American Airlines flight attendant Andrea Song said you should avoid a Bloody Mary if you want to feel fresh when you land. She previously said: “I always avoid high sodium foods in the days prior as joints especially in the legs, feet and ankles tend to swell as a result of this food group. When flying, I also avoid this food group and advise to avoid tomato juice at all costs. I say this because a Bloody Mary Mix contains 12-times more sodium than a soft drink.” Your taste buds also change on a flight – this means that your Bloody Mary will actually taste much sweeter than you may have wanted.

Flight attendants often explain it takes too long to pour with the bubbles as soft drinks foam up more due to the cabin pressure. Jet, who is a member of the cabin crew, previously explained on her blog: “I literally have to sit and wait for the bubbles to fall before I can continue pouring. If all three passengers ask for Diet Coke I’ll often get them started, take another three drink orders, serve those, and then finish the Diet Cokes.”

Skyscanner previously explained why drinking alcohol is warned against, especially in large doses. They explained that alcohol is dehydrating, and because planes have a dehydrating impact on the human body, you’re going to deprive yourself of much-needed fluids if you stick to wine or beer. Don’t try to chug your Duty Free booze either – in the UK, it is illegal to drink your own alcohol on a flight, and only wine, beer and spirits from the trolley are allowed. Even if the booze was bought from Duty Free or is under 100ml, neither is allowed to be consumed.

After all of the previous warnings, you might think the only safe option is water – however this is only true if it’s bottled. A 2018 survey from Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center polled 11 airlines about the nutritional value of their in-flight snacks, as well as maintenance procedures surrounding the water tanks. Charles Platkin, a professor of nutrition and the executive director of the Food Policy Center, told The New York Post: “Planes come in, [and the tanks are] not being emptied and cleaned, because there is no time for that. The water tank is being filled on top [after] each usage. Whatever would be on the bottom stays there and sits there.”

According to experts, the best thing to drink on a flight is ginger ale. This is because the taste buds change on a plane due to dry air and cabin pressure, meaning ginger ale will be less sweet in the air, and taste sharper, retaining its taste. Ginger ale is also good for a number of medical reasons – it is often drunk when feeling travel sick, as ginger is known to reduce nausea while the fizziness can also help. This article originally appeared on The Sun UK and has been republished with permission.