2 years of reckless travel had a big impact on my eating habits. I realized that I had to reduce my intake of carbs, protein & fat. Long flights serving 3 meals seemed like a low-hanging fruit. Without wasting time, I started experimenting with the various dietary meal options that most airlines offer – provided the request is placed 24 hours before the flight.

At first I switched to a fat free meal, which avoided gluten in the preparation and served fruits in lieu of an unhealthy dessert option. Together with this, I consciously reduced cola & soda intake and switched to juices or just plain water – lots of it. I refrained from all snacks, peanuts especially. But the meal still served a chunk of chicken which wasn’t helping all that much.

I then went to the other extreme of a raw veg meal (as seen in the cover image), which served a bigger portion of salad as the main dish. Fresh cut capsicum in all colors, tomatoes and broccoli. Tasteless, yet rich in fibre, and nil on fat & sugar. On a long flight, I would opt this for one leg, and a low-fat meal on the other. Instead of eggs & potatoes for breakfast, it would serve fibre-rich sultana whole-grain flakes with yogurt.

In conclusion, I think it helps one bit at a time. It makes you diet conscious – provided you don’t get paranoid. If you are traveling a lot or have dietary restrictions, you must visit the airline website to check options. You can set the meal preference in your booking yourself or through an agent – but make sure its done well in advance. Stay healthy!

Update: My friends – Haynes & Ankit – suggested that avoiding bread, and aircraft food in general will keep you even healthier. You could substitute by carrying dry snacks & nuts. Thanks guys!