Let’s talk about air travel for a bit. I never, ever eat airplane food anymore. After years of partaking in complementary in-flight meals and dealing with the resulting, brutal stomach aches, I realized that it’s the always-questionable food that was making me feel unwell, not so much the elevation as I initially suspected. The first time I brought my own, home-cooked meal onto an overseas flight was a revelation – I felt none of the usual discomfort after eating and could actually get some sleep. Since then, I take all kinds of steps to prepare for air travel, especially long, international flights and find the extra effort to be very much worth it.
First off, a few days before flying, I make an extra effort to stay hydrated and to eat at least a few very nutritious and balanced meals. Along with buying a huge water bottle after security, I bring a few sleepy-time tea bags with me on the flight, then ask the flight attendant for hot water and steep a strong, relaxing cup of tea, which helps me go to sleep, since I usually need help. A good sleep mask is always good for blocking out the neighbor’s screen light, too. For food, I like to bring a spinach, strawberry and basil salad, which sounds complicated but is really the best. Since I usually travel during the summer, all three of those ingredients are at peak season and taste amazing on their own, so no dressing is needed and the salad is leak-proof, almost weightless and very manageable. I feel nourished and light after that salad and don’t crave much more.
For snacks, I will make some kind of sprouted seed bars and pack a few strips of untoasted nori, along with some dark chocolate. And I find that having an apple helps freshen up after an airplane nap.
It’s amazing to see the bewilderment on the flight attendants’ and seat neighbors’ faces when they realize I’ve brought my own food and even teabags – it’s just not a common practice at all. But with the huge difference it makes, I don’t see why not!
Since I’ve learnt that eating miso might be helpful when it comes to countering the radiation we are exposed to on any given flight, I’ve been trying to incorporate it into my pre-flight meals, whenever I can remember. Aside from the obvious miso soup, I’ve been making this miso latte, warm in the winter and iced in the summer, before heading out the door for the airport. It’s very quick and has that whole delicious balance of sweet, salty and umami flavors going for it. There is also an immunity boost from turmeric, honey and ginger to help you fight off the myriad germs swirling around that flying can you will be spending some time in :)
If you have any in-flight health tips, I would love to hear them! Always looking for more. Enjoy!
P.S. We are on Snapchat under golubkakitchen, follow along for behind-the-scenes GK.
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1-inch piece ginger - sliced (optional)
- 2-3 teaspoons sweet miso paste
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- black pepper - if using turmeric, for optimal absorption
- If using ginger, simmer it in the milk for 10 minutes, then strain. If not using ginger, warm the milk on its own. Combine warmed milk with the rest of the ingredients in a blender and serve hot, sprinkled with more turmeric and black pepper, if desired.
- If using ginger, simmer it in the milk for 10 minutes and let cool. If not using ginger combine cold milk with the rest of the ingredients in a blender and serve over ice, sprinkled with more turmeric and black pepper, if desired.
I’ll bring my own food next time, absolutely!
Anyway, I love the use of miso here, I love this ingredient and discovering new ways to taste it is always a pleasure ^_^
Well needed article!! Thank you! I am from Europe living in the US and flying home very often, sometimes first class. Still i bring my own food most of the times:) i usually make some black been burger and cook some quinoa. Most of the times i can get some salad at airports or on the plane. I also bring bananas and some raw meal powder just in case i get hungry and all i have is water. There was one time when i had dinner at home and had the almost a day long flight (with connections) on 4 bananas only:)
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Your meals sound great, and one time I did that day-long-flight with no food too, because I thought I needed a ‘fast’, but ended up pretty hungry at the end :)
Thanks Valentina, miso is the best!
This is so true! Yet it also took me forever to realize it… True also about the clueless looks of flight attendants “are you SURE you’re refusing the food tray???”. It seems like people are incapable of refusing “free” food, even if it’s awful.
I generally pack a salad, if it’s winter a quinoa-carrots-hazelnuts with tahini dressing and in summer tomato-pomegranate-cucumber with nigella seeds and olive oil. Fruits and homemade granola for dessert and then we’re set!
Once I arrive, the war on jet lag can start…. I noticed that being tired really messes up my stomach, and the only answer to that are light, homecooked meals with lots of vegetables. This makes airbnbs a better option than hotels for me…at least for a few days!
Pauline
http://thevoyageur.net
Hi Pauline,
Ah, I agree with every single point you make, thanks for sharing your expert traveler tips and thoughts :) Your airplane meals sound awesome.
This is such a wonderful idea! I love miso, especially the shiro version and I use to put a little bit into my smoothies for that balance of salty-sweet, but never tried something like this here… so intriguing! One tip for food on airplanes I havent tried myself yet but keep in mind for future flights, is to bring instant miso soup that just needs some boiling water….maybe it´s useful to bring a container to serve it then, as I don´t think they have bowls on the plane. Or maybe one of those instant ramen in a jar that you can find recipes for on the web! Also I didn´t know about that radiation absorbing ability of miso, what a great fact! Now I do love it even more
Hi Julia,
Thanks so much for all the great ideas. I was so excited when I learned about that property of miso – all the more reason to eat it :)