Cherry time

Dried Cherries May Help Travelers Fight Jet Lag, The Times:

Instead of pretzels, long-haul flight attendants might want to consider handing out bags of dried cherries to passengers. According to Dr. Russel Reiter, a nutrition researcher and one of the world’s authorities on melatonin, cherries might help fight jet lag. “Tart cherries contain melatonin, which is then absorbed into the blood stream influencing your biological clock,” he said.

According to Dr. Reiter, when flying east (say from New York to London) travelers should eat a handful of dried cherries (which have even greater levels of melatonin than fresh cherries) 30 minutes before trying to sleep. Once at their destination, they should eat a handful of cherries 30 minutes before going to bed every night for the same number of nights as the time change. (For a five-hour time shift, eat cherries for five consecutive nights.) When heading west, do the same regime, only eat your cherries the night before departure.

“We have not tested them on humans specifically for jet lag but think it should work,” he said, adding that concentrated cherry juice, and even cherry pie should have the same effect. For more information go to www.choosecherries.com

Uncredited photo found online.