Airport Survival: Don’t Blow Your Diet When You’re in A Pinch
With warm weather right around the corner and the thought of summer vacations floating around in our heads, I figured it would be a good time to talk about how with a little planning and thought, you could get yourself out of a jam if your flight gets delayed this summer. Let’s lay out the scene for airport survival 101. You made it to the airport or you are getting ready to jump on your connection to that tropical oasis you have been waiting months to go visit when all of a sudden, the airline started pumping the brakes on you.
You look up at the screen and in big bold letters, you see the word “DELAYED” next to your flight. Son of a b*tch! Now, what are you going to do? You need to go into airport survival mode. You’re starving, you’re cranky, and you don’t want to sit down at some airport restaurant and pay a small fortune for airport food that quite frankly is fried, greasy, and unhealthy. So, what do you do? This article is going to lay out some of the ways you could prepare for such occasions as well as some ways that you can work around them with a little thought to take in some quality protein.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
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Why the Food You Eat While Traveling is Important
Eating healthy at the airport is important for several reasons when considering airport survival and maintaining a balanced diet:
- Energy Levels: Traveling can be physically demanding, and airports often involve a lot of walking and waiting. Consuming nutritious foods can provide the energy needed to navigate through the airport and handle the stress of travel.
- Immune Support: Traveling exposes individuals to various germs and viruses. Eating a diet rich in vitamins and minerals helps support the immune system, reducing the risk of falling ill during or after the journey.
- Hydration: Air travel can lead to dehydration due to the dry air in airplanes. Choosing hydrating foods like fruits and vegetables, along with drinking plenty of water, helps maintain proper hydration levels.
- Avoiding Jet Lag: Certain foods, such as those high in antioxidants and complex carbohydrates, may help regulate sleep patterns and reduce the impact of jet lag.
- Digestive Comfort: Healthy food choices can contribute to better digestion, reducing the likelihood of stomach discomfort or digestive issues during travel.
- Stress Management: Eating well-balanced meals can positively impact mood and stress levels. Traveling can be stressful, and maintaining a healthy diet supports overall mental well-being.
- Weight Management: Airports often offer a variety of tempting but unhealthy food options. Making nutritious choices can help in managing weight and preventing overconsumption of calories.
- Long-Term Health: Consistently making healthy food choices, even while traveling, contributes to overall long-term health. It’s a habit that extends beyond the airport and supports well-being in the long run.
Airport Survival: Try These Tips to Stay on Track with Your Diet
Below are some great airport survival strategies and tips you can use so that you don’t crush your diet while traveling.
1. Pack your portable protein source for airport survival
There’s honestly no reason for you to not be able to take a baggie or small container (that meets TSA guidelines) full of tasty protein goodness are part of your airport survival plan. Whether you decide to pack nuts, protein bars, protein powder, beef jerky, whatever, having it on you at all times prevents hiccups like this from throwing you off your game and ruining your day full of travel.
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One of the things that I did when I traveled was taking Ziploc baggies full of protein powder with me in my carry-on luggage. I’d always have a shaker bottle with me to fill with water while at the airport, so all I had to do was grab one of the baggies full of protein powder, dump it in my shaker full of water, shake it up, and I’d have myself a protein-packed snack. For the most part, I would use a water fountain to fill up my shaker, but if I wasn’t getting a good vibe that the water at the airport is worth drinking I’d simply purchase a bottle of water at one of the shops near the terminal.
2. Fruit is your friend
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a vendor at the airport that doesn’t carry fruit—it’s an airport survival food. It can be anything from fresh fruit like bananas and apples to things that are prepackaged like grapes, watermelon, apple slices, honeydew, etc. The nice thing about this option is that it’s generally small and easily transportable either to your terminal to eat or to walk on the plane with and eat once you sit down. Either way, the fruit will give you a nice little boost of energy, some antioxidants, as well as micro-nutrients. Be advised, however, the price you will pay for fruit at the airport will not come cheap. So, be aware of that before you go checkout and the cashier tells you the total.
If you go with this option, make sure you grab any silverware you’ll need to eat the fruit (nothing is worse than sitting down at the terminal just to realize you forgot a fork or spoon). Also, be sure to grab some napkins as well since consuming fruit can be messy at times.
3. Go nuts for airport survival
While some people might call you “nuts” for flying, the one we are referring to are the protein-packed little gems. Nuts are extremely quick and convenient to pack, eat, and transport—especially when they come in a resealable package in case you don’t finish them all at one sitting. If for some reason the packaging is not resealable or you somehow damage the packaging, ask one of the vendors if they have a paperclip that you may have. This way you can fold over the packaging and secure it using the paperclip so it doesn’t dump out all over the floor or in one of your bags. It’s airport survival 101 strategies.
RELATED: What Does Proper Snacking While Traveling Consist Of?
Nuts are a great option at the airport because not only will they give you a good supply of protein, fats, and fiber, but they will also help keep you feeling full and satiated hopefully until you can board your plane and land at your final destination. You can get anything from peanuts, to walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and cashews. A quick tip though… stay away from the glazed, candied, or sugary nuts. These are full of sugars that you don’t need in your diet. Some of these options might be chocolate covered almonds, honey roasted peanuts, and similar. If the whole nut option you choose has added salt such as sea salt, you will be fine with that option so long as your diet allows for the additional salt and it won’t interfere with any health condition you might have.
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