Gone are the days of getting an entire meal during your airline flight. In fact, many airline carriers no longer provide nourishment of any kind, other than a beverage. If you are concerned you may become hungry during a lengthy flight, pack a healthy -- and TSA-approved -- snack for mid-flight.
Trail Mix
Homemade trail mix is a winning plane snack, because it is healthy, easy to carry and it can be eaten a little at a time. Take a sturdy zip bag and add your favorite nuts, such as cashews, peanuts, pecans, walnuts or almonds. Add two types of dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, apple bits, blueberries or apricot pieces. Finish up with your choice of dark chocolate chunks, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. Pack twice as much as you anticipate needing and you will be prepared for flight-related delays. This healthy snack helps you meet your needs for protein, fruit and healthy oils.
Fruits and Vegetables
Take a variety of fruits and vegetables in a large zipped bag. Good fruit choices include apples, seedless green grapes, bananas, pears and strawberries. Vegetable options include baby carrots, cucumber wheels, celery sticks and zucchini wheels. These healthy snacks will help you meet your daily fruit and vegetable needs, a task often hard to complete while traveling.
Popcorn
Make a batch of popcorn the night before or the day of the trip and place it in a large zipped plastic bag. Use air-popped or stove-popped popcorn cooked in canola oil. Avoid microwaved popcorn, as most of it is high in fat and calories. Salt the popcorn lightly, if at all. Popcorn is a whole-grain that provides fiber and fills you up without adding a lot of calories to your daily intake. If you fear getting nervous munchies on the plane, popcorn is a comforting snack.
Fun Snacks
For variety, pack a healthy snack that corresponds to your flight destination. If you are headed to the deep South, consider boiled peanuts. A trip to Hawaii calls for dried pineapple and coconut. Try whole-grain tortilla chunks if you are headed out West or cranberry bread if you are traveling to the northeast. Use your imagination as you choose your snack and, remember, you may need to bring extra for your hungry and envious traveling companions.
Snacks to Avoid
Avoid packing messy snacks that could ruin your clothing or require extensive cleanup. You should also dodge snacks that could cause gastrointestinal distress, such as beans, sweet potatoes, spicy foods and greasy foods. Drinks of more than 3.4 oz. are forbidden per Transportation Security Administration regulations. If you're taking an international flight, customs restrictions may prevent you taking leftover snacks into the destination country.
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