Healthy Eating While Traveling

Packing food for flights, both domestic and international, is much easier than you think.
It can be a bit of work to eat healthy on flights, but with  a preplanning, it can be done.

Herbed Grilled Chicken Salad with sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, 

chopped green onions over a bed of mixed spring greens drizzled with low fat dressing. 

Put in a plastic container and tape a couple of edges so it doesn't come off and spill as TSA makes you remove everything thru security.  You can also buy some small plastic baggies with Ziploc top (craft baggies available at hobby stores) and add 1-2 ounces, seal well and put on top of salad. You may need to move to TSA quart bag, but I've never had a problem yet. 

Another favorite and easy snack:  Homemade chicken salad with red pepper, green pepper, avocado, sliced green grapes, chopped celery, chopped onion, sliced tomatoes and mixed with stone ground spicy mustard and a bit of plain Greek yogurt.  Spoon over romaine leaves set on a gluten free carb free tortilla and roll into the wrap. Over this cut a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper and wrap the tortilla tightly.  Around this wrap 2 napkins so they are handy and wrap all of it into aluminum foil.   Easy to unwrap and eat!  

When traveling coach, I definitely bring food for me and my family.  If we are traveling in business or first class, I only bring my frozen water and maybe a a couple of food bars in my carry on. The quality and care of preparation of food in business and first class is much better and you have access to fresh fruits and healthy snacks in the private lounges and special ordered meals are much better. (On a short flight to avoid having a carb loaded snack, I was able to get a freshly made Caprese salad that was unreal!)  I grab bananas, apples, oranges and granola bars if available in the lounge.   Not always to eat on the flight, but something to have handy on arrival before I have a chance to go shopping or go out. (Be cautious where you are flying to such as Australia, you are not allowed to
bring fruit into the country or take out with you.)



First class meals from British flight and First class lounge on the left. 

 A quick piece of fruit is great before heading out to dinner after a flight as it will keep you from ordering extra appetizers that you don't really need and help your body acclimate with the vitamin C, fiber, potassium and other antioxidants. An apple, orange or banana are also great for long layovers when you don't want to eat in one of the airport cafes and would also like to save money from overpriced restaurants. (Many fruits are not Keto, but the benefits on flights for me outweigh the carbs on international flights.  I bring a container of cinnamon and will add that to hot water to help with digestion.)

I have problems with dairy, MSG, wheat, and gluten and many of the mass produced meals in coach class have one or more of these.  Bringing my own food helps keep me from getting bloated and, lets all be honest, no one wants to be gassy on an airplane!!   We have all sat next to near or been the victim of someone with an upset digestive tract!   Additionally, I want to know that what I'm eating.   I've brought everything from bolognese with gluten free pasta, taco sweet potatoes, fruit and yogurt mix and veggie boxes to exotic fruit salads with star fruit, dragonfruit, mango and gold kiwi fruit.  (If heading International, make sure to eat any fruit and vegetables before landing or they will confiscate.)

  We stay in apartments when we travel which is handy to make food for our return flight home.  One idea: Roasted chicken and vegetables, fresh garden salad and sliced fruit versus a wrapped sandwich of some kind or sad little cheese plate. I've even done this for a friend who flew from Seattle to Sydney.  We were laughing so hard when he told us that after he served up home made spaghetti and all the trimmings and fresh garlic bread, the majority of the passengers thought that they were smelling the meal that was going to be served and were so excited.  The disappointment was overwhelming when they received a plain, sad airline meal.  He ate better than first class and I even sent warm chocolate chip cookies that I made that morning!

Healthy Food Ideas:
Buy a small, collapsable, insulated cooler.  I freeze bottled water for US based flights and for flights on the way out of the US to keep food chilled and large mouth thermos' for hot foods.  Make sure that that what you pack is dense and not soups, sauces, creamy items as these will not get thru TSA.  You can freeze a couple of washcloths or wad of paper towels (I prefer green method) to keep items cold until you eat on the way back.  I have yet to find an international airport that allows frozen water, even tho it is a solid.  (Note: Some airport security, like San Juan, Costa Rica will not even allow water or beverages purchased past the security checkpoint onto the aircraft.)

