So we all love to travel and often dream about some of the delicious local dishes available where we are traveling to. For some vacationers, the anticipation of the trip is enough to send their appetite into overdrive. In other words, just the thought of being on vacation loosens our inhibitions allowing us not to worry about the calories we are packing in. However, did you ever notice that you crave food and snacks more than usual at 35,000 feet? While there is no single reason as to why, flying for some reason throws our bodies off balance.

People eat more when flying

While speaking to enRoute, the Air Canada blog, Professor Michelle Lee, a nutrition, appetite, and cognition research group leader at Swansea University, said they believe people eat more than usual given the right conditions. While the study into why has yet to be done, researchers at the University of Miami found that people are likely to eat more if they perceive that food may be scarce.

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Your ability to taste food is reduced by 30% when flying

Oxford University Professor Charles Spence, the head of the school's Crossmodal Research Laboratory, believes that our senses, like smell and taste, change when we fly.

According to Professor Spence, contributing factors are lower cabin air pressure, dry air, and the noise of the engines. Because of this, to make the food taste better, it needs more sugar and salt to make it taste like it would on the ground.

Head of Catering for British Airways Chef Mark Tazzioli agrees and said the following while being interviewed by the British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail:

"Your ability to taste is reduced by 30 % in the air, so we do everything we can to counteract this. As the fifth taste, we use umami-rich ingredients in our meals and choose wines that work well with these dishes."

Why do people eat more when they are flying, and how to combat it

Temptation

As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, just the thought of flying to a vacation destination can trigger the appetite in anticipation of the food we will taste. To counter this, avoid junk food and sweets packed with calories. Instead, eat fruits, yogurt, or a peanut butter sandwich on whole-grain bread.

Boredom

Finding something to do while strapped into your seat at 35,000 can also lead to you eating more. This is especially so on long-haul flights, as eating kills some of the time. If you cannot resist the urge, eat something healthy like an apple or banana.

Time zone changes

When you cross various time zones, you may eat more or crave certain types of food. Medical research has revealed that traveling through different time zones disrupts hormones that ordinarily suppress appetite. Adding to this can be a disruption of sleeping patterns as a change in sleeping habits increases cortisol levels, making you more hungry.

To combat this, try to eat meals at the proper time that corresponds with the time zone you are in or going to and not the time zone you are traveling from.

Dehydration

Because the humidity in an aircraft cabin can be as low as 10%, you are bound to feel dehydrated and more thirsty than you usually would. This can also lead to an increase in appetite. The fix is to make sure you drink plenty of water while flying.

Sources: Air Canada, Daily Mail