Delicious, Nutritious New Snacks Ready for Takeoff

When it comes to snack foods that pack well for plane and road trips, many parents are familiar with the old standbys: protein and granola bars, string cheese, go-packs of applesauce and beef jerky. While those foods are certainly convenient and (generally) not messy, the eating experience may be less than satisfying.

Expo West, a pre-eminent trade marketplace for healthy food and living, annually dishes out inspiration with a variety of healthy and high-quality foods, including TSA-friendly products that figuratively and literally travel well, taste great and even offer important nutritional benefits.

Soup’s On

Though reliable ramen noodle bowls and packets are a popular choice, there are healthier alternatives that offer the same convenience but deliver more satisfying flavors and better ingredients. Art of Broth packets are packaged like tea bags and, like tea, just need to steep until the broth reaches the desired strength. Wild Zora, the creators of the meat and veggie bars, translated its paleo know-how into just-add-water meal packets in chicken curry, chili and beef stew, as well as warm and nourishing breakfast varieties. Savory Choice rolled out its vegetarian Vietnamese pho-to-go with rice noodles.

Wild Zora. Photo: Elyse Glickman

Beyond Refreshment

Tea bags are always a sensible thing to have on hand, especially when you want to enjoy something a little more refined than the standard issue Lipton-type bags. Beautifully packaged Pukka Organic Herbal Teas not only keep you calm on the go, but offer a variety of remedy and wellness formulas that can help keep you healthy as well. Instead of soft drinks or sports drinks, opt for organic SOS Hydration, available in citrus, berry and cocoanut varieties. These tiny packets have a quarter of the sugar and electrolytes, and cleanly mix with water for improved rehydration that’s so important during air travel and active pursuits.

SOS Hydration. Photo: Elyse Glickman

Tree-Mendous

KIND Snacks, which generated a stir at Expo West a few years ago, adds to the line with Pressed by KIND, another convenient way to enjoy fruit in flight without the mess or airport security issues involved with fresh fruit. Each bar is made with real fruit plus ingredients like veggies and chia seeds. Another clean and green alternative are freeze-dried fruit packs by Isofruit that can be ordered in boxes of 10.

The Substance of Life

If you’re a fan of cheese, sausage and cracker sets, why not go all out and come prepared with a DYI variation you can enjoy anytime during a flight or ride, with flavors you can really sink your teeth into? One-ounce portions of Cypress Grove Cheese selections include Purple Haze, PsycheDillic and Herbs de Humboldt varieties that partner with Skinny Salamis. These are not jerky sticks but real salami crafted with beef, lamb and pork, seasoned like merguez, truffles, shawarma or angus beef. Instead of crackers, combine these delicious morsels atop some of the savory varieties of Foods Alive Power Snacks or multigrain Unique Splitz Pretzels, hollowed out for easy dipping.

Foods Alive Power. Photo: Elyse Glickman

Sweet Ideas

Health Lab Protein Balls have the flavor and texture of a cookie bar and a fun round shape, but also the benefits of natural ingredients like whey protein and quinoa. Soy-free Wolo WanderBars are enriched with cold-preventing nutrition (C and zinc), come in coffee house-delicious flavors and look cool, too! Think of Foodstirs as an interesting, portable reboot of the Easy Bake oven you enjoyed as a kid. Just pour these single serving cake mixes into a mug, add water and bake for a couple minutes in your hotel room or rest area’s microwave. Voila! Fresh, home-baked goodness … with organic ingredients, too.

Wolo Bars. Photo: Elyse Glickman