Travelling on business can be very stressful. You have deadlines and important
meetings, often with people you have never met before. Long journey times,
hotel rooms, flights, queues and dealing with living out of a suitcase – all add to
the stress. It is important to choose your food carefully as this is one area you
have some control over.
Have regular meals and avoid overeating
Jetlag disrupts your natural body rhythms.
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Eating three meals a day at regular intervals
helps keep energy levels constant. Breakfast is an important meal. It replenishes your
energy after the overnight fast that occurs when you are sleeping. It also provides vital
nutrients to help you think and cope with whatever situation you may find yourself in. With a
good breakfast you are set up for a good day.
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When you are travelling, sleeping may be difficult due to jetlag as well as being in a
different environment. The sort of food you eat you can also affect your sleep patterns.
Food takes time to digest. If you overeat before going to bed, your body will still be digesting the food when you want to sleep,
making rest difficult. If you have a high fat meal, it takes longer to leave the stomach and then to be cleared from the blood
stream. Digestion time will be much longer after a highfat meal than after a meal with more fruit, vegetables or carbohydrates.
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Don’t forget hydration
Drinking enough fluid is important, especially during and after flying. Even mild dehydration can affect your mental function.
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In
addition, dehydration caused during flying is a risk factor for deep vein thrombosis. The pressurised cabins during flight cause the
body to lose water. Drinking alcohol instead of water or fruit juice while flying will make the dehydration worse. The same holds for
coffee and tea. If you have not been able to drink during a flight, then make sure you do have a good drink of water or fruit juice
after landing to rehydrate properly.
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Travelling tips
Healthy eating is the same whether at home or away, finding the right food in a different environment is more difficult. However
following a few simple tips will help you to keep in top form:
1. Eat a variety of foods. Eating a variety of foods will facilitate a balanced intake of nutrients. If you keep portion sizes
reasonable, it will be easier to eat what you enjoy without having to eliminate anything.
2. Opt for healthy choices. Moderate your fat intake, especially saturated fat, as well as sugar, sodium and alcoholic beverages.
Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables in order to get the recommended 5 helpings a day, and also cereals (highfibre foods).
Consider food hygiene standards wherever you go, especially in highrisk destinations in Asia, Africa and Latin America (Cook it
peel it or leave it!).
3. Don’t skip breakfast. Breakfast is more than a cup of coffee or a glass of juice. Eating in the morning will give you the energy
you need and minimise hunger during the day, which will help you avoid overeating.
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4. Don’t skip meals and try to eat light in the evening. Try not to go more than 4 or 5 hours without eating. Being famished at
mealtime may hinder your ability to make healthy choices as well as trigger overeating. Constant energy levels help you stay
alert. Besides, starving yourself during the day, and ending it with a heavy or large meal at night, interferes with digestion and
disrupts sleep. Stick as close to your normal eating schedule as possible.
3,6,7
5. Jetlag tip. In order to minimise the effect of jetlag, which disrupts your natural rhythms, try to reset your watch at the
beginning of your flight and adjust the meals to the time zone you’ll be visiting. Sleep on the plane if it is nighttime at your
destination, and stay awake during your flight if it is daytime at your destination.
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6. Try to eat a healthy and light meal before you travel. Look for salad, fresh fruit, vegetablebased soups and baked chicken.
7. Flying can easily dehydrate you, so drink plenty of water and lowcalorie drinks (drinking one glass per hour during the flight will
ward off dehydration and jetlag).
8. Be moderate on caffeinated drinks and don’t use them as a food substitute. Caffeine is a mild stimulant and high consumption
contributes to dehydration and can disrupt your sleep.
9. Try to be physically active. Moderate physical activity is good for the heart and circulatory system as well as for general health
and wellbeing. Take the stairs instead of the lift, go for a walk, or try the fitness centre. During flights, exercise (stretch your
back, arms and legs, walk up and down the aisles), which stimulates circulation and helps prevent deep vein thrombosis and jet
lag.
