A stewardess of a major British airline named a drink that should never be drunk on a plane and also advised not to order food on board. She explained the reasons in an interview with the Mirror newspaper.
Selina Bedding is an experienced flight attendant who agreed to provide recommendations to tourists planning flights. The girl’s advice is to never order food and drinks during a flight at an altitude of 9,000 meters, and most importantly, never drink tap water.
“Never drink tap water in an airplane toilet. Many studies have proven that this is unhygienic. You may have already seen a sign that forbids it, as most airplanes have it near the faucet. If you thought this was just a way to get you to buy water, it’s not. It’s for your health,” Selina explained.
One more interesting fact related to drinks on the plane was found out during research by Lufthansa airline specialists. It turns out that the favorite drink of most flight attendants and many passengers is tomato juice. And there is a scientific reason for that.
During the flight, low pressure and dryness lead to changes in the taste buds, as a result of which the sensation of food is dulled. Tomato juice contains umami, an ingredient that is not affected by flight, so the drink tastes much better in the air than other, sweeter alternatives.
Selina also urged passengers to avoid airplane food if possible, as it often contains high amounts of salt and sugar to counteract the dulling effect of the taste buds. This also makes it very harmful to health.
“Due to the pressure in the cabin, we lose about 30% of our taste buds. Therefore, companies that prepare food for airlines add much more salt to it, so that it is tasty even at an altitude of 9,000 meters,” said the stewardess.
Although toast and ham and cheese sandwiches are very popular on airplanes, Selina recommended ditching them in favor of a salad. “You’d better choose, for example, a vegetable or fruit salad. Be sure to drink plenty of clean water before, during, and after the flight to maintain water balance,” she advised.