Last year, I read about how eating tart cherries might help ease jet lag. I packed my cherries, ate them on the plane, but was too jet lagged to remember to eat them the next few nights, which meant that my experiment failed and I never found out if cherries helped jet lag.

According to Russel J. Reiter, PhD, a nutrition researcher at the University of Texas Health and Science Center and one of the world’s leading authorities on melatonin:
When flying, eat some cherries (handful) 30 minutes to an hour before sleeping on the plane. After arrival, eat some cherries one hour before sleeping for at least three more consecutive nights.

I found a few articles suggesting eating cherries for the number of nights per time zones you pass through. That would mean that I would have to eat cherries for 12 nights. The longest I have dealt with jet lag is probably 3 days so I am not sure about the 12 night cherry thing. I am guessing Russel J. Reiter might not have considered time changes such as from Hawaii to Italy when coming up with his formula. Of course you also have to weigh in that this study of cherries easing jet lag comes from a cherry website.

Regardless, I am going to “give it a go” and try the cherry experiment once again this year (can’t hurt and even if it doesn’t work, cherries are a tasty, healthy snack).