10 Healthy Airplane Snacks to Avoid Bloat and Fatigue
Tired of feeling bloated and sluggish after eating airplane food? I’ve been there—craving something healthy but stuck with airport snacks and in-flight meals that leave you feeling like crap.
The key to avoiding this is packing the right snacks. Whether you’re managing dietary restrictions (like me—I’m vegetarian and have an autoimmune condition) or simply want to arrive feeling good, your snack choices can make all the difference.
These 10 healthy airplane snacks require zero prep, are all TSA-compliant, and have clean ingredients (NO seed oils), restriction-friendly profiles (vegan, gluten-free, low-sugar), and a high nutrition profile (fiber/protein).
Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor; consult one for dietary needs, especially with health conditions. Snack availability may vary on Amazon.
10 Great Airplane Snacks
I travel a lot, and while it can be fun to treat yourself to junk food on the occasional flight home, it’s not something I can do often because of the impacts.
Queue bloating, inflammation, swelling, skin breakouts, fatigue, cramping. To FEEL good when I arrive at my destination and have ENERGY to navigate a new and exciting place, I have to eat well on the way there.
Here are 10 pre-packaged, Amazon-available snacks that require zero prep and keep you feeling your best. These are my go-to picks for avoiding inflammation, fatigue, and general yuckiness when flying.
1. Freeze-Dried Berries
This is one of my top travel snacks. I LOVE fruit, especially berries, but bringing fresh berries with me when I travel isn’t always a practical option, so my hack is freeze-dried berries.
Not only are they tart, crunchy, and slightly sweet, but berries are really high in fiber, and getting enough fiber while traveling is crucial for keeping digestion on track during travel (let’s be real, this isn’t easy).
While everyone is reaching for chips and muffins, try swapping for freeze-dried berries, I promise you’ll feel WAY better.
⭐ Single ingredient ⭐ High fiber ⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free
2. Plantain Chips
“Salty crunchies,” as my husband and I call them, are a must. These vegan, gluten-free plantain chips are a sweet, clean alternative to chips or candy.
They come in single-serving packages, which is nice, so you won’t eat too many or have to put an open bag of chips in your bag.
⭐ Single ingredient ⭐ Fiber ⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free
3. Healthy Protein Bars
The keyword here is “healthy”. Many, actually most, protein bars have lackluster ingredients and are high in sugar. Choose bars with minimal sugar and moderate carbs.
These TRUBAR Vegan Protein Bars are DELICIOUS- my favorite is the cookie dough flavor. I also really like these Mezcla Vegan Protein Bars. Both of these are my go-tos.
⭐ High fiber ⭐ High Protein ⭐ Low Sugar Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free
4. Every Body Eat Snack Thins
This is another favorite “salty crunchy”. I told you I like Cheez-its, and these are the approved version! These have 7 clean ingredients and taste SO good. The Cheese-Less flavor is my favorite. Trust me, you’re welcome.
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ No artificial colors, flavors, or seed oils
5. Pan’s Mushroom Jerky
This is another one of my must-bring snacks while traveling. Mushrooms are high in fiber and great for your gut health. This mushroom jerky has only 6 ingredients and is super filling and fun to eat.
The Teriyaki flavor is my favorite!
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ Low Sugar ⭐ High Fiber
6. Seaweed
Light and crispy, these seaweed snacks are a great source of vitamins and minerals and support gut health.
Make sure you get the seaweeds that are made with olive oil or avocado oil – this is very important! The regular ones are made with seed oils that are NOT good for your gut.
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ No Sugar ⭐ High in Omega3s
7. Raw Nuts
Using a Stasher reusable bag, combine a variety of raw mixed nuts. Nuts are high in protein, healthy fats, minerals, and fiber. My favorite combination is pecans, cashews, walnuts, and macadamia nuts.
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ No Sugar ⭐ High Fiber
8. Smash Foods Energy Bites
You can make protein balls, but this list is about EASY, PREPARATION-FREE snacks. I recommend peanut butter bites. They only have a few ingredients (all clean) and are dietary restriction-friendly.
They also have sunflower and cashew butter balls instead of peanut butter. These are always good in lieu of peanut butter in case there is a peanut allergy on the plane. The sunflower butter ones are my favorite.
