Research shows a close connection between circadian rhythms, daylight, and food—it’s one reason shift workers tend to have weight problems, reports Reader’s Digest.

So it makes sense that what you eat, as well as when, can make a difference in the kind and severity of symptoms you experience when jumping time zones.

There is actually a diet specifically developed to beat jet lag. It was developed in the 1970s, by a biologist who worked for the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. A 2002 study published in Military Medicine found that following it made travelers 7 to 16 times less likely to experience jet lag, depending on whether they were traveling west or east, respectively. But while effective, it is an undertaking: You’re supposed to start four days before your trip and alternate feasting and fasting days. Intermittent fasting has other proven benefits, even if you’re not traveling.