airport snacks?

I am a business traveler so I have this down to a science! First, airport food is overpriced and 90% of it is unhealthy. Avoid it if possible. I always have snacks with me that I bring from home that don't need refrigeration:

1. Nuts in a ziploc bag are my best friend. Filling and you don't need much to satiate any hunger. Just watch your portion sizes. You can even buy those 100 calorie packs of almonds if portion control is an issue.

2. If I have a longer flight but not long enough to have a meal served, I will pack a PB&J. Using natural peanut butter and whole grain bread, it keeps me full and easily gets through airport security without question!

3. Fruit is great- apples, bananas, pears, oranges, etc all travel well

Also, have a plan. I generally am in the same airports so I know the lay of the land. When going to a new airport, I look online and see what chain places are there and determine..."OK, I need lunch while at the airport in Charlotte; there are the following chain restaurants there, let me look at the nutrition info and see what is a good bet."

Lastly, Starbucks is my savior for a hefty snack or quick lunch. Their protein plate really fills for 300-odd calories and just about every single airport has a Starbucks. It includes a hard boiled egg, apple slices with natural peanut butter in a pouch, grapes, cheese, etc. It is easily bought in the airport and brought on a plane or scarfed down inside the airport before you board.

There is no reason to eat junk just because you are flying. If you choose to eat well, it can easily be done!

I have an 8 hour bus ride ahead of me next Wednesday and I've been thinking the same thing.
The kind of "meal plan" I am planning for myself is going to be something like this:

Breakfast (at home): Cereal, cup of coffee/tea, orange juice. That way I can fill myself up properly so I don't want a mid morning snack.
Lunch: Sandwich that I will make before I leave. Atleast 2 pieces of fruit. At this point I would probably throw in a chocolate bar to eat more towards the end of my journey for sugar or something else a little bit naughty but ok as I will be keeping within my calories.
Dinner: Something light like another sandwich, ham and eggs, etc.

It's difficult on long journeys as you don't really have room to move around and burn off any fuel so you will probably find you wont be as hungry as you would in your normal day to day routine anyway.

The best advice I can give you is to take lots of fruit and ration out your food throughout the journey so you are eating when you are hungry rather than eating meals because it's easier to snack throughout the day when you have nothing to do.

This is perfect timing for me. I'm heading out tomorrow and have a short flight with only a 45 minutes layover, than another longer flight. I know I'll be starving a crabby when I get in if I don't have some kind of snack but I was worried about finding any kind of decent food at the airport. I'll bring some fruit and nuts. Perfect.

I frequently travel internationally and second the suggestions to pack nuts and dried fruits. (I find that fresh fruit is often heavy and I try to travel light.) Something else I have found to be very helpful, not just for the flight but for the trip in general, is to bring my own refillable water bottle and protein/fitness shake powder. It weighs almost nothing and in a pinch I can fill-up on something nutritious when I can't find an acceptable meal.

I am a business traveler so I have this down to a science! First, airport food is overpriced and 90% of it is unhealthy. Avoid it if possible. I always have snacks with me that I bring from home that don't need refrigeration:

1. Nuts in a ziploc bag are my best friend. Filling and you don't need much to satiate any hunger. Just watch your portion sizes. You can even buy those 100 calorie packs of almonds if portion control is an issue.

2. If I have a longer flight but not long enough to have a meal served, I will pack a PB&J. Using natural peanut butter and whole grain bread, it keeps me full and easily gets through airport security without question!

3. Fruit is great- apples, bananas, pears, oranges, etc all travel well

Also, have a plan. I generally am in the same airports so I know the lay of the land. When going to a new airport, I look online and see what chain places are there and determine..."OK, I need lunch while at the airport in Charlotte; there are the following chain restaurants there, let me look at the nutrition info and see what is a good bet."

Lastly, Starbucks is my savior for a hefty snack or quick lunch. Their protein plate really fills for 300-odd calories and just about every single airport has a Starbucks. It includes a hard boiled egg, apple slices with natural peanut butter in a pouch, grapes, cheese, etc. It is easily bought in the airport and brought on a plane or scarfed down inside the airport before you board.

There is no reason to eat junk just because you are flying. If you choose to eat well, it can easily be done!

Great post, though on the rare occasions I travel through Charlotte I'm going to Bojangles. Healthy be damned!

HA! You are speaking my language. I can live without most fast food but the few times a year this New England girl is near a Bojangles....GAME ON! Fried chicken, biscuit, fries and sweet tea, thankyouverymuch.

this is exactly the sort of topic I was looking for because I'll be traveling for my spring break thanks for the suggestions!

and problem solved.... I'll just bring my own bottle that's empty thank you TSA for not eliminating that option, hard to believe that they could do something sane for consumers.... but they did!

carrot sticks, different nuts, celery (veggies in general I love so much). How long is the flight?

90 minutes or so from STL to Dallas, then a 3 hour layover there with another 45 minute flight to West Texas...

Great suggestions!
I just wanted to add, be sure you get really hydrated the day or two before you go. Helps with satiation, too IMO.

Thanks for posting this! An old post, but a goodie!

Here's what I brought with me on my last international long-haul flight: A snack sized Ziploc baggie with almonds, two or three Babybel lite cheeses (great because they are individually wrapped and keep their shape during travel and are only 50 cals), Fiber One protein bars (so yummy and filling, plus they address my chocolate cravings), four slices of whole grain bread in a sandwich sized Ziploc (I can replace the white rolls or 'wheat'--not whole wheat--rolls in meals with my own slice, and in the airport, I can get a McDonald's grilled chicken sandwich, pull out the fillings and put them between my own slices), some dried fruit in a Ziploc, an 'emergency' protein bar with 20 g. of protein (in case the flights are delayed, or I'm stuck somewhere overnight), some cherries in a Ziploc... plus an extra ziptop bag for the pits) and a regular Fiber One bar.

I also brought a snack sized "tea/coffee break" baggie with two or three of my favourite herbal teas, plus some of those individual Folger's coffees and some packets of Equal. The flight attendants were happy to give me hot water, and the tea breaks kept me from mindlessly noshing on junk.

Also popped in a WW brownie (individually wrapped) and several Werther's sugar free candies which came in handy when the flight attendants passed out sugary sweets before dimming the lights (the Werther's can be sucked and last a long time...like during movies).

I keep two empty grocery bags crushed down into my carry-on; one to throw away any rubbish in flight, and another to dispose of any biosecurity hazard foods (anything like nuts or seeds or fruit) on leaving the plane. I keep the individually wrapped bars and treats (declared them, and they were no problem as they are processed), though, as they come in handy during the trip as well!