How to Stay Healthy While Flying

Nov 23

Let’s be real: flying is insane, and as human beings, there’s something incredibly unhealthy about sitting for hours in a tin can speeding 36,000 feet up in the air, our bodies blasted with extreme amounts of nnEMFs, messing up our circadian rhythms, eating foul airplane food, and being exposed to harsh, partially filtered (damaging) UV light/cosmic radiation, particularly near the window seats. Don’t get me started on what happens even when you first set foot into a typical airport!

Despite the increasing evidence that flying on a plane does some serious harm to the body, it is also a tremendous privilege to sustainably and ethically travel while reciprocally soaking up different places around the globe. I’m willing to take this as a challenge, so I wrote this guide to help mitigate some of the damage that flying causes, become bulletproof, and even reduce jet lag while you’re at it.

The more you can incorporate without getting overwhelmed, the better off you’ll be since flights really do have an impact on everyone involved. I’d say the main things that help with jet lag and inflammation are flying in a fasted state (drinking only spring water, ideally ice cold), lots of seafood for the days before and after the flight, catching the sunrise/sunset every day, and adding electrolytes, notably magnesium chloride, to your water (or just going with coconut water). I hope you enjoy and benefit from at least some of this all-encompassing resource in order to create balance and thrive in all circumstances, because for all the benefits of local low-tech sustainable living, air travel and a worldwide life education are probably not going anywhere any time soon.

Booking your flight

Pick an aisle seat away from the windows.

I used to prefer the windows as I could look out of them during the flight, but the amount of solar radiation and exposure to harmful isolated UV-A rays through the windows has had me rethinking this preference. The main drawback with sitting in the aisle is that aisle seats tend to have greater exposure to airborne microbes… but for me, I’ve cultivated a resilient and healthy state of being and this is far better than radiation, so aisle seats are the way to go. If you do sit next to the window, consider keeping the curtain/cover closed to avoid harmful rays.

Nix the airplane food and any beverages offered on the plane, including plane water.

Opt out of the in-flight meal when booking your tickets, and you’ll avoid the pesticides, seed oils, horrifying additives, preservatives and poison plastic packaging that comes with even the most “healthy” airplane meals. If you can, pack a light packable whole food snack that will make you feel SO much better, and actually satiated and nourished over a long period of time. While in the air, gases in your body expand by one-third and digestion slows down, so it’s probably best to eat lightly, if at all.

Here are some satiating, nutrient-dense whole-food snack suggestions to bring on or eat before your flight that can make you feel as great as possible:

grass-fed and grass-finished nitrate-free bison jerky (or beef, elk, etc.) - note that meat won’t be allowed on many airlines, so load up prior, or stock up once you’re at your destination for travel snacks
organic/raw activated nuts and seeds/nut butters
dried organic fruit
dried organic seaweed snacks
organic coconut chips
organic dark chocolate (I’m obsessed with the Hu brand)
homemade organic energy bites/bliss balls/fat bombs or granola bars

Plane water is foul and often contaminated, and you’ll want to avoid any tea or coffee and even sealed beverages offered on the plane as well (except for sealed spring water, which would be the only decent option). It’s a no-brainer, but by also avoiding sealed beverages, you can avoid any alcohol. Bring your own pure spring water, or opt for bottled pure spring water, glass bottles rather than plastic, if possible.

Try to avoid flights with wi-fi.

This may be difficult since wi-fi on flights is becoming common practice, but if you can, try to catch a wi-fi free flight so you can reduce exposure to the extreme nnEMFs as much as possible.

Fly at night.

Since cosmic solar radiation is stronger during the day, you can dodge it by going on a night flight, or at a time when you’d be exposed to fewer daylight hours.

Sit near the back of the plane, and avoid the emergency exit area.

The seats near the wings and cockpit of the plane are where the most electronics are, and where you’d be exposed to the most amounts of harmful non-native electromagnetic frequencies. By sitting in one of the aisle seats, it will be easier to get up and stretch and move/go to the washroom more often, and keep your blood circulating during the flight without having to climb over and disturb a row of people. The back of the plane is typically farthest away from these high nnEMF zones.

Preparing for your flight

Walking and barefoot earthing before you get to the airport (and soon after you get off your flight, to rebalance).

Earthing (aka grounding) is a powerful way to engage the parasympathetic nervous system, support your circadian rhythm and help you relax with the earth’s Schumann resonance. Inflammatory positive ions that you’ve built up will be released into the ground as you connect to the earth barefoot and reground yourself with the beneficial negative ionic charge of the planet. Place your bare feet/skin on the earth (like grass, dirt, sand, rocks etc), and the build-up of positive ions will be released into the ground. Going barefoot on the earth is calming, has positive effects on your brain, and supports a healthy body, helping create coherent cellular hydration along with sunlight.

