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Eating Smart In the Air

By Sally Wadyka Read more articles, healthy eating, snacking, snacks, and travel

There’s nothing worse than being stranded at the airport with nothing but unhealthy fast food options in every corner of the food court. Or stuck on the plane during mealtime with only a bag of pretzels or peanuts for sustenance. It takes a little work to eat well in-transit, but you’ll feel better for it!

Grab and go

Ideally, you’ll want to skip the fast food venues altogether. Instead, seek out places that sell sandwiches, soups, and salads. Most will be sold pre-made and pre-packaged, but you can still find ways to customize and make them as healthy as possible. Choose sandwiches made with whole grain bread (ask for extra lettuce and tomato if you can), salads filled with lots of veggies, and soups made with beans and vegetables.

Snack smarter

Many kiosks and cafeterias carry fresh fruit—either cut up in a fruit salad or whole apples, oranges or bananas. You can also find hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cut up veggies, and nuts. If your concourse has a concession that sells out of bulk bins, look beyond their candy selections and mix up a small portion of your own healthy trail mix—with dried fruit, nuts and seeds. At the newsstand, your most nutritious choice is a bag of trail mix. Just beware that those oversized bags pack as many 4 or 5 servings.

Being served

Stuck at the airport long enough to sit down for a full meal? Look for salads and grilled entrees, and don’t be afraid to special order. Substitute a green salad or steamed veggies for fries, ask for extra vegetables on your salad. Ask for a half portion or share an entree with your travel partner if portion sizes are large.

At Mexican restaurants, ask for sides of black beans, lettuce, and tomatoes in place of heavier ingredients. Opt for fresh red and green salsas for extra veggies. When ordering pizza, choose thin crusts and pile on the vegetables.

Pack your own

Whenever you can, it pays to pack your own food and take it with you to the airport. Keep in mind how perishable the food is and whether or not it will pass through security. Soft cheeses, sandwiches with lots of tomato, pickles or condiments and fragile fruits aren’t great choices when you will be toting them around in your carry-on bag for several hours before eating. Liquids of any sort (including yogurt) will not make it past security. So what should you bring?

  • Hard cheese cut into cubes or slices (you can’t bring a knife through security, so cut it up at home) with whole grain crackers
  • Cut up veggies—like carrots, celery and peppers
  • Durable fruit‐like apples, bananas and oranges
  • Your favorite Kashi® snack bars
  • Packet of tuna or salmon (eat it on crackers or whole grain bread or add it to a green salad you buy at the airport)
  • Small sealable bowl filled with hummus or peanut butter to eat with crackers or cut up veggies (to make it past security, pack less than 3 oz. worth—and, for good measure, put the bowl inside of a 1-quart resealable plastic bag)
  • Sandwiches on the drier side will travel well—including hummus and veggie wraps and PB&J
  • Hard-boiled eggs

Have something to add? Share it here.

  1. User_48
    misnuss123 commented on this. over 2 years ago

    I travel across country, and there are some pretty reasonable choices. As odd as it may seem, the baby food cereal puffs are really good to travel with. I like the sweet potato. You can munch on them without eating hundreds of calories on empty food.

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  2. User_48
    markalansmall commented on this. over 2 years ago

    I take 1 oz packets of peanut butter or jalapeno cheese and Kashi whole grain crackers. No mess, just sqeeze it on to what ever you want and it will hold you over.

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  3. User_48
    lfourmy commented on this. over 2 years ago

    This was a good article, well thought out with good tips. I work in an airport and know just what you are talking about, first hand. There are better choices, as you said, you just have to look for them. I work in the Oakland airport and there is a Subway here now. And a health-conscious owner of one of the restaurants added some organic products to her menu, so it seems that healthy eating is on the rise with travelers.

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  4. User_48
    Lesl1 commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Where are you people flying?? With the new security cautions you cannot take food or drink through the security check. So packing your own food and carrying it with you isn’t going to work. Nice ideas, but reality needs to be considered. How about getting the airport concession stands to sell Kashi products? Or better yet, how about arranging to give out samples past the security gate? I’ve had to fly a lot of miles with a grumbling stomach because I won’t eat fast food or preservative ladden junk. The “healthy” looking cut up fruits or deli meat sandwiches in the kiosks are loaded with preservatives, sugar and fat. Finding truly healthy foods in an airport is next to impossible.

    1. User_48
      lfourmy almost 2 years ago

      Yes, you can take food through, follow the guidelines above. This coming from someone who works in the airport. Drinks, you cannot, so buy those once you get through security.

    2. 48_sundance_023
      KashiLara almost 2 years ago

      They do sell peanut butter in little packettes that I’ll pack ahead, and I’ve packed a small amount of hummus in a tupperware and gone through security without issue. I have found raw nuts, whole pieces of fruit, and even organic yogurt in airport terminals. The options are improving, but I agree there is still room for improvement. Until then, I’ll try to plan ahead.

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  5. User_48
    rizbee commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Thanks for the great tips. I always bring a few bars along when I fly and I like some ofthe other ideas as well. One other good thing about bringing your own food is that you can set your own schedule for eating. You don’t have to rely on when the airline decides mealtime is, not do ytou have to wait until the next change of planes.

