Do you find that food always tastes bad on planes? Well, you’re not the only one. Flying really messes with our tastebuds, but there’s a solution.
A doctor has gone viral on TikTok after sharing three different hacks that will make flight food taste so much better, and you’ll never look back.
Make plane food taste better
A review in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science explains that there are three things which “play havoc” with your ability to taste on planes: the reduced cabin air pressure, lack of humidity, and loud background noise.
Dr. Karan Raj said you can combat this loss of taste by choosing to eat umami-rich foods while you’re in the air, like meats, tomatoes and cheese. Umami is the fifth basic taste, alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
“This is because the low cabin pressure on your flight affects your tastebuds meaning that sweet and salty flavors are muted,” he explained. “At the same time, the taste of umami is amplified.”
He also recommended wearing earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones to boost your sense of taste, because the sound of the engine and your ears popping stimulates the middle ear nerve, which “impacts your ability to taste sweet and salty”.
The doctor’s third tip is to drink water before meals and consider using a saline nasal spray, because the air conditioning and low humidity will make your mouth and sinus cavities really dry.
Raj explained that both your smell receptors and taste buds require “some degree of humidity” to work optimally.
List of umami rich foods
Umami foods contain an amino acid called glutamate, the nucleotides inosinate or guanylate and certain minerals like sodium or potassium, the Umami Information Center explains.
Umami rich foods include:
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Asparagus
- Seaweed
- Peas
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Beets
- Cheese
- Meat (Pork, Beef and Poultry)
- Seafood (Sardines and Bonito)
- Soy Foods (Soy Beans and Soy Sauce)
Dr. Karan Rangarajan (MBBS), widely known as Dr. Karan Raj, is an NHS Surgeon based in the UK who gained his medical degree from Imperial College London. He is also a Clinical Lecturer at Imperial College London and the University of Sunderland, and has released his own health guide called This Book May Save Your Life.