*Popcorn. One of my favorite snacks for travel is low-fat kettle corn.  I pop a large bag and put in a couple of baggies (about 3 cups) and my husband and I enjoy while watching movies. 

*Make tortilla chips (spray pan with nonstick oil, cut a low carb tortilla into strips and brown on both sides) and bring along small prepackaged (1-2oz) of hummus, guacamole, black bean or salsa dip.  I like the small containers of guacamole. Easy and available in mild to spicy.  

*Fresh Fruit Salad. Because we all know that the $6 fruit cups at the airport consist of 3 grapes, piece of watermelon or strawberry, maybe 2-3 blueberries and the rest are huge chunks of melon.  BORING!!!    Buy some exotic fruits and make a fruit salad. Think kiwi, starfruit, dragon fruit, guava, fig, mango  and any other types available depending on the season.  Stir in yogurt, whipped cream, cream fraiche or sour cream.  Frozen yogurt packets are great because they stay cold and you can put in your TSA bag if you don't want it all mixed together in advance.  Depending on the temperature, you have about 1-2 hours before it should not be eaten.  Another option is to buy a small yogurt in one of the convenience stores before your flight to guarantee that it won't spoil.  

*Sliced apples with a twist.  Slice a green and a red apple into wedges and put into a plastic bag.  Add 2 tspn of fresh squeezed lemon juice and shake, then drain. Lemon juice adds just the right amount of tartness and will keep the apples from turning brown for several hours.  Keep these in the fridge until just before you leave for added crispness.    Sprinkle with a mix of cinnamon and stevia (or preferred sweetener) and bring a single serving size of light caramel dip, almond butter packet or yogurt dip.  Even plain is great with the cinnamon sugar mix.  

*Homemade trail mix.  I put pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios and macadamia on a baking pan lined with parchment.  Drizzle with honey and vanilla and bake at 350 degrees for approx 20-30 minutes.  Or just leave raw.   Avoid salted mixes because they may cause you to retain water.  For Keto, I stick to just a few pecans and cashews and no honey. 

*Veggie Box.  But make it a bit more fun by using jicama sticks, fresh snow peas, carrot chips, edamame, zucchini sticks, green, yellow and red pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, small button mushrooms, watercress and endive.  Any kind that you like!   Dips like hummus, cilantro, greek yogurt or cream cheese with dill are a few ideas.  I will get some small baggies ( buy 2x2 at a craft store for just a few dollars.  Fill 3/4 full (allow for pressurization and inflating) and make sure they are well sealed. Add a bit of tape to make sure.  Then just open and either dip from the bag or drizzle on the vegetables.  

*Peanut butter and jelly roll up.  Who doesn't love peanut butter and jelly?  (Well, okay, my husband doesn't, but I do and so do my kids, so I'm including this one!).   I use keto rolls, egg/cream cheese bread or low carb tortilla wraps. I love the low carb Coconut peanut butter at only 3 net carbs per serving.  

Another option is to purchase a larger Bento style lunchbox to pack for meals for two.  I am on a Keto based diet, so this helps me so much.  I can pack three course meal; salad, main and fresh berries in cream for our flight.  It's also big enough for plastic utensils, napkins and a few smaller snacks.  I also use the bag to transport cold items to and from our rental apartments from local markets.  If I buy fresh fruits, I will put in the containers so they don't get crushed.  Another item I bring is a reusable shopping bag (Trader Joe's) for shopping and to use in duty free shops on the way home.    Note that markets in international markets do not give free bags and usually offer a reusable bag for approximately $1.00.  (If you want to look like a local, bring a cloth or burlap shopping bag with you because hardly any locals use plastic.  I think that the US is really, really slow in enforcing the no plastic bag rule.  Walmart is the worst!  They will give you 30 bags for 20 items!) 

I will be heading back to Spain in a couple of weeks and will photograph the local markets and shops.  They are truly wonderful to walk thru!  Very clean (think Zamboni size floor cleaners) and very organized.  

What are your fave snacks to bring?  I love to get new ideas!!

Cheers,

Xx,

Karen