“Even better when you sip it,” according to this gastroenterologist.
Most airlines offer us something to drink during our flight. But we still have to make the right choice when the on-board service presents itself to us. Sparkling water, coffee, a glass of wine, beer, juice, sodas… Not all drinks are equal and some should even be avoided on a plane, according to researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute of Physics in Germany who compared the effects of different drinks on the body during a flight. For example, alcoholic drinks promote dehydration, as does coffee. On the other hand, one of them seems to be a wise choice, especially if you tend to get airsick.
Already in terms of taste, it is better in the air than on the ground.It’s science: Air travel changes our taste buds: low pressure impairs the effectiveness of our olfactory and taste receptors, and dry air makes it harder to distinguish flavors. It’s like food and drink taste the same as if you had a cold.“, explains Andrea Burdack-Freitag, researcher and lead author of the study. This explains why coffee seems more bitter in flight than on the ground, wine more acidic and dishes with sauce more bland. On the contrary, the drink recommended on the plane seems more tasty, delicate and mild, and hydrates more, she indicates in the study.
In addition to its taste, this drink relieves the airsickness felt by many of us on planes. Especially on short flights because the plane flies less high and the air density is higher, which favors the movements of the aircraft.This drink can relieve stomach upset and nausea when you sip it.” recommends gastroenterologist Rudolph Bedford, interviewed by the magazine Health. It is still quite sweet, however, so we stick to one or two glasses per flight and then opt for still water (bottled, not from the plane’s tap because the pipes on board are rarely cleaned) if we are thirsty.
So if you tend to feel groggy on a plane, it’s best to drink soda instead. ginger (called “ginger ale” in English). Examples include Canada Dry© or Schweppes© Ginger Beer. On social media, Internet users already seem to be won over: “I only drink ginger ale when I’m on a plane.” confides a user on Reddit; “I wouldn’t be surprised if 80% of the world’s ginger ale supply was consumed on airplanes.” jokes another on TikTok. Try it on your next trip…