Living a healthy life while always on the go is challenging for anyone, but it is especially challenging for flight attendants. We can spend several days away from home at a time, be surrounded by easy comfort food, get tired from long days, and then head to a hotel where there may or may not be a refrigerator and usually no way of heating food. It can be very discouraging when you are serving food & drinks, picking up garbage, answering questions, dealing with the occasional medical emergency and end up with 30 starving seconds alone in the galley to be faced with that hamburger that's been sitting there for an unknown amount of hours, loaded with preservatives and who know what. Inevitably you scarf the burger, not even tasting it, and 30 minutes later you're regretting every last bite. I have lived this scene more than once in my career but with a lot of work and perseverance, those moments are becoming few and further between.
How do you save yourself from scarfing down that burger or 15 bags of mini pretzels? Learn to put you first. I try to have a snack with me such as raw nuts or sweet potato chips that I pull out as soon as I hear the 10,000 ft double ding. Having it visible and readily available to me when my blood sugar starts to crash helps me make a better decision. Also at that double ding, if I haven't already, I make sure to put any food that needs to be heated in the oven so when I'm done with service and have only a few minutes, it's ready to eat, keeping me far from that dreaded burger.
Now this is great if you are working a flight but what if you are a passenger? You may think your only in for a short flight. You eat before putting your bags in the car, driving to the airport, parking your car, shuttling in, checking your bags, going through security and boarding the plane. You've already passed 3 hours at least before the isle hogging carts pull up to the front of the cabin, passing you in the back. All of a sudden that bag of mini pretzels and a greasy burger are sounding pretty good.
Always carry a bottle of water and snacks with you... always! Again, I like to keep nuts with me. They are the perfect combination of fat, protein and carbs. Other great travel snacks include veggie chips, avocado, low sugar/high protein granola bars (I'll give you a great recipe for homemade ones later) popcorn and carrot sticks. I used to love buffalo or turkey jerky until I found out they usually contain wheat, but if that's not a problem for you then toss them in your bag as well. Having these items with you will help you steer clear of the high carb pretzel mix and soda.
For those of you who live in hotel rooms like I do, these are your 2 must-haves:
-A cooler tote
(http://www.crewoutfitters.com/products/luggage/luggageworks-regal-i-cooler-tote.html)
-A 6-inch electric skillet
(http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Selective-6-Mini-Skillet/dp/B0046YRVC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321551211&sr=8-3)
It's tiresome and expensive to eat out all the time. For people with food restrictions, it can be almost impossible to get a filling, inexpensive meal, free of your red flag items. There's nothing better than going to your hotel room and eating a warm, home cooked meal without worrying about what ingredients it contains.
My cooler tote holds tons of food but isn't large and bulky. It has several pockets, great for storing snacks, teas, sweeteners, silverware, etc. and attaches nicely to my suitcase. The trick to keeping food cold is to place the ice on top of the food. Heat rises and cold drops so placing the ice on top of the food cools it more efficiently. I place a hand towel between the ice and food to prevent water from leaking into the containers. If you are in a hotel without a refrigerator, place 2 towels, folded in half, over the ice filled cooler. This helps insulate the cooler, keeping your food colder longer.
Some people make fun of the electric skillet but it has honestly been my saving grace. True, it takes up some space in your bag but it's well worth it! You just plug it in and within seconds it's hot and ready to use. You can warm pre-cooked food or cook raw food on it. When I used to eat eggs I would scramble up a couple eggs with peppers, onions and bacon for breakfast. The risen edges also make it ideal for heating soups. This little device saves you tons of money and guilty binges.
These are just a few of my many Wellness on the Fly travel tips. Stay tuned for plenty more to come.
As always,
Here's to Life, Love, Health and Happiness. Cheers!
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