Healthy Diet for November 18 – Flying High

Traveling home for the holidays? Give thought to airport and airline food and drink. In-flight food service may be only a small bag of dry snacks and a beverage, even if you fly over mealtime. Pack these thoughts as you pack your bags:

• Tuck nonperishable snacks into your carry-on bag: dried fruit, crackers and cheese, raw vegetables, single-serve applesauce or pudding.
• Look for smart airport food. Many of today’s airports offer flavorful, nutrient-rich, and lower-fat options: wrap sandwiches, packaged salads, smoothies.
• Let the snack cart roll on by. If you ate already, you don’t need it.
• Do order from the beverage cart. Try to have one cup of fluid per hour in flight. Ask for water or buy some to bring along. Dry, recirculating air in a pressurized airline cabin is dehydrating, which in turn promotes jet lag.
• Go easy on alcoholic drinks, even if they’re free. They promote dehydration and jet lag.