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ Protein ⭐ Fiber
9. Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Quinoa Crisps
Okay, this is for my sweet tooth people (🙋). These gluten-free, vegan quinoa crisps combine dark chocolate and sea salt for a healthy treat that won’t spike blood sugar. I’m obsessed with these; they’re one of the best healthy airplane snacks in my opions 🙂
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ Fiber ⭐ Low Sugar
10. Roasted Edamame Snacks
Another salty crunchy (you can never have too many). High in protein and fiber, these vegan, gluten-free edamame snacks are a crunchy lifesaver. This is a great, healthy, no-prep-needed, salty crunchy (made with avocado oil!).
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ Protein ⭐ Fiber
BONUS: Electrolytes
I told you hydration was important! I always bring an electrolyte packet for the plane (and my whole trip). My favorite electrolytes are the LMNT electrolytes. Their sodium, potassium, and magnesium combo is important for hydration and ultimately energy production.
LMNT Hydration packs can be added to a water bottle while you’re on the plane – the residue washes out easily.
They have a lot of great flavors and have NO sugar – sometimes electrolyte supplements have a TON of sugar in them (yikes!).
⭐ Vegan ⭐ Gluten Free ⭐ NO Sugar ⭐ Energy producing vitamins
How To Avoid Giving In to Airplane and Airport Food
If you are like me, your mind associates travel with fun food choices, OR, you get tired on your return trip and all of your self-control goes out the window, making it even harder to say NO to unhealthy snacks and plane food.
If I am tired, I easily crumble and end up with peanut butter M&Ms and Cheez-Its and then feel regretful.. and somehow get a zit by the time the plane lands. Here are my top tips to feeling well while traveling:
- Eat a filling meal BEFORE you go to the airport. That’s right, get on the plane full! Eat a highly nutritious meal with loads of fresh vegetables.
- Pack snacks! If you have a healthy snack with you, you’ve already chosen to eat healthy and provided yourself with healthy alternatives to what you see around you in the airport.
- Hydrate! Yes, hydration is SO important when flying. Not only will staying hydrated help you feel full, but planes dehydrate us. Ever get off a plane and your skin feels gross or your lips are chapped? This is because you aren’t hydrating properly. Hydrate BEFORE and during your flight. AVOID anything besides water (especially soda and alcohol).
Healthy Airplane Snacks 🤝 TSA Rules
TSA rules can be annoying for anyone trying to navigate a restrictive diet…or just trying to eat well while travelling.
I once had TSA go through my mini cooler, unwrapping each of my individually wrapped slices of homemade butternut squash quiche. Let it be known that the X-ray machines can’t see through tin foil, and your tinfoil-wrapped food will be searched! ha.
BUT, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are lots of healthy, solid, pre-packaged foods, like protein bars, nuts, and dried fruit, that are TSA-friendly.
If you insist on bringing spreads or liquids (like nut butter or yogurt), just make sure it’s under 3.4 ounces and fits in your quart-sized liquids bag.
If you bring fresh fruit or vegetables, know that they may be taken (depending on where you are going). I recommend sticking to solid non-perishable food to avoid any hassle.
For all TSA food rules, click here, but you’ll breeze through security with all of your pre-packaged, solid snacks from this list 🙂
How to Pack Snacks for the Plane
Pre-packaged options like these 10 make packing snacks easy. But here are some tips to keep things clean, organized, and plane-friendly!
- Use Stasher Bags: Get a variety of Stasher Bags for items that need to be combined or made into smaller portions. These are leak-proof, so they will keep your carry-on bag contents safe from anything that could leak. They also help keep fragile snacks from being crushed.
- Bring a Reusable Water Bottle: Sometimes it feels like a water bottle takes up too much extra space, but having one will help you stay hydrated throughout your trip and save you money on expensive airport waters.
- Put Everything in Your Personal Item: You can bring two bags onto the plane: your carry-on bag and your “personal item”. Put all of the snacks you will want on the flight in your personal item so you don’t have to get into the overhead bins during the flight.
- Don’t bring stinky food: It’s never fun when someone near you opens up their bag of jerky, fish tacos, or hard-boiled eggs. Don’t be that person!
Wrap-Up
Healthy plane snacks and proper preparation are your ticket to landing energized and ready for your adventure.
Eat a nutrition-rich FRESH meal (fresh fruits and veggies) BEFORE you go to the airport, pack solid, non-perishable, healthy high-fiber snacks to tide you over until your destination, and STAY HYDRATED.
These 10 pre-packaged, Amazon-available snacks require no prep and cater to all travelers, especially those with dietary restrictions.
Follow these tips and I promise you’ll feel amazing when you reach your destination.