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  6. User_48
    Ruthexpress commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Another idea: Bring an empty water bottle/jug. Fill it with water after security, refill before boarding.
    I always bring homemade trail mix (Kashi cereal, raisins, nuts). It’s great as a snack and, in a pinch, as a hotel breakfast.
    Thanks for more great ideas — I’m actually looking forward to traveling, now.

    1. User_48
      sbellegge almost 2 years ago

      Also, they make water bottles that fold flat; Google will provide a bunch of results. Here’s just one: http://www.amazon.com/Vapur-16-BPA-Free-Bottle-Blue/dp/B002M0EDG8/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3DRP18OIAVUOJ&colid=2HCV05S3XUZTL

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  7. User_48
    karenmt commented on this. over 2 years ago

    I always travel with snacks, never leave home without a Kashi bar in my purse. I am just a little surprised at your recommendation to opt for a “healthier option” like a wrap for sandwiches. Wraps can often contain many more calories than people realize – there are 200 calories, 31 grams of carbohydrates, and 21 grams of fiber in 1 wheat wrap. While most wraps are right around 100 calories, there are many that are more – we are deceived into thinking they have fewer calories than bread.

    1. User_48
      lfourmy almost 2 years ago

      It’s still a healthier alternative to Burger King or greasy Chinese food!

    2. 48_sundance_023
      KashiLara almost 2 years ago

      In my experience, wraps tend to fare a little better in the bottom of my carry on, but the nutrition needs to be considered as well. I’m with lfourmy on the better alternative to fast food. I’m also willing to consume more calories if I’m getting better nutrition, but to karenmt’s point, a wrap isn’t necessarily better than a sandwich, depending on all the ingredients.

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  8. User_48
    psitwala commented on this. over 2 years ago

    I forgot to add that I also like to bring my own home-made fruit n nut mix. It consists of almonds, walnuts, dried apricots, dried cherries and dried blueberries. I buy it all seperately and mix it together in a small baggie. It serves as a great snack and is really filling too.

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  9. User_48
    naoma commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Kashi is the only cereal I eat —- so even on cruises (and I cruise quite a bit) I
    take my own package of Kashi and my own GREEK natural (no additives) yogurt. May
    look strange when I bring out my own food. BUT KASHI is too good not to have every
    day!!!!!

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  10. User_48
    psitwala commented on this. over 2 years ago

    These are great tips! I was once stuck in a terminal at JFK for several hours where the only food options where Burger King or bar food. I chose Burger King only because its cheaper and I was starving. It was horrible, since then I always have snacks with me in my carry on.

    1. User_48
      lfourmy almost 2 years ago

      Go to the JetBlue terminal (the new T5). There are great food options there including made to order stir fry with fresh vegetables and a salad bar with lots of greens and veggies! You can purchase fruit and nuts and yogurt, too.

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  11. User_48
    chile_chica commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Thank you for the very useful tips! Sometimes it is hard to remember to pack just one more item when traveling, but packing cut veggies and cheese seem like a great idea.

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  12. User_48
    lville commented on this. over 2 years ago

    Thank you for the great ideas. Another reason to BYO is the cost of airport food. A regular-size bottle of water at the Honolulu airport was over $3.

    I did not plan ahead on my recent flight. Next time I will definitely pack a few Kashi snack bars or bags of granola. Delta’s concept of as Asian vegetarian breakfast/snack was 1% cow’s milk, Kellogg’s All Bran cereal (first 3 ingredients: WHEAT BRAN, SUGAR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP), a green banana and a cup of water. I shouldn’t complain because it was included in the cost of the ticket, but it was as inedible as my husband’s non-vegetarian breakfast/snack of lite yougurt laced with aspartame and a sugary muffin.

    1. User_48
      barbergirl almost 2 years ago

      Thank you for the wonderful ideals. I am getting ready to travel abroad and have several airport layovers 5-6 hours each. I will make sure that I pack enough snacks to get me through my trip.

    2. User_48
      bobydia almost 2 years ago

      These are amazing ideas! On my recent trips to the Dominican Republic and Boston, I came prepared. I brought granola or energy bars (such as Larabar, Kashi Bars, or Luna Bars) and apple slices, homemade granola/trailmix, a vegetarian BLT, and even some cheese and crackers.

      I flew with Delta/Northwest both flights and noticed many good options in their snackboxes, but did not purchase them because of their prices. But at an airport in Detroit, I believe, we came across a natural cafe called the French Meadow Bakery. To my surprise, they offered lots of natural foods with several vegetarian and even vegan options. A family member and I split a vegan black bean chili (or soup, I’m not sure) with a fantastic side salad. They had a wide variety of breads, too, like hemp and other whole grain baguettes. One even had pumpkin in it! And to top it all off, there was a large display case with scrumptious, drool-inducing desserts, such as brownies, peanut-butter bars, and even vegan carrot cake. Can you say yum?

      The last place I remember seeing that was also a delight was a cute sandwich shop called PB&J that was solely dedicated to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Though, some did have a twist. For example, I ordered a creamy peanut butter, chocolate, and marshmallow fluff sandwich on sourdough bread. It was dessert for lunch! (Not very wholesome, but I heard of it and just had to try it!) They also had cashew butter, crunchy peanut butter, and many jelly options. I could not pass it up!

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