A new book explains why food on planes is particularly calorific. Photo / Getty
A new book explains why food on planes is particularly calorific. Photo / Getty
Food served on planes generally isn't too kind to our taste buds and now research proves that it's not good for our waistlines either.
According to research in Gastrophysics: The New Science of Eating, your in flight dishes are packed full of more calories in an attempt to make them more desirable than dishes served on the ground.
The reason for this is explained by the Gastrophysics author, Professor Charles Spence: "The lower cabin air pressure, dry cabin air and the loud engine noise all contribute to our inability to taste and smell food and drink," he told the Telegraph.
"[Therefore] the food we consume needs 20-30 per cent more sugar and salt to make it taste like it would on the ground."
But this isn't even the worst part, according to Professor Spence, this isn't the only reason we arrive at our destination packing a few more pounds.
"Next, there is the boredom," he said. "With nothing else to do, food becomes an appealing distraction. And when it is being offered for free it will be even harder to resist."
In-flight movies and entertainment also affect how much we are consuming, as they distract us from the fact that we are full.
Lower cabin air pressure, dry cabin air and the loud engine noise all contribute to our inability to taste and smell food and drink. Photo / Getty
"Another really big problem is the movie or television you watch," said Professor Spence. "It is not uncommon to find people eating as much a third more food with the TV on."
Professor Spence also points out that research suggests that the average traveller will consume nearly twice their usual daily calories when they are travelling.
"It has been estimated," he wrote, "that the British consume more than 3,400 calories between their check-in at the airport and their arrival at their destination."
Some airlines are looking to curb this by serving dishes that taste better in flight, such as curries.
"More often than not, though, the airlines have opted to load the food they serve with even more sugar and salt, to enhance the flavour," said Professor Spence. "No surprise, therefore, that the food served these days isn't the healthiest."
This isn't the only tactic airlines are using, as they have even tried to enlist the services of celebrity chefs, which Professor Spence suggests is a largely futile endeavour with little evidence behind it.
"I have yet to see any evidence to support the claim that the chef's interventions... actually led to a significant increase in passenger satisfaction."
Gordon Ramsay seems to agree, even stating: "I worked for airlines for 10 years, so I know where this food's been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board," he told Refinery29. "There's no f****** way I eat on planes."
