I’m currently in Japan enjoying everything weird and wonderful that is Tokyo. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk about eating healthily during while travelling.
Airports are notorious for the lack of healthy, real, clean food available and airline food is inconsistent so it really does mean you’ve got to travel prepared. Here are some tips:
Order a special in-flight meal: I try to order the gluten-free / dairy free / or vegan Asian meal. I usually end up with some kind of curry and rice with veg and I’m happy with that. If an airline doesn’t have a special in-flight meal that looks appealing I roast some vegetables and a few chick peas and pack a separate bottle of tahini dressing to take on board.
Other bits to pack:
Crudité and hummus (pack a wet paper towel with cut veg to prevent drying out)
A variety of fruit – fresh and dried
Freeze-dried or baked vegetable snacks
Nuts, seeds, edamame
Sachet of miso soup (flight attendant can add hot water)
Olives
Nut butter and crackers
Granola
Clean protein cookies or bars
Dark chocolate
If you haven’t the time to organise yourself at home prior to travelling there are a few things you can do at the airport. If you’re flying out of London note that Pret a Manger has gluten-free porridge and also coconut milk yogurt for breakfast, and their protein pots are always a good choice. M & S has a few good salad pots, as does EAT. A word of caution: beware taking a hot rice dish on board. As rice cools it’s one of the quickest things to go bad and can cause horrible stomach upset.
Try to stick to things that are easy to digest (plants over meat), don’t cause excess gas (perhaps avoiding too many beans or cruciferous veg) and take heart in that your flight will be over soon and you can enjoy the local food in the destination once you arrive.
Wishing you safe travels!