Food

With a different airline filing for bankruptcy every week, it seems most of them can barely afford the jet fuel to transport us, let alone the bare-bones snacks necessary to keep testy passengers from all-out revolt. Some airlines boast gourmet meals, which you have to pay for, “designed” by celebrity chefs. (Delta offers a “bistro salad” by Todd English for $8, for example.) But even dressed up plane food remains just that—plane food. The solution to in-flight cravings? Pack your own meal. With limited drink service, crackdowns on what and how much you can bring on flights, it is more difficult than ever to prepare your own meals and snacks. Difficult, but not impossible. Here are snack ideas for your next flight. They’re inexpensive and don’t require massive prep-time (you’re better off spending the time packing), and won’t raise any alarms at security checkpoints. Just remember that each item needs to be in a snack-size (not gallon), slide-close (not fold-over) sandwich bag, or you’ll find your well-planned snacks headed for the TSA trash bin.

1. Pita Pocket
More of a meal than a snack, pack a whole wheat pita with lettuce, turkey, and cheese. Skip the onions, to save your seatmate from your breath; no avocadoes, which quickly brown; no mayo, to save you a trip to the emergency room after it’s been at room temp for awhile; no tomatoes, which make the bread soggy. The protein from the cheese and meat will keep you energized, and the fiber from the whole wheat and lettuce will keep you feeling full.

2. Cup-O-Noodles
Grab a cup of instant-soup, either the cheap stuff like Cup-O-Noodles or a fancier version of Thai just-add-water noodle bowls. Most flight attendants will get you a cup of hot water they’d normally use for tea—just wait until they’ve finished their service rounds before asking for it. (That will reduce the chance they end up dumping it in your lap during the chaotic food service period.)

3. Individually-Wrapped Candies or Chocolate Squares
It’s easy to scarf down hundreds of extra calories and fat on a flight. You’re bored and trapped, ideal conditions for mindless eating. Having to unwrap each candy like a Ghirardelli square or a Tootsie Roll can slow your sweet-binging process, especially when compared to a bag of M&M’s or Reese’s Pieces, which you can dump by the handful directly into your mouth. Plus seeing how few candies remain in the bag may convince you snack time is over.

Click here for 2 more Healthy Travel Meal Options

By Sarah Wexler, Travel Blogger - Marie Claire

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