Food Idea for Air Travel

Airlines will always be willing to provide hot water, they might not be willing to microwave food for you (I wouldn't count on it.) We do the ramen noodle soup cups on flights all the time. It's not exactly packed full of nutrients but it's hot. And better than most airplane food.

Maybe try hummus sandwiches, cold roasted veggie sandwiches or wraps, etc.

I'm almost positive that if you contact the airline about your daughter's allergy, they will make accomadations for her in either letting you bring pre-approved foods aboard that can be heated or providing you with allergy safe meal selections.

We have travelled with our daughter withceliac disease and bring all her food. We've brought Thai Kitchen rice noodle meals that just need boiling water and the airlines have been wonderful. We also bring lots of various snacks. Beef jerky is one of our favorites. You could make something like pinto beans and rice (if your duaghter likes this) and heat it too intollerable and put it in a thermos and tuck it your travel bag and just give it to her as her first meal and save the dry stuff for later but make sure thermos' are allowed first. The other thing we do with our daughter is sit her in the window seat so noone else's food or dirty hands or crumb covered pants are moving over her.

airlines do serve real food on long trips...not just peanuts or pretzels! let the airline know about the food allergy thing. they should have something to accomodate your needs. plus, bring the snacks!

If your daughter has respiratory sensitivity to the peanuts, I would suggest a carrier that is peanut free. Keep the inhaler,antihistamine or emergency devices handy.

N.

I saw that you have fruits already but I found some great food pouches that are natural and organic. My kids love them and easy to store and eat. Plum tots and Ella's kitchen makes them. They also come in veggie and fruit blends and the consistency is like apple sauce.

Instant oatmeal add a tablespoon of sunflower butter to give it more consistency and help with satiety, cup of soups both add hot water. At least on the way out, premake some pancakes the day before add some grounded flaxseeds and sunflower seeds to give it more substance, bring packets of honey to sweeten, yogurt with enjoy life granola, enjoy life granola bars, breakfast bars (enjoy life products are nut and peanut free); they'll have milk on the flights. These are some other ideas at least, may not be hot meals, but it is something with substance and nutritious that will keep her satisfied until you can get her a hot meal. Make a nut free trail mix with raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, dried fruit; if she can do treenuts, then add raw almonds and raw cashews to it as well.

Good luck and safe travels!
J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Wellness Educator
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

We just got back from traveling to Ireland. Our flight was no where near as long as yours is going to be, but we brought some cold pesto tortellinis. No clue how long they can hold up and be truly safe, but we figured we were good for a few hours, and we ate them as soon as we got in the air.

I'm sure others will have some good ideas.

I would check with the airline to see if they have suggestions. Even if you don't want to eat their food, they can let you know if they are able to heat food for you and maybe they have ideas that other travelers have used. (in my limited experience, international flights have been a lot more customer-friendly than domestic, where they treat you like cattle.)

If you search for "self-heating meals" there are products that heat themselves. I have a feeling it will end up being expensive and uneaten, but you could give it a try.

You could try ramen-type meals. I've seen higher-end options at places like Whole Foods, and you can add hot water to those and let sit. Same with Campbell's dehydrated soups.

You could also look at some of the newer vacuum-packed convenience meals from the grocery store that don't require refrigeration - for example, the rice dishes that are in vacuum-sealed bags. I keep seeing new products, but can't think of other examples offhand, but you could put the bag next to your skin to warm it to body temperature, at least.

How easy is it going to be to ensure you are peanut free when you get to your international destination? I have traveled overseas (Portugal) a few times, even though I thought I had a good knowledge of the language I found their food package labels are much different than ours. I have an Iodine sensivitity, not anaphalyctic but makes my feet swell so I really try to avoid it. I found it almost impossible to determine what was in the products or relay it to restaraunts. Luckily no major incidents, I survived! Make sure you have your Epi pen. Have you looked into the peanut vaccine? I beleive it is still in the experimental stage but shows great results so far for those who have received it.

What about lunchables? I don't know if they can be heated up or not but that might work. Could you ask for a spot in their fridge to keep cold food. Maybe in a lunch box or "soft" cooler?

Best of luck to you.

T.

My kids love that ready-made bacon. It doesn't require refrigeration. We've made bacon & cheese sandwiches on 15 hour car trips. We've also had no problem with milk, lunch meat, string cheese, cheese cubes, and carrots in a soft insulated lunch box with a few small ice packs. In fact, when we got to our destination and forgot the cooler lunch box in the car, it was still perfectly cold the next morning. My kids also love cold pasta salad - wagon wheels with a little parmesan cheese and a bit of italian dressing. My almost 3 year old twins, as well as my 7 yr old, eat all of these things when we travel.

Allergy mama here! This is not on the topic of food, but when we travel we ask to pre-board so I can use a Clorox wipe (or organic variety) to wipe down my food-allergic child's seat, arm rests, tray table, window and anything else nearby. I also use a cover for his seat. I bought mine from a company called "Plane Sheets" and it fits perfectly over the seat. But, you can also just bring a twin bed-sheet. Fold it over and tuck it in all around so your child doesn't have to come into contact with the seat. I know planes aren't cleaned well enough as they should. And my fear is someone from the last flight ate a granola bar or a Snickers in his seat (and we don't realize it until we hit 30,000 feet!) It only takes 2-3 minutes to do this, but it helps to do it in pre-board or you will have people trying to cram past you to get to their seats!

When I book our tickets, I alert them we have a peanut-allergic child. I also mention it when we check in to reserve our seats. I also tell the flight attendants. They have always made an announcement, like "We have a child with a severe peanut allergy on board. Do not eat peanuts on this flight, because we don't want to have to land unexpectedly!" They have even handed out free snacks to people who were going to eat peanuts. Everyone has always been kind about it. I know it is an inconvenience for everyone, but we have had about 10 safe flights in 7 years, thanks to everyone's graciousness.

GOOD LUCK!!

Try instant oatmeal packets. All you need to do is mix it with hot water. Someone else mentioned mixing it with sunflower butter, but you don't really need to. I make it several days a week here at my desk at work with just hot water and the consistency is fine. It's warm and filling, too :)

No food tips but be sure to bring along something to throw over her head if nuts are onboard the plane.
A friend uses a solid-color receiving blanket (her son is past babyhood) to protect him from the recirculated air.
She pops a baseball cap over his head, hands him a flashlight and book, and he waits till the nut portion of the meal is over.
BONUS -- sometimes the secure little space inside the blanket lulls him to sleep.

But seriously - do people really HAVE to have peanuts on an aircraft?
It means nut-allergic parents/people have to wipe down the armrest, tray table, etc. before touching it.
As if having a life-threatening food allergy weren't enough!!!!

My mom and dad always packed a little soft sided cooler as one of their carry ons. You can always do the sandwich's with an ice pack to keep it fresh longer. The other suggestion (but call the airline to confirm both of these are ok after 911)is to pack a little thermos. The childrens ones, I don't think are breakable and should be ok w/the airlines. Put Speg., stew, soup, ravioli, almost anything in it. Good luck on that long of a flight... you maybe so busy trying to keep her occupied that food is a second thought! Have fun.

Maybe call the airline and see how they can help to accomidate you. I am sure you can come up with something that works for you both.. Sorry I'm not much help but I have never had to deal with this problem..Godd Luck