Millions of people travel every day, coming in and out of the airports. They think they have no choice, but to eat the airport and airplane food because it is the only thing available.
But what if you don’t want to give up your health just because you’re travelling?
Find out the nifty tricks you can apply!
Now that many companies have introduced the vegetarian/vegan/raw/no dairy/no fish/no whatever else you can think about choice, it’s getting easier and, as I think there is always space for improvement and transformation, I’m still very careful and I take precautions.
Remember that most of the time we are talking about pre-packaged, pre-cooked food. We don’t know what is inside and the food is often heavily processed with additives and preservatives.
So, as a chef and coach, I would like to share with you my tips and suggestions about how to survive airport and airplane food, simply by bringing your own food on board. The only thing you have to make sure is that your food won’t be confiscated at the security checks (you can ask your travel agent to provide you with this information).
Here are some items that don’t get confiscated but be sure to check the quantity you are allowed to carry on board.
– crunchy snacks like crackers, kale chips, raw crackers, veggie chips (you need a dehydrator for that; for some recipes you can use the oven so you can bake delicious crackers and granola bars)
– homemade sandwiches wrapped in paper and transparent plastic bags of appropriate size. Remember not to use any foil, as they will ask you to open the bag and check because the foil hides the content to the x-rays machine. Some (vegan) ideas for sandwiches: vegetable ham, hummus and salad; vegetable mayo and grilled veggies; homemade peanut butter sprinkled with sesame seeds and salt and fresh apples; homemade veggie burger and mayo and salad…..
– fresh fruit and veggies. Bananas and oranges are perfectly “packaged” by Mother Nature as a great travel snack! Cherry tomatoes, grapes, carrots, are other great examples. If you feel brave you can also bring avocados on board and eat them with the spoon provided by the company.
-trail mix: I like to make my own at home, rather than having the one from the shop; my fav recipe is this: ½ cup each of raisins, blueberries, prunes, almonds, pumpkin seeds and coconut flakes. It gives me energy and it is nutrient-dense. If you put more dried fruit like dates or apricots you can prepare fruit bars.
-tea bags of your favorite brand, to make hot tea and sip it during the flight and if you carry your fav book and/or your music it will be (almost) like at home!
What happens when you eat such food? Besides the obvious of not eating food laden with chemicals and preservatives, you will feel much better upon arrival to your destination and the jet-lag won’t be that horrible because your energy level will be higher than usual.
…and if you add probiotics to your fruit bars, it will be even better!
Happy Travelling, Your Susanna.