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References
1. Sack RL, Auckley D, Auger RR, Carskadon MA, Wright KP, Jr, Vitiello MV, Zhdanova IV. (2007) Circadian Rhythm Sleep
Disorders: Part I, Basic Principles, Shift Work and Jet Lag Disorders. Sleep 30:14601483
2. Ruxton CHS and Kirk TR. (1997) Breakfast: a review of associations with measures of dietary intake physiology and
biochemistry. British Journal of Nutrition 78:199213
3. Carbohydrates in Human Nutrition (1997). Report of a Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation.
4. Lieberman J. (2007) Hydration and Cognition: A Critical Review and Recommendations for Future Research. Journal of
the American College of Nutrition 26:555S561S
5. Chee YL and Watson HG. (2005) Air travel and thrombosis. British Journal of Haematology 130:671680
6. Kaplan RJ, Greenwood CE, Winocur G, Wolever TMS. (2001) Dietary protein, carbohydrate, and fat enhance memory
performance in the healthy elderly. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 74:687693
7. Cohen D and Farley TA. (2008) Eating as an Automatic Behavior. Preventing Chronic Disease 5(1):17
How to eat and drink healthily when travelling
UPDATED 11th June 2014 (Scroll to bottom of page for addendum)
For many thousands of years, people have used heat to cook foods. However,
along with the formation of the desired flavour, odour and colour compounds, the
process of heating can also lead to the formation of less favourable substances.
One such compound that has received much scientific and media interest over
recent years is acrylamide.
Discovery of acrylamide in food
Initially, acrylamide was only known for its uses in industrial processes such as in the
production of plastics, glues, paper and cosmetics. Accidental exposure of workers to high
levels of acrylamide led to the identification of the substance as a neurotoxin. This means
that acrylamide at high doses has the ability to cause damage to the nervous tissue. In
animals, high doses of the compound are known to cause cancer and affect reproduction.
In 2002, researchers from Stockholm University, Sweden, made the surprising finding of
acrylamide formation in foods, and since then, acrylamide has been found in a range of
foods processed at high temperatures.
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Acrylamide can be formed in foods during heating
processes that reach temperatures of 120°C or higher e.g., frying, baking and roasting. French fries, potato crisps, biscuits and
crackers, crispbreads, breakfast cereals, roast potatoes, bakery products and coffee were originally found to contain acrylamide.
Further investigations have identified acrylamide in dried fruits, in baked vegetables, in black olives and some roasted nuts.
How is acrylamide formed in foods?
The formation of acrylamide in foods occurs as the result of a reaction known as the Maillard reaction, which is a chemical reaction
between an amino acid (the building block of protein) and a sugar such as glucose, fructose or lactose.
Heat is required to start the cooking reaction that causes a cascade of chemical changes which ultimately result in the “browning”
of the food and the formation of a range of odour and flavour compounds. Together these compounds give the characteristic
appearance and flavour of cooked food. One of the most common examples of the Maillard reaction is the heating of white bread
to give brown toast.
The formation of acrylamide itself is only partly understood as the Maillard reaction is one of the most complicated chemical
reactions that occur in food. However, the formation and concentration of acrylamide in foods appears to be dependant on the
type of food, the temperature and the length of time the food is heated. Generally, starchy foods (e.g., bread, potatoes) that
have been cooked at higher temperatures and for longer periods of time contain increased levels of acrylamide.
As well as the cooking time and the cooking temperature, research has shown that levels of an amino acid known as asparagine
are also linked to the formation of acrylamide. This particular amino acid has a chemical structure that is very similar to the
chemical structure of acrylamide, which suggests that during the Maillard reaction, asparagine may be being converted into the
acrylamide compound.
What levels of acrylamide are found in foods?
Scientists generally agree that the foods containing the highest levels of acrylamide are those that are fried, deepfried or oven
baked, such as cake, bread and French fries. The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reports that the major
contributing foods to total acrylamide intake for most countries are potato chips (1630%), potato crisps (646%), coffee (13
39%), pastry and sweet biscuits (1020%) and bread and rolls/toasts
(1030%).
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Other food items contribute less than 10% of the total. Intake of acrylamide within the EU varies between 0.31.4 micrograms per
kg body weight per day, and contributions from individual types of food vary with national diets.
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No levels of acrylamide have been found to date in foods which have been boiled, poached or steamed. This may be explained
by the maximum temperature of these techniques, which does not exceed 100°C, and by the absence of a browning reaction.
Is acrylamide in foods harmful to human health?
Shortly after the Swedish study, the former Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) issued an opinion on the potential human health
concerns associated with acrylamide in food.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that “acrylamide belongs to the group
of chemicals thought to have no reliably identifiable ‘threshold’ of effects, meaning that very low concentrations will also result in
very low risks, but not in zero risk”.
