Radishes and lentils can help you stay awake, drivers are told

FRENCH nutritionists say they have come up with the ideal menu to stop motorists nodding off at the wheel after research showed heavy food can be as dangerous for drivers as alcohol.

A meal of hamburger and chips, along with cheese and chocolate cake, can seriously increase the chances of a road accident, studies suggest.

The energy used on digestion causes drowsiness, which accounts for 23 per cent of fatal crashes, according to France’s motorway companies.

So the insurers’ federation Assurance Prévention commissioned cardiologist-nutritionist Frédéric Saldmann and endocrinologist Fabrice Bonnet to come up with the perfect meal to keep motorists awake at the wheel.

Their “optimised” menu includes a starter of radishes and cucumber, followed by white fish and lentils for the main course and a kiwi with a chunk of 90 per cent dark chocolate for dessert – all washed down with water.

The starter keeps the motorists hydrated thanks to high water content.

White fish, which can be replaced by omelette from egg whites or chicken, requires less energy than red meat to digest and have a very low glycaemic index, meaning no sugar rush followed by a drop in alertness.

The kiwi and chocolate provide acidity and bitterness that were found to be “vigilance vectors”.

But the experts warned motorists should also steer clear of alcohol, medicines that cause drowsiness and should take regular rest breaks – around 15 minutes every two hours.