I change time zones like some people change clothes. That means a lot of long, cross-country flights and a lot of meals in airports. The last thing you want on a five-hour flight is an upset stomach, so you really have to be careful what you eat on travel days. Keep in mind that if your flight encounters turbulence, the crew won’t allow you to get up and use the lavatories, so you don’t want to eat anything that could be cause for a potential gastronomical emergency.
In addition to bathroom logistics, your flight schedule can throw your meal plan for a loop. Often you’ll have the choice of a 10:30am lunch or no real food again until 4pm. If you do eat the earlybird lunch, you’re going to be hungry for dinner when you land at 4, and if you give in to that craving, you’ll want another meal before bed, won’t you? It’s a mess.
My last cross country flight was a 5+ hour ride from DC to San Francisco on United, and they didn’t even serve a snack on that trip! Five effing hours and all I got was one tiny cup of oj. Not even a half a handful of pretzels. Any 60+ minute flight on Southwest and you get two beverage services and all the free cookies, crackers, pretzels, and peanuts you can handle.
My point, though, is that it’s hard to plan your meals around your flight schedule, and you know you’re taking a risk any time you order an airport burrito. My solution is to carry a box of meal replacement bars in my carry-0n luggage. Thanks to a year of dieting, I’ve tried all the brands, and my clear favorite is the Special K Choclatey Chip Protein Bar.
The Special K meal bars are available in five different flavors — all are yummy, but the three different chocolate flavors (Choclatey Chip, Double Chocolate, and Chocolate Peanut Butter) taste like candy bars. You can find them at just about any grocery store — they’ll be with the diet food like Slim Fast shakes and other meal replacement products, and a box of six usually sells for $5-$7. The bars are about the size of a large candy bar, and are approximately 180 calories each, with 10g of protein and 5g of fiber to help you feel full and satisfied.
If you try these and don’t like them (I can’t imagine!), sample a few other brands of snack or meal replacement bars. I also really like Fiber One (though these aren’t as filling), and the Slim Fast bars are tolerable, but not delicious. Stash a few of your favorite meal replacement bars in your carry on luggage, and eating and hunger will be much smaller concerns the next time you fly.
