Flying and Health — Page 104, Lesson 158

I want to walk you through the section on nutrition and food hygiene, because what you eat and when you eat it has a direct effect on your ability to fly safely. Let's start with the foundation: a healthy diet. A balanced diet is the foundation of good health. Specifically, a diet that is high in carbohydrate and fibre, and low in fat, can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain forms of cancer. So what counts as a carbohydrate source? Grains, vegetables, nuts, potatoes, and fruits. These should make up more than 50% of the calories you consume. The rest of your calories should come from lean meats and poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy products. Now, let's talk about the most important meal of the day: breakfast. You should never miss breakfast. Medical authorities state that breakfast should supply about 25% of your daily calorie intake. And here's a key operational point: never wait until you get on board the aircraft to eat. You need that fuel in your system before you start your duty day. What happens if you don't eat regular meals or if you fast? That can result in low blood sugar, which has a specific medical term: hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia is defined as blood sugar below about 50 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. Let me give you the symptoms, because you need to recognise them in yourself or in a colleague. The symptoms are: headache, stomach pains, lack of energy, nervousness, shaking, sleepiness, lack of concentration, and fainting. That list should concern you as a pilot — lack of concentration and sleepiness are direct threats to flight safety. Hypoglycaemia can be relieved in the short term by eating a snack. But the rule to remember is this: never fly on an empty stomach. Let's move on to vitamins. Vitamins are organic substances your body needs to function properly. They help process other nutrients and form blood cells. Here's an important caution: vitamin pills should not be taken without first seeking an aviation specialist's advice. Not your general doctor — an aviation specialist, because some supplements can affect your medical certification or interact with your physiology in flight. The major sources of vitamins are listed by type. Vitamin A comes from fish oils, butter, eggs, margarine, cheese, milk, carrots, tomatoes, and fruits. Vitamin B1 comes from wheatgerm, wholegrain cereals, lentils, pork, nuts, yeast, and potatoes. Vitamin B2 comes from brewer's yeast, liver, meat extract, cheese, eggs, peanuts, beef, wholemeal bread, milk, and fish. Vitamin B3 comes from bran, wholegrain cereals, lentils, liver, kidney, meat, fish, and yeast extract. Vitamin B6 comes from meat, liver, vegetables, wholegrain cereals, and bran. Vitamin B12 comes from meat, liver, eggs, and milk. And Vitamin C comes from citrus fruits, currants, green vegetables, new potatoes, and berries. So the key takeaways for your flying career: eat a balanced diet with over 50% of calories from carbohydrates, never skip breakfast, never fly on an empty stomach, and get your vitamins from food rather than pills unless an aviation specialist advises otherwise.