Healthy Eating for frequent travellers

No matter if we travel for work or for fun, we would like to maintain energy levels, be productive and feel at our best. To achieve that we need to eat nutritious meals and snacks which keep our blood sugar levels even and don’t put our digestion under too much strain. 

It’s no surprise that foods being served on planes are in many cases not nutritiously balanced – they have to be cheap to produce, are full of salt and/or sugar, have a shelf life of several days or even weeks and are supposed to suit as many people as possible.
 
If you are able to travel in first class, you may be in for a treat – several airlines have their own chefs on board cooking proper meals - but in any case it’s good to look after your nutrition intake yourself. 
 
Let’s start with hydration. No matter if you are travelling by car, train or plane – hydration is crucial to your wellbeing. Always take a bottle of water with you (if you are travelling by plane, take your own empty bottle through security because of the restrictions in taking fluids on board) and ask the flight attendant to refill it. The air on planes is notoriously dry, so your body needs even more fluids than normally. Aim to drink at least 1.5ltrs ltrs every 6hrs. 
 
Please try to reduce the amount of alcohol you consume on a plane – alcohol dehydrates your body and will worsen your jetlag. Tea and coffee are not great either, the caffeine affects your sleep. If you don’t like plain water, ask for a bit of fruit juice to be added to your water bottle. Or simply bring your favourite tea bags of any herbal or fruit tea you like.
 
Did you know that there is quite a number of foods you are allowed to take on a plane?
Basically anything solid is allowed: fruit, vegetables, salad, baked goods etc. Be careful with anything liquid or creamy like sauces, condiments, yoghurt or hummus. They need to be packed separately and must remain under the 100ml limit. Here are a few suggestions of what you can take on a plane: 

• Take travel-friendly fruit like apples, pears, bananas or berries in a container. Nothing too juicy or fragile like peaches, melons etc. Remember that dried fruit are very high in sugar, even though they travel well you may want to take only a few.
• Vegetables like peppers, cucumber, carrots, celery, avocados are great. Again, things like tomatoes are probably in danger to get squashed and leave a mess in your bag. 
• You can prepare your own salad with green leaves, any veg of the above and maybe something filling like chickpeas, cooked quinoa or roasted sweet potato. Add some cheese (nothing smelly please!) or sliced chicken and a big wedge of lemon. Keep the dressing in a separate (leak-proof!) pot or mini-bottle to get it through security. If you don’t like to carry an empty container with you, buy a bio-degradable one: https://www.vegware.com/catalogue/salad-boxes/cat_20.html#
• Avoid adding things like onions and garlic, your fellow passengers will thank you!
• Don’t forget to bring a fork :)
• Make your own oat biscuitshttps://www.life-is-good.co.uk/2016/06/19/oatcakes-my-favourite-non-sweet-biscuit/ or energy balls  https://www.life-is-good.co.uk/2017/12/17/carrot-cake-energy-balls/ - they make a great snack.

 
If you are travelling abroad, eat or discard all foods before landing as most countries restrict the import. Be aware that cooling may be a problem so take food that can be stored and taste nice at room temperature. 
 
Nuts make a great snack, but you may sit next to a person with a nut allergy and depending on the severity of their allergy you put them in danger by even opening your packet. Always ask your fellow passengers.
 
Travel safely and stay healthy!