One of the oxymorons of fighter pilot flying is that sometimes being unhealthy is actually an advantage.  For example, a person with constricted blood vessels and/or higher blood pressure (characteristics of someone who is a smoker or has a poor diet) often have a better tolerance to Gs.  (That’s not to say that an unhealthy lifestyle is good; just that it might be an advantage in very specific situations.)

The Associated Press recently publicized a report that fatty foods are also helpful to the mental acuity of pilots.

University of North Dakota researchers found that pilots who ate the fattiest foods such as butter or gravy had the quickest response times in mental tests and made fewer mistakes when flying in tricky cloud conditions.

Research continues on diets for pilots because of the significant influence it has on performance, as well as the potential life and death results.  Flight surgeons routinely give briefings to pilots on the best foods to eat.  This is particularly true for fighter pilots, who don’t have the freedom that other pilots have to carry meals with them (or even microwave them, as some aircraft can).  Again, flight surgeons have the best tips on low-output meals (ideal for long duration ferry flights, so you don’t have a “biological need” 6 hours into your 12 hour flight…), high energy foods, and other unique dietary requirements.

In the end, the results of this experiment shouldn’t have been a surprise.  One of the test subjects (a student pilot) gave away the secret when he said:

I think a lot of people felt they did better when they got the lobster and the good stuff.

That is, “unhealthy” food is good.