How A Balanced Breakfast Can Keep Jet Lag At Bay

Ever felt like a zombie after a long flight? That's because jet lag disrupts your internal clock (aka your circadian rhythm), leaving you fatigued and out of sorts. We all think about adjusting our sleeping and waking schedules when traveling to reduce the effects of jet lag, but a 2023 study published in the science journal Chaos suggests that adjusting our eating schedules — more specifically, eating a hearty breakfast — might be the key to minimizing the problem (via WebMD).

Although most of us are largely aware of our primary or central clock, our bodies actually have several peripheral clocks present in our various organs and tissues that work with each other. While our central clock is largely attuned to sunlight, many of these other clocks respond to food. That means that if we want these clocks to run in sync , we need to eat our meals during daylight hours. Thus, starting your adventure in a new time zone with a good meal in the morning can help your clocks to align faster and reduce jet lag's grip by days at a time.

In the study, travelers who didn't adjust meal times to their new time zone averaged a whopping nine days to recover from jet lag. Interestingly, the research also showed that when participants doubled the size of their breakfast and skipped dinner for the first three days of travel, they reduced jet lag recovery from six days to five days (as compared to those who simply ate three meals during daylight hours in their new time zone). While more research is needed on ideal breakfast sizes, the key seems to be to front-load your calories at the beginning of your day to help your body adjust.

Of course, it's not always easy to adjust mealtimes if you're mid-flight, off the grid, or trapped in an airport with limited food options. To help your body adjust to travel along the way, plan by packing easily transportable, bite-sized breakfast snacks like no-bake energy bites or homemade granola bars — and know what foods to avoid when traveling by plane. Alcohol, coffee and tea can cause dehydration, which can make jet lag symptoms worse. For a little extra help, there are phone apps available to help you conquer jet lag and make travel more enjoyable through personalized recommendations on when to sleep, eat, and even when to drink caffeine while traversing different time zones.