Recently while I was killing time at the airport waiting for my layover, I was walking around a food court-ish area full of "healthy" foods. There were flour wraps filled with some kind of mystery meat and lettuce, whole grain cereal bars with tons of added sugar, pretzels, chips made with canola oil, and jerky drowned in soy. Not only could I not believe the outrageous prices on this crap, I couldn't believe that this "healthy stuff" was really all just crap!
My three-year-old looked up at me with his beautiful, big brown eyes, and said "Mama I'm hungry." And I was oh, so glad that I took the time to prepare. I reached in my bag and pulled out one of the many snacks I brought for him. He was happy. I was happy. And I also saved about $20 just then.
I don't go anywhere without food. Like nowhere. I even run errands with a cooler of "emergency" snacks and sparkling water for both myself and my little guy.
I even fly with a bag of food. Yes, you can bring food on the airplane and for some reason not many people seem to realize that.
Here are a few ideas that are easy to travel with (even with kids):
- Fruit. This one is easy. Throw an apple or banana in your bag. If you don't know what you'll do with the peal, don't worry...airplanes have trash cans. I also like to pack a baggie of berries for my son. He loves berries!
- Nuts and dried fruits. Again, these can go in a baggie. Done.
- Jerky/Meat snacks. Most of these already come packaged but if not, throw them in a bag or container.
- Veggies. Also easy. And if you want to get adventurous, bring along a small Tupperware of hummus or paleo ranch.
- Wraps. These are my favorite for longer trips so my family can actually get a meal to fill up our bellies! I make mine with coconut wraps and whatever I have in my fridge that needs to get used up before our trip. These also can fit in a baggie, and go great with:
- Sweet potato chips. Or any other chips your heart desires.
- Fruit and nut bars. I have to add this in for my son. Larabars are his favorite treat!
- Salad. This might be a bit of a pain, but I have done it before. I didn't bring a fork with me, but they had forks at the airport which is where I ate it while I was waiting for my flight.
- Hard eggs. If you open a container of these on the plane, the people sitting around you may think you're having stomach issues. But it can't be any worse than the guy sitting next to you that reeks like an ashtray, right?
- Paleo-friendly crackers such as Simple Mills crackers. I absolutely had to mention these. I love, love, love them! (And no, this is not an ad.)
These ideas may all seem basic and obvious to you if you've been in the paleo world for a while, but some people just don't know you can bring food on a plane. Basically, if the food is in a closed container you can bring it through security.
Liquids, however have different rules. Any liquid you bring through security needs to be in a container less than 3.4 ounces. (The exception to this is baby formula and drinks such as juice for small kiddos).
But this doesn't mean you need to buy a $5 bottle of water. You can bring an empty tumbler or travel mug and fill it at a restaurant or water fountain when you get through. For early morning travel my husband and I drink our coffees until we get to security, rinse it out before we go through, throw it in our backpacks, and fill with water when we get inside.
A couple other things you may want to have if you're traveling with your own food (and with kids):
- Wipes! Napkins and tissue work too, but not like wipes. Especially if you have sticky food.
- Extra baggies. These have come in handy to store extra food, especially when my son decides he doesn't want to finish the snack bag I opened for him.
- Small insulated bag/lunch bag. I don't always bring one of these, but if I'm bringing anything that can't sit at room temp like a wrap with avocado mayo or paleo ranch, I have a place to store it and it can easily fit in my backpack.
If you still aren't really sure what you can or can't bring through security, see TSA's official website on what's allowed.
Now have a happy gut and safe travels!
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