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In 2005, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on contaminants supported the conclusions of the JECFA report that
efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the substance.
2,6
In order to understand better the risks posed by cooking foods at high temperatures, the European Commission funded the
HEATOX (Heatgenerated Food Toxicants – Identification, Characterisation and Risk Minimalisation) project.
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The aims of HEATOX
were to identify, characterise and minimise the risks posed by unfavourable compounds produced during the cooking process. In
particular, it focused on acrylamide and in 2007 released four main findings based on laboratory experiments; 1) acrylamide in
food might be a cancer risk factor; 2) it is possible to reduce levels of acrylamide formation in food, but not to eliminate it;
3) analytical methods to detect acrylamide in foods are available; and 4) cooking food may produce other compounds relevant to
human health.
What is being done to reduce levels of acrylamide in foods?
Food manufacturers have taken measures to reduce acrylamide formation in foods such as crispbread, baked goods/biscuits, and
potato crisps by refocussing quality controls, and changing recipes and cooking processes. It is important to note however that
such processes cannot take into account the element of seasonality, which has a significant impact upon the content of acrylamide
precursors in agricultural raw materials.
What happens when we cook food – understanding acrylamide formation
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To collate the knowledge generated by the food industry, the Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European
Union (CIAA) has published an ‘Acrylamide Toolbox’, which provides steps that can be implemented by food manufacturers as well
as by consumers at home to reduce acrylamide levels in their foods.
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Findings from the HEATOX research have been considered
and included where feasible in the updated ‘Acrylamide Toolbox’ document.
Researchers are now looking at the possibility of reducing acrylamide levels in foods through blocking the reaction during cooking,
through biotechnology and the adaptation of current farming techniques. For example, increasing the sulphur levels in soil and
decreasing the levels of nitrogen have been shown to reduce the levels of acrylamide in some food crops. Furthermore, through
the use of genetic modification, researchers have produced a new variety of potato altogether, which contains lower levels of sugar
than standard potatoes.
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Decreasing the level of reducing sugars (e.g., glucose) in potatoes is likely to reduce the concentration
of acrylamide as this type of sugar is a key component of the Maillard reaction, through which the unfavourable compound is
formed. Similarly, genes are targeted within the plant that are responsible for controlling the levels of asparagine formation. As
asparagine is another key component required for the formation of acrylamide, reducing the levels of the compound in the plant
is likely to have a knockon effect in reducing the formation of acrylamide during the Maillard reaction.
Benefits of cooking
In general, there are many benefits to cooking foods which must not be forgotten. In addition to increasing palatability and
sensory appeal, thorough cooking reduces the risk of food poisoning. Furthermore, the process of cooking makes a number of
essential nutrients more readily available so that it is easier for our bodies to use them.
What you can do
As research continues to identify ways to reduce the formation of acrylamide during the heating of some foods, consumers should
avoid overcooking (excessive browning) of such foods. Following the cooking instructions on food packs and cooking equipment
can help achieve this goal. In addition, consumers should aim to vary their cooking techniques to include more boiling, steaming
and similar methods that help keep acrylamide formation to a minimum. As some of the products that can be high in acrylamide
are also energydense, they should be eaten in moderation as part of a healthy balanced diet.
References
1. Tareke E, Rydberg P, Karlsson P, Eriksson S, Törnqvist M. (2002) Analysis of acrylamide, a carcinogen formed in heated
foodstuffs. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 50(17):49985006. doi: 10.1021/jf020302f S00218561(02)
003023
2.
JECFA Report TRS 930JECFA 64/8.
3.
The HEATOX Project, Final Project Leaflet.
4.
Scientific Committee on Food (2002) Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on new findings
regarding the presence of acrylamide in food.
5. World Health Organisation (WHO). Food Safety section:
Frequently asked questions acrylamide in food.
6. European Food Safety Authority, Key Topics section:
7.
The CIAA Acrylamide ‘Toolbox’.
8. Rommens CM, Ye J, Richael C, Swords K. (2006) Improving Potato Storage and Processing Characteristics through All
Native DNA Transformation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54(26):98829887. doi: 10.1021/jf062477l
S00218561(06)024770
Addendum June 2014:
The Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the European Union (CIAA) officially changed its name in June 2011 and
is now known as FoodDrinkEurope (FDE).
