Airplane snacks....

As we all dream about vacations to sunny, warm places amidst these constant snow storms, one has to wonder about the quality of the snacks provided on commercial airlines. Gone are the days when a whole meal was served.Does anyone remember those days except for me?? The smilie face pancakes for breakfast or a piece of chicken with mushy vegetables at any other hour of day? Big Lar claims that he remembers when they served fillet Mignon for dinner with real steak knives, I think he exaggerates but maybe not.

Today, you are lucky if they give you a 1oz package of pretzels or peanuts, though most airlines have banned the peanuts due to customer complaints regarding peanut allergies (FYI, talk to any allergist - no person can die from smelling peanuts - but that is a whole different blog discussion). Continental will still give you a tiny sandwich on many of their contiguous US state flights but they are the anomalie. I have listed below some of the major airlines and the snacks provided in coach class:

JetBlue: organic cookies or Terra Blue chips
Delta: Biscoff cookies, pretzels, peanuts
Midwest Express: chocolate chip cookies - which they BAKE ON BOARD!!!!
Continental: dinner roll with slice of turkey and lettuce (flight length dependant) or pretzels
US Air: nothing
American: (last time i flew them they gave nothing but that has been almost 2 years now)
AirTran: pretzels

So what should you pick? Well first off, I would not pick an airline based on snacks - just throwing that one out there. Secondly, choosing the snack all depends on your goals and/or how your body deals with traveling. If you are someone who gets very dehydrated and subsequently bloated, eating the salty pretzels or peanuts would not be in your best interest. If you are someone with diabetes or are watching your weight, then the cookies would not be the best option for you. Your best bet really is to pack a snack from home like a piece of fruit or some dried fruit with your own unsalted nuts or cereal. Bring a peanut butter & jelly sandwich or a deli meat & veggie sandwich or a veggie & hummos sandwich if you will be flying over a meal time (assemble them at home peanut butter, jelly and hummos count in that liquid/gel category and can't be taken through security unless you transport them in a 3oz or less jar). Bringing a snack from home is better on your wallet (who really pays $7 for a crappy airport sandwich anyway!) and is better on your body. Most of the sandwiches at the grab & go in the airport terminals are loaded with sodium and fat (yes even the "healthy" hummos wraps!!!). More sodium = more dehydration and more bloating = more discomfort = less fun! Always ask for water to drink when the beverage cart comes around. Sodas (regular) are an unnecessary source of calories (120 of them to be exact), so are juices (they are full of added sugar) and both regular soda and diet soda are dehydrating due to the carbonation and sometimes also the caffeine as well, which is not helping your 'trying not to bloat' cause.

Traveling is difficult enough - make it easier to recover by bringing your own food that you are used to eating and that your body is used to processing. Drink lots of water and try to get some sleep on the flight, and then ENJOY YOUR VACATION!!!