agree about the shift thing niknak. The problem is slightly compounded by the lack of access to fresh healthy food during the flight and for an entire day. This means that I have to take everything with me for the day and predict how much I will want. Sometimes as you say, your body doesn't want food as per the normal cycle so this can lead to snacking on less healthy options.

[captwannabe]

One of the best foods that you can eat to stay healthy is "Wheat Biscuits" (you can guess what they actually are). 6 per day give you all the vitamins and minerals that you need. Also, it takes only one minute to get through two of them. Good food and fast. They are supposed to be good for your metabolism, and they give you sustained energy. Since "Wheat Biscuits" are processed food, try to eat natural foods to balance this i.e. fresh fruit and veg either to snack on, or as a meal (a stir fry is great - especially with some nice chicken/steak) Mmmmm...........

[Loose rivets]

Now, if ever there was blatant advertising...........Bet you can't eat four and still get airborne.:}

The thing to remember with dieting, is that you don't need anywhere near as much food as you normally eat...well, at least those of us that are lucky enough to live in the ‘Developed World'.

Almost no one that I have ever met, only eats what they need. The one exception is a vegetarian physiotherapist neighbor and friend. He would come home from a long day and eat a plate of stuff that I would have taken to be left-overs from my vegetarian wife's plate: a lettuce leaf and a couple of grapes seemed to fill his minute platter. He is now in his late 80s, fit, and sharp as a razor.

Our flying lifestyle makes eating for comfort, something of a necessity, but it needn't be.

Training the stomach down to size is the start, and then never ever stretching it again. This is how a multi-thousand $ operations works, why go through that? Let it get small naturally, and then keep it that way. It does take a period of depravation, and be carful if you are actively flying, but it will work. Plenty of water is one of the tricks.

I'm a fine one to talk, yo-yo dieting for the last fifty years.