Tips for keeping food fresh when flying??

[Guest guest]

Hi there,

Thanks for welcoming me to join your group.

 

I'm going to spend time on the airplane for 20 hours. I need to bring my

own food with me because I can only choose between vegetarian meal and

gluten free meal. Has anyone encountered such a situation beofre? How do you

guys keep your own food fresh for 20 hours? I have trouble with dried food,

such as potato chips and biscuits, so I want to bring my own rice meal.

 

Thanks for any suggestions or help!

 

Best,

 

Jing Yi

[Guest guest]

Try a soft sided cooler to store fruits and veggies in, and a thermos for

cooked foods. An ice pack in the cooler should help keep the food fresh longer.

Twenty hours is a very long time, though, to expect most things to stay totally

fresh. I'd suggest water or juice bottles, and lots of fruits, veggies, and

any nuts or crackers you can eat. Don't forget a large ziploc bag for garbage,

and a wet washcloth in a separate baggie for quick clean ups! Marilyn

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

DO you live near a trader joe's store? If you do, they have these great gf and

vegan meals that aren't frozen, but dried. You basically have to put them in hot

water fora few minutes and then you eat them. Let me look up the company...

[Guest guest]

Jing Yi,

There are luchbox-sized coolers you can use with a gel pak to keep things cool

for long periods. Try to eat the most perishable items first, such as cooked

grains, and take as much food as possible that doesn't need to be cooled to save

space in the cooler for perishable items. Many raw fruits and veggies will do

fine uncooled for 20 hours. Check a local health food store for protein/energy

bars that are GF/Vegan. Nut butter sandwiches with fruit spread or veggies last

a pretty good time. Also, nuts, seeds and raisins don't need cooler space.

Many grain/nut/soy milks are now available in individual aseptic paks - no

cooling needed. Open and drink at room temperature.

Hope these suggestions help.

Good luck,

Roy Samuel

[Guest guest]

Fruit juices and soy milks in small containers can be frozen first and

they could give " coolness " to a insulated lunch container without

wasting space.

 

LaDonna

[Guest guest]

Hi Jing Yi,

 

Keeping food fresh while traveling is difficult, but list members have

posted some great ideas. Fortunately plant-based foods are not susceptible

to some of the same food borne toxins that plant foods are, so that helps.

In the past we've used some of these methods:

 

~ travel with an insulated lunch box to keep food cold and fresh; the type

that is soft and can be folded into a small place when it is empty is easier

to transport than a hard covered carrier.

 

~ take as large a carry-one as the airline will allow and allow the most

space for food items.

 

~ Glad Ware and Zip Lock make light-weight containers that seal well. I use

them as carriers for food that is packed in zip lock baggies. One container

holds baggies of fruits and veggies; another container holds seeds, nuts,

crackers; another holds gf sandwiches; etc.

 

~ Freeze small containers of your favorite foods before packing them. They

will stay fresh longer. Bean, rice, and gluten-free pasta foods freeze

well. They will keep your carry-on container cool during the first part of

your journey and will thaw out and be ready to eat for the last part. I

freeze gf-vegan mac and cheese, rice casseroles, baked beans, tomato pasta

dishes, etc. and they defrost nicely without affecting the flavor and

texture of food.

 

~ Buy individual sizes of soft food items like applesauce. Don't forget the

plastic spoons and forks for ease in eating!

 

~ Freeze juice and soy milk containers to act as " ice " for your food

container.

 

~ Take a trip to the health food store and stock up on items that are vegan

and gluten free (but are usually too expensive to enjoy on a regular day).

Protein bars, Gorp, fruit leather, etc.

 

Enjoy a wonderful trip!

~ LaDonna ~

[Guest guest]

With a trip that long on the plane, you should be able to bring your own food

and have them keep it chilled for you. Your only concern would be in labelled

containers so you don't risk cross contamination.

 

BL