GETTING THERE

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

"Finally, be aware that Mexican driving practices may be different from those at home, and could seem downright suicidal to a first-time visitor. However, the drivers do value their own lives . . . so try to relax and enjoy the trip!"

THE JET-LAG DIET

Though it's a timesaver, jet travel often means spending a few post-flight days with your body's biological clocks sadly out of kilter. (We've noted that it takes approximately one day to recover from each time zone crossed.) Now, however, there's a four-day diet to help prevent such disorientation . . . developed by the Argonne National Laboratory. Here's what's involved.

On the third day before your flight, feast on a high-protein breakfast and lunch, followed by a dinner that's high in carbohydrates. During the second day before takeoff, "fast" with three small, light meals that are low in carbohydrates and total no more than 700 calories. The day preceding the trip is another feast day, while the day of travel itself is a fast day.

Whether you're feasting or fasting, drink caffeinated beverages only in the afternoon . . . with the following exceptions: When you're eastbound — say, on a flight from New York to London — drink several cups of coffee or tea the evening before departure and go to sleep only three or four hours before it'll be breakfast time at your destination. If you're westbound, ingest caffeine only in the morning on both the day of the flight and the day before it. When it's breakfast time at your destination, eat a high-protein meal without caffeine . . . stay active . . . eat a high-protein lunch and a high-carbohydrate dinner on your host country's schedule . . . and go to bed early. By the next morning, your body's clocks should be working with little or no lag.

For a free wallet-sized instruction folder, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Office of Public Information (Jet-Lag Diet), Argonne National Laboratory, Dept. TMEN, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439.

Remember, you receive a free one-year subscription to MOTHER if your travel tip is published in this column. Write to Getting There, THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS ® , 105 Storey Mountain Road Hendersonville, North Carolina 28791.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print