Reduce stress.

Flying is an incredible amount of stress, so try to get in some relaxation a few days before you leave for your flight. No need to stress about all the tips recommended here in this article, just pick the ones that are best for you and integrate them with calm clarity and intention! So many people in certain fitness and health communities tend to over-optimize as they miss the forest for the trees. Simply get to the airport mad early and you’ll reduce any extra cortisol release, ensuring you have time to at least stock up on clean chilled water and opt out of the radiation scanner.

Sunlight exposure before and after your flight, if schedule and time permits.

Set your circadian rhythm, mitigate circadian dysregulation, and support your mitochondria. Getting to the airport with extra time to catch sunrays by being outside from sunset or sunrise will also help mitigate the damage and immediately readjust your circadian rhythm. Upon arrival at your destination, get as much sun as you can, obviously without burning or looking directly at the sun. If you cannot catch the sunlight, have a cold filtered shower or do some sprints for the autophagy/mitochondrial benefits.

Food.

Load up on all of the DNA-protecting and repairing foods, fermented foods, and foods with lots of omega-3 DHA content (particularly in bioavailable SN-2 position, like seafood and shellfish) in the few days before and after your flight. Choose lots of grounding foods to help create balance while you’re all up in the air. High-quality organic pasture-raised grass-fed and grass-finished meats and bone broths, activated nuts and nut butters, root veggies (such as carrots, beetroot, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, turmeric, turnips, ginger, garlic) are all grounding.

Fermented foods like organic homemade kimchi, beetroot kvass, grass-fed goat kefir and sauerkraut can all provide you with a hefty dose of immune support. DNA-protecting foods with antioxidants, such as wild chaga, can support your cells as they are inevitably exposed to all that in-flight radiation. Omega-3 DHA-rich foods such as wild salmon, anchovies, and sardines can help replenish DHA that gets depleted from our bodies due to stress and exposure to non-native electromagnetic frequencies. They also boost the brain (particularly if the DHA is in SN-2 position—such as wild seafood and shellfish, but this is degraded in fish, algae or krill oils), so load up on whole seafood preventatively!

Getting into ketosis for your flight can be useful if you’re able to get into it and you really know what you’re doing, but generally, a nutrient-dense whole foods diet will suffice for protection.

Hydration.

Try to get well hydrated with pure spring water, bone broths, pure coconut water, and/or fresh fruits and vegetables starting about 3 days before flying. More on water below.

Adjust your sleep schedule.

Starting about 3 days before travel, pre-empt your circadian rhythm change by slightly adjusting your sleep schedule corresponding to that of your destination’s time zone. Nothing dramatic—just a 15-20 minute shift for 3 days before you leave should suffice.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine.

Avoid any alcohol 3 days before your flight. Things like alcohol and caffeine will trigger cortisol release, dehydrate you, and impede your circadian rhythm adaption. Same goes for other weird substances. Better yet—avoid ingesting poison in general.

At the airport

Opt for a pat-down instead of the carcinogenic security scanner.

Airport scanners project an X-ray beam onto your body (backscatter technology), which is ionizing radiation. Skip the mini-microwave session and take a few extra minutes to go through the pat-down. Flying with a baby will also exempt you from passing through the scanner. You are always entitled to the good old-fashioned pat-down; simply ask!

Hydrate with ice-cold spring water prior to your flight.

While at the airport, see if you can stock up on multiple bottles of ice-cold spring water after you go through security. Coconut water is also great.

Consider bringing a clearly labelled bag of MgCl2 (magnesium chloride) flakes on your flights (and for travelling), if the flight allows it and if magnesium works for you, which it probably does. You could also add 1/2 tsp MgCl2 (magnesium chloride flakes) to every ice-cold bottle of water for additional mineral support, CA+2 mitigation (reducing the effects of nnEMF on your body as well as from the cosmic radiation), and even anxiety relief. Reverse osmosis filtered or distilled water is fine as well. Avoid unfiltered tap water, of course. Take a few bottles of spring water with you onto the plane, if you can. Glass bottles are best, ice cold for most benefits (with positive impact on EZ/coherent cellular water and cellular hydration).

Blue light blocking glasses.

Wear them throughout the entire flight AND at the airport, as the artificial lights used severely contribute to the circadian rhythm detriment of flying.