The European research project HEATOX finished in November 2007. HEATOX findings fed into the FDE (formerly CIAA)
Acrylamide Toolbox. The Toolbox is updated on a continuous basis as the science progresses.
In January 2014, FDE published a revised series of sectorspecific pamphlets based on the Acrylamide Toolbox and available in
23 European languages. The pamphlets set out the latest tools to help Europe’s food and drink sectors mitigate Acrylamide
formation in certain food products.
The latest report on acrylamide by Joint Experts Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) was published in 2011. It forms part of
a JECFA evaluation of certain contaminants in food. JECFA reported that the major foods contributing to the total mean dietary
exposures for most countries were potato chips (10–60%), potato crisps (10–22%), pastry and sweet biscuits (10–15%) and
bread and rolls/toast (13–34%). Other food items contributed less than 10% to the total dietary exposures.
The European Commission (EC) made a Recommendation to Member States (2007/331/EC) in 2007 on the monitoring of
acrylamide levels in food. The monitoring is targeted to those foodstuffs that are known to contain high acrylamide levels and
those that contribute significantly to the human dietary intake.
In early 2011, the EC issued indicative levels for acrylamide in certain foods, based on European monitoring data. Indicative
values are not safety thresholds. They are only intended to indicate the need for an investigation by relevant authorities, into
why the level has been exceeded. These indicative values were updated in November 2013.
In 2012, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published European data on acrylamide levels in a variety of foods from 2007
to 2010. The data has been used as a measure of whether the strategies identified within the Toolbox approach have been
successfully implemented by the European food industry. Evidence of the efficacy of the Toolbox approach taken by the food
industry is important because it will inform future European member state discussions on their approach to the acrylamide
issue. The European data reported the analysis of 10 different food categories, although some sample sizes of food categories
were small for example for potato crisps. The study reported no significant decreasing trend in acrylamide levels in these
crisps. Indicative acrylamide values recommended by the EC were exceeded in the case of 320 % of samples in different food
categories based on 2010 monitoring data. The report concluded that an extended time period and detailed descriptions of
sample sources would be needed for a more accurate trend evaluation.
A study published in 2013, reported on the analysis of a much larger dataset for acrylamide concentrations in potato crisps
from 2002 to 2011 and showed that, in contrast to previous findings, a general trend of decreasing acrylamide levels over time
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was sustained throughout that period.
The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) is currently carrying out an assessment on acrylamide and human health. The
assessment will consider related international developments, including work by JECFA. The draft version is expected to be
completed and open for public consultation in June 2014. The feedback received will assist in the final scientific opinion that is
scheduled for 2015.
References
1. FoodDrinkEurope, Acrylamide Pamphlets, January 2014. Available
2. Evaluation of certain contaminants in food (Seventysecond report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food
Additives). WHO Technical Report Series, No. 959, 2011. Available
(Accessed 22nd May, 2014).
3. European Commission Recommendation of 3 May 2007 on the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food (2007/331/EC).
Available
(Accessed 23rd May, 2014).
4. Commission recommendation of on investigations into the levels of acrylamide in food, Brussels, 10.1.2011 C(2010) 9681
final. Available
5. European Food Safety Authority; Update on acrylamide levels in food from monitoring years 2007 to 2010, EFSA Journal
2012;10(10):2938. Available
(Accessed 23rd May, 2014).
6. Powers et al. (2013) Acrylamide concentrations in potato crisps in Europe from 2002 to 2011, Food Additives &
Contaminants: Part A, 2013. Available
(Accessed 23rd May, 2014).
Further information
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Seaweed has long been part of the traditional diet of coastal communities. It is
still widely consumed in East Asia, particularly Japan, China and Korea, but not to
any great extent in Europe. Seaweed has been attracting interest recently as a
valuable food source with a number of health benefits time for some facts.
Types of seaweed
Seaweed is a type of algae that grows in salt water and (like terrestrial plants) needs
sunlight to thrive. There are over ten thousand varieties of seaweed, many of which are
good to eat. Nori is a commonly consumed red seaweed. In Japan, nori is used to wrap
sushi, but it is also known as sloke in Scotland and laver in Wales where it was traditionally
made into flat breads. Kombu and wakame are types of brown seaweed and are widely used
in the FarEast as flavouring agents in stews and soups. Green seaweeds like sea lettuce
and sea grass, which flourish around the shores of Great Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia,
can be eaten raw in salads or cooked in soups. Other seaweeds used as foods include hijiki,
wrack, sea spaghetti, dulse and Irish moss or carrigeen. Seaweed is usually sold
commercially in the dried form.
