The Mistake People Make When Choosing Airport Food

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Everybody has been there: You had a quick layover, you panicked, and you chose the place with the shortest line and the unhealthiest entrees at the airport. Between the long security lines, delayed flights, and overall stress of travel today, many default to greasy comfort food. But one of the biggest mistakes travelers make when choosing airport food is zeroing in on what feels good in the moment and not how that meal will feel several thousand feet in the air. 

Lia Ocampo, a retired flight attendant and author of "Life, Love, and Lessons in the Sky: A Flight Attendant's Inspiring Journey," shared a few tips when it comes to factoring in your next meal before flying. "Just be mindful of what you eat that makes your flying uncomfortable, poses a health risk, or can make you ill," she advised. For her, that means to "avoid eating salad, sushi, deli meat, greasy and salty foods, and highly processed foods."

Your digestive system behaves differently on airplanes, and the wrong meal can turn an already uncomfortable flight into a bloated, gassy, or nauseating experience. Cabin pressure is to blame for any noisy infractions. Although airplane cabins are pressurized, at cruising altitude, the lower pressure can cause gas in the digestive system to expand. That's why foods like beans, cruciferous vegetables, and carbonated drinks can become a little, well, problematic in the air.

Sadly, those heavy meals we love to indulge in at the airport food court are also a mistake because they tend to digest slowly — especially when combined with long periods of sitting. On a cramped flight, sluggish digestion can leave you feeling lethargic. These foods are also high in sodium, and combined with the dry cabin air, dehydration comes on quickly. The humidity levels can be drier than a desert, so a salty pre-flight meal combined with coffee or alcohol can ramp up thirst. 

Speaking of alcohol, you likely already know that your favorite liquor hits differently on a plane. Of course, it's tempting to treat airport bars as the unofficial "kick-off" to vacation, but lower cabin oxygen levels intensify fatigue and thirst. There are lots of ways to get the party started — but landing with a hangover certainly isn't one of them. You'll be much better off picking out one of these best-tasting electrolyte drinks at the overpriced airport kiosk before you board.

Lia Ocampo admitted there's no perfect airport meal that will work for every person, so pay attention to your body — not your fellow bachelor or bachelorette passengers — when it comes to picking out your next snack. "We all have different eating habits, styles, consumption, and satisfaction," she explained. "It's hard to determine what work for me works for the other person." A much better airplane snack is simply packing an orange or two.