I currently use Spectra479 clip-ons over my prescription glasses.
Block Blue Light is also pretty affordable. Visit Block Blue Light, and you can use the discount code ROOTTOSKY there for 10% off all sleep-optimizing gear, including blue light-blocking glasses.
Ra Optics is fancier, but expensive.
The only time I’d take the glasses off is when wearing a sleep mask on the plane.

On the plane

Ice cold spring water, preferably in a glass bottle.

Yep, this likely means you’ll have to drop $9 on a tiny bottle of clean water at the airport! The air inside a plane can be very dry with humidity levels often below 20%, so you’ll want to aim for drinking ice-cold spring water perhaps every hour or two of your flight, preferably ice-cold for your best chance at EZ/coherent cellular hydration, helping balance out all the effects of the flight. Drier mucus membranes increase susceptibility to infection, so drink up. If you secured an aisle seat, you’ve also got easy access to the washroom if you need it from all that beautiful water. And this goes without saying, but avoid plane water (tap water is foul in general, but especially on planes).

Water fasting.

I’m not generally drawn to the overall stressful effects of fasting, especially on my bioindividual female physiology and considering sleep is already a natural fast, but if fasting works for you, a short water fast during the flight may help support your body. Fasting boosts your immune system, supports your hormonal systems, reduces inflammation, and helps your circadian rhythm adapt more quickly to its new time zone. To really reap the autophagy benefits, start your fast a couple hours prior to the flight and keep the fast going for a while, post-flight.

For mineral support, consider adding a pinch of high-quality sea salt, maybe along with 1/2-1 tsp magnesium chloride per bottle of ice-cold spring water. Since your digestion slows down considerably while up in the air, introducing a lot of food to your system will likely not be of much help.

If fasting doesn’t work for you (it does require a generally balanced blood sugar and basic fat adaption), bring and enjoy your own snacks/meals (do not touch plane food). The same general food guidelines apply here as the above recs for pre-flight nourishment, you’ll do better with lots of grounding foods, fermented foods, and especially omega-3 DHA and iodine-rich seafood like sardines or raw seafood on or around the flight, since radiation and blue light depletes your DHA.

Reduce light and noise exposure.

The artificial light in both airports and on flights severely impacts your circadian rhythm. Blue light-blocking glasses are a must for while you’re awake. Ear plugs and an eye mask are great for sleep and the eye mask keeps out all harmful artificial light, especially on night flights.

I currently use Spectra479 clip-ons over my prescription glasses.
Block Blue Light is also pretty affordable. Visit Block Blue Light, and you can use the discount code ROOTTOSKY there for 10% off all sleep-optimizing gear, including blue light-blocking glasses.
Ra Optics is fancier, but more expensive.
I don’t usually use ear plugs and can sleep fine without them, so I don’t bother bringing them.

Flight-supportive supplements (if they work for you).

First things first: I’m not big on supplements as I primarily prefer to rely on actual foods. Something feels off to me about the linearity and instant demand that often comes with taking isolated substances (like popping pills and even herbal supplements prescribed by a naturopath) to solve “x”, and at a certain point in nutritional repletion, what you probably need is fewer supplements, not more, if you’re nourishing yourself properly with a mineral-rich, nutrient-dense diet and have gotten out of a chronic stressed state in the first place. The main thing missing from the equation when we talk about supplements is your personal relationship and ability to channel your personal power with whatever supplement (or food, substance, modality) it is.

Either way, I believe supplements (and even pills) do have their place, and I’d say the most important ones in this context are magnesium, probiotics and DHA (ideally in raw seafood form). It is not a good idea to take all of the suggested supplements at once, and most supplements should generally be cycled off about every 4 months (chronic anything is no good), but if you want to really get thorough with flight protection, consider a bit of the following to help support your body:

adding 1/2-1 tsp magnesium chloride or magnesium glycinate flakes/powder to each bottle of spring water, dissolved. Magnesium is one of the most important and underused minerals with over 3000+ biochemical reactions in the body and can help you combat high cortisol levels, relaxing the body. It is one of the default tissue salts of the body, and considering our agricultural soils are depleted of minerals and most people are deficient today, taking a dose that’s right for you ought to be a regular thing (in addition to a healthy omnivorous whole foods diet, organic and locally grown when possible). Ancient Minerals and Now are great brands for mag, but any 100% pure form of flakes will do. Magnesium oil or homemade topical spray are also great routes of administration, just spray front and back of neck and/or upper body and it’ll absorb into your skin and help you relax. I’m on the smaller side so I fare decently with 1/2 tsp in a large glass of spring water only a few times a month, currently.
adding a pinch of high-quality sea salt (provides minerals) to your spring water
100mg ubiquinol (a bio-active form of CoQ10) every hour of the flight (at most) in order to keep your cytochromes running smoothly and provide extra electrons for the electron transport chain. This is a powerful antioxidant that mitigates oxidative stress and supports your mitochondria. Optionally (and what I prefer), load up on grass-fed and grass-finished organ meats such as liver and kidney, fatty fish like sardines, salmon or mackerel, or other whole foods rich in CoQ10.
1/2-1 tsp of cold-pressed black seed oil, once before you sleep, then once before you get to the airport, and possibly once after you arrive at your destination if you can. Buie is great quality, but I like to support local with Activation Products.
DHA/Omega-3 fatty acids: again, preferably in whole food form such as fatty fish (contains the bioavailable SN-2 position DHA that is not found in plant foods like chia seeds or algae oil). Fatty fish includes mackerel, salmon, sardines, and anchovies. DHA protects our brains and is depleted with exposure to nnEMFs including the wi-fi and radiation from the flight. Cod liver is preferred and more bioavailable over cod liver oil and helps with inflammation and oxidative stress. Raw seafood is best as it preserves the DHA.
High quality broad-spectrum probiotic supplements pre- and post-flight will help to ensure your gut is filled with the good bacteria that work for you rather than against you, and support your exposure to germs, stress, and harsh conditions as you travel. Fermented foods (the original source) are my favourite as the ultimate immunity enhancers, though.
Astaxanthin or chaga mushroom: both are powerfully protective from DNA damage including the radiation-induced damage from flying, and can also protect you from excessive sun damage. Supplementing with one of these can help protect your cells from travel damage and sun damage! Antioxidant-rich foods will also help support you in general.

EMF-blocking clothing (if you can afford it).

There’s a slew of anti-EMF products on the market out there, like lessemf and No Choice protective gear. You’ll want to look for silver-threaded garments which help block and protect various areas of your body from the effects of non-native electromagnetic frequencies that are so ubiquitous in airports and on planes.

Gua sha or dry brushing for lymphatic drainage/circulation.

Prevent the buildup of lymph fluid and any post-flight puffiness by using a gua sha tool or dry brush on your face. Stagnant lymph = bloating, heaviness, water retention and dis-ease.

Compression gear.

This isn’t something I personally use, but wearing compression gear can help your body circulate blood and prevent puffiness and swollen feet/legs on your flight.

Getting up and moving.

Keep everything moving by occasionally getting up to stretch, maybe throw in some squats or lunges, and walking up and down the aisle. Sit closest to the aisle to do this more easily.

Curtain closed.

The partial UVA light that gets filtered through the window (and pretty much any material except for quartz glass) promotes skin damage and cataract damage, especially when you’re exposed to the UVA light so high up with the cosmic radiation. (Typically, direct exposure to safe amounts of the full spectrum sunlight that humans evolved with is vital to overall health, particularly morning light!)

Inflatable J-shaped sleep pillow.

This can be useful especially if you’re in an aisle seat and need extra neck support when sleeping. When I went to Amsterdam on my first trip I brought a stuffed J-shaped pillow and the size of it took up too much space in my luggage. It was the single most useless thing I packed as I only used it once on the flight there. Since then I’ve found that I can sleep just fine on plane seats without a pillow. Definitely opt for an inflatable one that can be compressed if you absolutely need a pillow.

After your flight

Natural, full-spectrum sunlight exposure.

Get ample amounts of sunshine on your bare skin and indirectly into eyes as soon as possible after the flight to help set your circadian rhythm to your new location, charge your mitochondria, and provide yourself with valuable vitamin D. Not filtered through a window, and obviously without burning. While you’re at it, it’s also vital to do some grounding:

Get grounded.

After you fly, you should ground with the earth’s negative charge (Schumann resonance). Trust me. Go barefoot earthing directly on the earth somewhere at your new destination and you will release all the positive charged electrons that were built up in your body that create inflammation and dis-ease and deplete your energy. Flying disrupts your body’s natural electromagnetic field, throwing everything off. When you go earthing with bare feet on the planet (dirt, sand, rocks, grass, etc), you also balance your energy, reduce inflammation and calm your nervous system, even promoting acupressure benefits and neurogenesis from the textures on the ground. Can you really say you’ve been to a destination if your feet have been insulated by rubber-soled shoes the whole time?!

