That's Fit

If you're heading from New York to Paris or San Francisco to Asia this summer, beyond the fact I'm jealous of you, there may be a way to avoid touring in a jet-lagged fog.

The Anti-Jet Lag Diet grew out of circadian rhythm studies by a biologist at Argonne National Laboratory years ago. It's been tested on the U.S. military, and thousands of others have followed it, including former President Reagan, the CIA, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and average travelers.

The Diet uses a pre-trip system of alternating moderate feasting and fasting starting four days out from your departure. The idea is to reschedule time-giving cues (sunrise/sunset, meals and rest/activity) to reset your body to the new time zone upon landing. Let's say you're departing for Paris on Sunday evening at 10:00 p.m. to arrive 10:00 a.m. Paris time, which is 4:00 a.m. New York time.

• Feast on the Thursday before your trip: Eat a high-protein breakfast and lunch and take a second helping. Dinner should be high in carbohydrates.
• Fast on Friday: Stick with light salads, soups, small slices of bread.
• Feast on Saturday, Fast on flight day (Sunday).

Then, when you're on the plane awaiting that 10:00 pm departure, drink a couple cups of coffee, turn off the overhead lights and go to sleep. I'm caffeine-sensitive, so sleep may be tough for me at this point, but the jet lag diet experts say caffeine at night actually wakes you up earlier. Proceed to wake yourself up on the plane at 1:30 a.m. New York time and eat a high-protein feast meal. Then stay awake until landing by walking the aisles, working and chatting with the flight attendants. This should reset your body to Paris time, as it's 7:30 a.m. and Parisians everywhere are enjoying a croissant with their cafe au lait.

During your first day in Paris, follow with a high-protein lunch (it's feast day, remember), eat an early dinner high in carbs and hit the sack early. Ideally you'll wake up on Tuesday with little to no jet lag.