What snacks I pack for a flight living Gluten Free

Having to go Gluten Free (Celiac things) made for some very obvious changes to my life, like cutting out my bread with bread sandwiches, and totally some unexpected ones, like discovering that airports are literally the worst at gluten free food. That is, unless you really want another chobani yogurt.

After flying around the world with all the fun that is airport food, airline delays, and airplane mistakes, my top travel rule these days is to always have snacks, ideally lots of them. So as I delay cleaning up my snack shelf and see what needs to be restocked, here’s my guide on what I bring with me when I leave home these days.

Tuna packets: You can get them flavored, plain, whatever you like. They are certainly not thrilling and not all that many calories either but they are the best option I’ve found for shelf-stable protein and at like $1-1.50 each, I carry at least 2 on any trip. I like Bumble Bee's mostly because they’re GF marked.

For use in a remote part of the airport only, do not open on the plane! Also check customs rules for bringing these into different countries.

Chomps / jerky sticks: More fun than tuna packets and safe to eat on the plane. These offer up some good flavor, a few calories and are really portable though not cheap and they pack a lot of sodium. Again, I bring a couple with me.

Absolutely check customs rules before bringing any meat into other countries.

Peanut / Almond Butter Packets: Another shelf-stable option with at least some protein and my usual GF bagel filling. Jif singles are cheaper, Justin’s packets come in almond butter and more flavors, but either way they go great on almost anything or on their own and are <$2 each. Since I can use these all trip, I’ll bring several. Also napkins and a plastic knife, they get messy.

While many airlines sell/distribute nuts, PB on a plane is a whole thing — I've never had an issue but read the row or just save for airport use.

Bars, all the bars: Bars are my easy, dependable, allergy safe, protein filled, calorie dense snack. Depending on where I am going, I’ll pack anywhere from 1 or 2 bars for a quick flight to a known city to two boxes of them if I don’t think I’ll find more locally. Lately, I’ve been a fan of NuGo (certified, delicious, lots of sugar) and Nature Valley (their protein bars are GF labeled, oat-free and way cheaper than the usual protein aisle bars).

A gluten free bagel or bread: Right alongside bars for me is having something meal-like and usually that means a sandwich. You can pair it with tuna, PB, salami, honey, or just on its own I suppose as a calorie filler. I’ve really come to love bagels and not just because I love bagels but they hold up well against a packed bag and give a solid dose of calories for hour 5 of 15. Plus you basically never see GF bread in airports. One is good, two is better.

Nut mixes: Sometimes actual nuts just outperform spread. Second Nature’s mix is certified and nicely mixed with chocolate while Planters makes a pure nut mix in single portions. Either way, they give a ton of calories and a nice dose of fats for very little space. Like pb packets, can’t ever have too many of these.

Again, check before opening on a plane or hold for the airport and review customs rules, though packaged nuts are often safe.

Chips / Pretzels / Crackers: When I get bored, I get hungry and when people start eating, I get hungrier so I like to have something snacky with a good crunch to chomp down on. These are subject to being crushed in my bag or the bin so I limit this to what I want to eat on the flight only.

Sliced up apples or a whole one: Perhaps the hardest thing to find with GF travel snacks is anything truly healthy (I mean nuts but you can only have so many). Grabbing an apple or cutting one up is another recent addition to my snack bag that helps me feel like it’s not all (delicious) junk. Fruit is usually easy to find after the airport so just one of these.

Def something to finish on the flight if you are going international.

Gummies, brownies or candy bars: Completely reversing trends, no trip would be complete without a couple treats. Now 90% of the time, my bars are what I actually end up snacking on but sometimes it’s nice to have some pure chocolate without the healthy-pretense and a Reese’s or a Payday is not cheap once you enter the magical airport bounds.

Electrolytes: This has nothing to do with Celiac life, except that any airport option may not work for us but throwing a couple LMNT or Liquid IVs into the bag is an easy way to have these handy for plane dehydration.

Medications: We all fly hoping we don’t have any symptoms but should go without saying that whatever issues you can have, this is absolutely the time to have the meds to deal with them and have those real handy.

Backpacking Meals: My final but absolutely essential staple is a backpacking meal or five, depending on the trip. These are great for long-haul flights when I’m worried my special meal may not come through (just ask for hot water) or long days at the airport or just going to less known spots where there may be a missed meal. Many brands make GF options, I like Good To-Go’s Pad Thai and Pasta (yeah, it’s GF) as they’re pretty tasty and compact well. One is essential, two or three is smart for longer trips and I’ve lived off them for a week doing “harder” travel and volunteer work.

One more thing I’ve started to do before a long or early flight (or a long haul to the airport) is to grab a protein drink for the airport. Obviously these won’t make it through security but I can chug it down just before for a final fill-up after the commute into the airport. I particularly like Oikos drinks as they have some fiber to go alongside their protein and while they don’t taste great warm, they don’t spoil (until opened) either. Pair them up with a cup of GF cereal and it’s a breakfast win.

Now sometimes proper prep is not possible. I’ve done back-to-back and even multi-month trips where some stops just didn’t have much in the way of options, but I don’t care if it is $5 for a Reese’s and $10 for a bag of chips, I will try and bring at least a few things with me wherever I go because you just never know when a 3 hour flight becomes a 30 hour day.

And if you’re taking a longer flight or with an airline that just gets it, be sure to order your Gluten Free (usually called GFML) meal ahead of time. Most airlines require the request to go in at least 24 hours before departure and let you submit it online now but not always. I try to request mine as soon as I book a flight, and look for it on my itinerary to confirm though you can also call or double check at the airport.

Safe travels!