A meal with raw seafood for the DHA and iodine after you land.

It will take some time for your digestion to rev back up, so try to avoid eating right off the plane. For your first meal, have lots of seafood (ideally wild caught, and raw/lightly cooked to preserve as much DHA as possible). Have it as your first meal after you land at your destination. Have it for the next morning, too—seafood is very important support during the days before and after your flight.

A source of sulfur (ie. pasture-raised organic pork/bacon and/or eggs) can also help mitigate the effects of the heavy blue light on the flight. The grounding foods mentioned above (such as beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, high quality regeneratively pasture-raised meat, and organic activated nuts) also apply after your flight and will help rebalance. Try adding organic fermented foods (as a condiment) to most of your meals at your destination. Digestive aids you could take with your meals include ginger, HCL, digestive bitters, or enzymes.

More hydration.

Whether it be from organic local regeneratively grown fruits and veggies with a bit of sea salt, coconut water or glass bottled spring water, hydrate! Better yet, make a beeline toward the closest freshwater spring at your destination using findaspring.com.

Move and/or sweat.

Plane travel exposes you to greater amounts of microbes and germs as well as a plethora of harmful chemicals. A vigorous workout sesh can help get rid of unwanted bacteria and chemicals and revitalize you at your destination. A sauna session can also do wonders.

Move lymph.

After all that sitting and stagnation, you’ll feel better once you start moving again. Dry brush before a shower, do some gua sha, or consider getting a massage soon after you land. (I personally dry brush my whole body almost every time before I take a shower. It provides your organs of detoxification a gentle internal massage, stimulates digestion and skin cell renewal, and helps with your circulation/detox. Dry brush from the extremities towards the heart.)

Cold thermogenesis.

Take a dip in the ocean, or do a cold shower, cold bath, or cold plunge in a lake (not a chlorinated pool). This will reset your circadian rhythm and boost your immune system! Travel can often overemphasize passive witnessing as an onlooker (like at a museum or show), but this separates you from the world and your embodied experience.

Stay awake until bedtime at your new location.

No matter how tired you may be once you arrive, fight to stay awake until the actual bedtime of your new time zone and you’ll have an easier time setting your circadian rhythm. If needed, take a little nap, but try to sync up your sleep schedule as much as possible by staying up until bedtime. I would personally stay away from any exogenous sources of melatonin as it can desensitize your receptors over time.

Avoid alcohol.

If you drink it, avoid alcohol at least 3 days after flying (better yet, avoid ingesting poison in general).

General travel supplements to consider

Wild oregano oil: It has been many years (knock on wood), but I would take a dose with food if I felt a cold coming on or if I felt run down. I like to take it with food due to how strong it can be! Travel inevitably increases your exposure to germs and microbes, and oregano oil can be a great support as a powerful natural antibiotic. The air is recycled on the typical plane (I know, foul, right?), and combined with the possibility of sitting next to a coughing human, wild oregano oil (and a good sweat session) can be your hero after being exposed to so many germs on the flight.
Activated coconut charcoal: helpful if you’re ever bloated, and can help with any food poisoning during your travels, so it is a must for any long-term travel as well. Only consume activated charcoal a few hours before any other supplements you take, as it will minimize and counteract the effects of anything in your system since it binds to things (supplements or medications) as it passes through your stomach and GI tract as it takes care of bloat. Take 1 tsp in a big glass of spring water to reduce bloating, or before your flight if you’re prone to bloating on your flight. Taking it after your flight will also help rid your body of any germs you might’ve accumulated during the flight. Don’t take activated charcoal near anything you DO want in your body!
For any food poisoning or digestive discomfort, I recommend topical magnesium spray first and foremost. Make your own by dissolving about 1:4 flakes to purified (reverse osmosis filtered, distilled, or spring) water. Purified, since it soaks into your pores. Spray generously on front and back of neck, and full upper body until soaking. A soaked magnesium rag on the skin can be useful for both relief and general sun exposure throughout a hot day. Activated charcoal can be useful at the onset of food poisoning, though I personally don’t bother bringing it on my trips! Black seed oil supplementation can also be very helpful for food poisoning relief, though this may be difficult and excessive to pack on the plane. Replenish electrolytes with coconut water and sea salt, or spring water with a big pinch of sea salt dissolved.

The world is still beautiful and worth protecting, so treading lightly and playfully will help regenerate both our health and that of the planet. Here’s to a lifetime of healthier flights with glorious, sustainable and enriching travels!

Kelly Samantha https://roottoskykitchen.com