Nutritional content
A recent study analysed the nutrient levels of a variety of edible seaweeds and compared a typical portion (8 g dried) with
recommended daily intakes, and with common foods.
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Minerals
As seaweed absorbs minerals from the sea, it is rich in many minerals and trace elements. Calcium and iron tend to accumulate
at much higher levels in seaweed than in terrestrial plants. For example, an 8 g portion of dried kombu provides much more
calcium than a cup of milk, and a portion of dulse contains more iron than a 100 g sirloin steak (although it may not be as well
absorbed). Seaweed also provides large quantities of iodine vital for thyroid function. However, the German Federal Institute for
Risk Assessment has warned of seaweed varieties excessively high in iodine and recommends establishing safe upper iodine
limits for seaweed products across the EU.
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Additionally, brown seaweed can accumulate heavy metals like arsenic. A study in 2004
found that hijiki seaweed contained significant amounts of arsenic.
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As a result, the UK Food Standards Agency now advises
consumers to avoid eating hijiki.
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Finally, the often high sodium content of seaweed needs to be considered by those who have to
care about their salt intake.
Fibre
Seaweeds are rich in soluble fibres such as alginates, carrageenan and agar, which are not digested in the gut to any great extent
and so can help increase feelings of satiety. Seaweed alginates and carrageenans are also employed to give processed foods
(e.g., sausages, croissants) favourable texture and stability. Although seaweed fibre extracts may have some potential as
slimming aids, seaweed itself is likely to have an effect on satiety (and weight control) similar to ordinary fruits and vegetables.
An 8 g portion of dried seaweed provides about an eighth of an adult’s daily fibre needs, similar to the amount in a banana.
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Other nutrients
Seaweed contains very small amounts of fat, and some varieties are rich in protein. Many contain levels of essential amino acids
similar to pulses and eggs. Vitamins A, C and E are found in seaweed in useful amounts, and it is also one of the few vegetable
sources of vitamin B
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, making it a useful adjunct to a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Potential health benefits
Seaweed is used extensively in Chinese medicine but is largely unexplored as a therapeutic agent in the West. Preliminary
research suggests that certain polysaccharides called fucoidans, typically found in brown seaweeds such as kombu and wakame,
may exert anticancer activity.
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However, these potential health benefits have not yet been tested in humans. Seaweed fibres
have beneficial effects on the digestive system and lipid metabolism. They also appear to have antiinflammatory and
antioxidant activity, but again, this remains to be shown in humans.
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In conclusion
Seaweed is an excellent source of fibre, minerals and phytonutrients.
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It is safe to eat, although care should be taken with some
varieties as concerns potential levels of sodium, iodine or heavy metals. In general, seaweed can add usefully to a varied diet.
Try it crumbled over rice, baked potatoes and salads, or added to soups, stock, beans and stews.
References
1. MacArtain P, Gill CIR, Brooks M, Campbell R, Rowland IR. (2007) Nutritional value of edible seaweeds. Nutrition Reviews
65:535543
2.
026/2007 des Bundesamts für Risikobewertung vom 22. Juni 2004
3. Rose M, Lewis J, Langford N, Baxter M, Origgi S, Barber M, MacBain H, Thoma K. (2007) Arsenic in seaweedforms,
concentration and dietary exposure. Food Chemistry and Toxicology 45:12631267
4.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/pressreleases/2004/jul/hijikipr
5. Cumashi A, Ushakova NA, Preobrazhenskaya ME, D’Incecco A, Piccoli A, Totani L, Tinari N, Morozevich GE, Berman AE,
Bilan MI, Usov AI, Ustyuzhanina NE, Grachev AA, Sanderson CJ, Kelly M, Rabinovich GA, Iacobelli S, Nifantiev NE.
(2007) A comparative study of the antiinflammatory, anticoagulant, antiangiogenic, and antiadhesive activities of nine
different fucoidans from brown seaweeds. Glycobiology 17:541542
6. Shin HC, Hwang HJ, Kang KJ, Lee BH. (2006) An antioxidative and antiinflammatory agent for potential treatment of
osteoarthritis from Ecklonia cava. Archives of Pharmaceutical Research 29(2):165171
Seaweed – exploring its dietary value
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