The flight food and drinks that you should absolutely avoid, as advised by flight attendants

Flight attendants know a thing or two about what to eat/not to eat or drink while in air. There are certain food items and drinks that flight attendants advise passengers should avoid eating and drinking on airplanes.

Food items and drinks you should avoid on your next flight

1. Foods items that cause gas:

• Experienced crew members always encourage passengers to not consume gas-inducing foods. 
• This is because there's a change in the air pressure while you are flying and this can cause slight discomfort in your stomach.
• An ex-crew member who flew for seven years, Josephine Remo, said: "I always avoid eating food items that make my stomach bloated and expand even more. These foods include onion, kale, beans, red meat, lentils, gluten, and broccoli.”
• She also suggested that it is good to avoid carbonated drinks as they can also cause upset stomach mid-air.

2. Other food items you should avoid:

• Raw fruits, raw vegetables and salads: Maria Hanson, a health expert told Best Life, "Leafy greens are constantly on the list of recalled food items due to Salmonella and E coli contamination." 
• She went to add, sprouts, tomatoes and celery are also risky items to consume and can lead to food poisoning, so it's best to opt for well-cooked food on flights instead of opting for salads and leafy greens.
• Fruits such as bananas and oranges or those that you can peel or are offered in a canned container are safe to consume.
• Shrimp: An airline food safety expert, Jean Dible told CNBC, "all seafood, but in particular shrimp and oysters, are pretty darn dangerous."
• Shrimps make a risky food item to consume in flights, in a research conducted by Consumer Reports in 2015, they came to a conclusion that 60% of frozen shrimp  that are sampled in a laboratory or "farmed" (grown in industrial tanks or man-made shallows) have chances of containing harmful algae and bacteria. 

2. Tap water (including the water in tea and hot coffee)

• Sue Fogwell, who flew for 22 years, told  Travel + Leisure that she "never drank tap water". She went on to say: "Coffee and tea are made with tap water, which comes from the airplane's water tanks.”
• She further went on to say that “sometimes, on flights, we would run out of bottled water,” if you see a pitcher of water on the beverage cart in economy class, skip it — it's from the water tank. Ask for a can of seltzer water.” 
• Airplane water tanks are considered grubby and filthy. (I bet you'll think twice before ordering that tea or coffee now!)
• Air hostesses have a lot of times stressed that the water used in hot coffee and tea is the same water that is used in the bathroom system in the airplane.

3. Don't have drinks that have a lot of salt (or sodium) content

• Consuming drinks like Bloody Mary or tomato juice on flight is unadvisable.
• This is because consuming anything which has high salt content can cause dehydration and bloating. 
• And if you do consume such drinks, beat that dehydration by drinking water.

On your next flight, would you be more conscious about your food and beverage choices?

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