Eating Healthy on the Road

One of the toughest parts of my job is eating well in the midst of 24-hour days and gas-station pit stops. Not every crew rest is created equal, but I’ve found with a few easy prep steps and conscious decisions I manage to keep my diet on track. Here’s my top 5 tips for eating healthy on the road.

1. Get the right tools

First things first, you need something that will hold your food and keep it cold for a sustained period of time. I use a 6 Pack Bag, I know a few people who use the Yeti Hopper coolers, and others who just use insulated/re-usable grocery bags. Now, my jet has a small refrigerator and I can easily transfer my perishable food items during the flight. I also have a massive cockpit so I have no issue using the Innovator 500, which is pretty large, and keeping it in the galley or upstairs. Several companies make smaller, lunch-box sized bags which are great for shorter trips, whether in a plane or a car. No matter what bag you put your food in, it’s worth investing in good containers that will last. Since I don’t reheat any of my food in the actual container, I don’t mind using plastic. Otherwise I would definitely opt for glass because of the toxins.

2. Mealprep

I feel like “meal prep” is my generations’ buzz word, nonetheless, it works. Before trips I grill up a few chicken breasts and throw mixed greens into reusable containers. My bag has 5 slots for containers so I prepare 5 meals of different variety. I always pack some sort of trailmix, bars and fresh fruit too. I usually find myself craving something warm at altitude, so I pack my Handpresso and loose espresso grounds for an in-flight Americano. (Yes, life is hard.) The jet also has a small oven so I take loaf sized foil baking pans to reheat my food. Even with all that, there’s still plenty of room for utensils, spare 5-hour energies and whatever else I deem appropriate for that specific trip.

3. Sweat

Yes, sweat. For my pilot types, we’ve all been there. You land after a hella long day and the crew is like, “lobby in 30, we’re going out.” And then you go out, you eat a massive 99% carb dinner (because you earned it after all), drink beer and then go crash in your bed with your clothes on, wake up for alert and do it all over again the next day. Right? NO! If you sweat, even for just 30 minutes, you’re resetting your body and spending 30 minutes thinking about why you shouldn’t go to bed without washing your face. Just me?? Yeah, OKAY. Instead, maybe you convince your crew to have lobby beers in 45 minutes, giving you 30 minutes of gym time. Alternatively, set your alarm 45 minutes early the next morning to hit the gym. You’ll feel better, you’ll think a little harder about that pasta primavera and, best of all, you’ll sleep better! (Jet lag, amiright?)

4: Restock

Make every attempt to hit a grocery store at all crew rests or pit stops along the way while traveling. This allows you to restock your meal prep containers as the trip goes on with more fresh goodness. Instead of frozen meals full of sodium and sugar and blah, opt for rotisserie chicken and fresh greens. The chicken is fresh and it keeps for at least a couple days. P.S. take your used containers to your hotel room and rinse them out in the sink, good as new! I keep doing this through the entirety of the trip because you literally never know when the proverbial wrench will be thrown into your plane, err plans.

5: Don’t drink you’re calories

Please forgive me if this sounds preachy: you NEED to drink a stupid amount of water. All that recycled air and long cruise hours really dehydrates you. If you find yourself in line at the grocery store with 2 food items and 5 drinks (hint: I do this), staaahhhhppp. Cruise munchies are bad enough, don’t compound the problem by drinking 1500 calories worth of soda, protein shakes and kombucha (jk that’s low-cal but you get my point!). Opt for food and drinks that take longer to eat, are clean and won’t stink up the cockpit or cabin. I’m looking at you tuna eaters. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times, IN-FLIGHT TUNA IS FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY. Okay, I know tuna isn’t a drink but it needed to be said.

That’s it! I hope that was somewhat helpful. Please keep in mind these tips apply to traveling as a passenger too! I may not always pack as much food while I’m on leisure travel, but I definitely ops for the salads and not the burgers while I’m in the airport.

I’ve linked all of the products I talked about above HERE if you want to see for yourself. And part 1 of my YouTube video is HERE. Essentially what Im saying is, be thoughtful about your food intake and a little preparation goes quite a ways in keeping your diet balanced while on the road. This is by no means a 1 size fits all list or diet or whatever. I’m not a dietician and I will never claim to be, but this process works for me and maybe it will for you too! What tricks or hacks have you figured out through your travels to stay healthy?? I’d love to hear them!

xo -EB

Full disclosure: If you buy something from any of the links above I may received a small commission.