AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2013 - 28

FLY WELL

BY DR. JONATHAN M. SACKIER

Avgas or Jet A?
You are what you consume
SANE PILOTS ensure the Cessna 172 they are about to
fly has been fueled with 100LL. Why don’t we treat
what we eat with equal attention? Scientific studies
have proven causal relationships between food and
human disease. These observations impact both your
flying and long-term health.
Pilots read placards and the POH, so why not food
labels? You know what an orange or chicken is, right?
And you probably enjoy eating them. Check out what
you buy: Does it contain orange pulp; is it free-range;
is it hormone- and antibiotic-free—or does it sound
like a science experiment? Do you know what ethyl
butyrate is? No? So why eat it? The food industry uses
colors to make chow more appealing but as those substances lack nutritional value and might impede brain
function, avoid them. Consume food with colors found

Consume water before you fly and consider taking
aboard either electrolyte-enhanced water or sports
drinks, avoiding carbonated or sugar-rich variants.

DR. JONATHAN
M. SACKIER is

a surgeon and
private pilot living
in Virginia. He is a
resource for AOPA
Pilot Protection
Services.

28 | AOPA PILOT June 2013

in nature, not Frankenstein’s lab! Monosodium glutamate, MSG, a common flavor enhancer widely used in
Chinese food, is blamed for headaches, sluggishness,
bad dreams, increasing national debt, and earthquakes.
Some research shows it can impact nerve conduction,
triggering aches and pains, and is associated with the
genesis of obesity—so maybe it is worth skipping.
Sweetness is an evolutionary trick to suggest calories are coming to fuel our bodies. People switching
from sugar to artificial sweeteners may get confused
and eat more sugar to seek a high. Cutting down on
sugar is commendable, but satisfy cravings by eating
fruit rather than switching to artificial chemicals.
“Vitamin” is a contraction of “vital amines,” chemicals needed to sustain life. In the absence of any medical
issues and, if consuming a good diet, taking supplements merely makes urine expensive. Your physician
can advise if vitamins should be part of your routine.
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduce heart
attack, stroke, and other disease incidence and PUFArich food (cold-water fish like salmon, trout, and
mackerel; avocados; olive oil; nuts), like regular flying,
also has been shown to reduce depression. Conversely,

a low-PUFA diet has been linked to postpartum depression. Add these to your daily intake with two helpings
a week of the right kind of fish. A Mediterranean diet
also helps brain function and, when combined with regular exercise, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Our Mediterranean friends enjoy a glass of wine
or two; moderate intake, especially of antioxidant-rich
red wine, may protect against cardiovascular disease,
reduce cholesterol, prevent aberrant blood clotting, and
limit diabetes and dementia. Too much alcohol, however, is dreadful: abuse; dependence; liver; heart and
brain disease; psychosocial problems—none of which
goes well with a love of aviation.
Protein is an essential component of our diet, but
too much red meat, especially processed, raises stroke
incidence by up to 13 percent; try substituting poultry,
which carries a lower risk. A Mediterranean meal such
as a nice piece of grilled salmon, on a bed of spinach
cooked with olive oil and pine nuts—with a glass of wine
and some fine company—should inspire good conversation as well as healthy attributes.
After such a nice meal, why not enjoy some dark,
flavonol-rich chocolate; it may help arterial wall cells,
lower blood pressure, and reduce the risk of strokes and
heart attacks. Avoid candy bars containing processed
transfats, limiting consumption to control calorie intake.
Coffee accompanies chocolate well and four cups
of Joe a day reduces depression—but caffeine has
other negative effects, so go for quality and not quantity. However, four daily sodas significantly increase
depression risk, and sugar load (high-fructose corn
syrup) increases obesity by interfering with internal
mechanisms to control overeating urges and, by association, diabetes and heart disease. Soda also impairs
cognitive function, so it is not a good aviation refreshment. Consume water before you fly and consider taking
aboard either electrolyte-enhanced water or sports
drinks, avoiding carbonated or sugar-rich variants.
Food inspires immense pleasure; take time to learn
more about it. In his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma,
Michael Pollan says, “When chickens get to live like
chickens, they’ll taste like chickens, too.” And they are
better for you. Live well, eat well, fly well.
AOPA
EMAIL jonathan.sackier@aopa.org

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - June 2013

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