Eating like you’ve got “sugar” or you’re 8 years old while flying has its benefits.
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a spoiled traveler. Aside from being fortunate enough to regularly travel internationally for work and pleasure, I fly first class on a more regular basis than a lot of folks. Some might say that I’m bourgie (even if I prefer the term “positively well-travelled”)
So why was I completely content with sitting here in a middle seat in economy during the hour one of a ten-hour flight, staring down a kid’s meal of pasta and brownish-orange beef sauce?
Simple, I switched seats to get an entire row for myself, and I had purposely requested a kid’s meal for myself in advance. It’s what all the saavy travelers do.
Okay, maybe not everybody is willing to go these lengths to make sure they feel good when getting off a plane, but I do. It’s a simple trick I picked up during my years of working as a flight attendant.
Wait, Here’s Why:
The rationale behind this is quite simple. As we’ve mentioned on this site before, most hot airline meals are full of chemical preservatives and salt, and are more or less smaller versions of TV dinners. If you combine this with travel stress, climate and temperature changes, and recirculated cabin air (especially on older aircraft, such as A330s, 757s, or older 777s), it can create a cocktail that leaves you feeling terrible when you leave your flight.
Most people’s first question when I make this suggestion is this: why not order a vegan, Halal or Kosher meal instead? Simply speaking, these are often no different in preservative and sodium levels than the “regular” meals that are served onboard, although generally speaking, you will enjoy a bigger dinner than everyone else with a Kosher meal.
Kid’s meals and diabetic meals, however, are especially created for those whose bodies can’t take as much preservatives and sodium. And they’re not necessarily bland either- in my experience, they often taste better than more unhealthy options.
Removing stressors is a great way to ensure you have a great travel experience, and food is a comparatively easy thing to change compared to, say, the crying baby in front of you that just won’t shut up. It’s a small step to make to ensure a nice trip.
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