Picture this: hurrying through the airport to get to your next gate so you can catch a few precious minutes of quiet. Passing by airport bars and restaurants, all wafting the delectable smell of quick-and-easy carbs in your direction.
The donuts, burgers, fries, and bagels.
The line looks short at that one. You can afford to stop, and so you do.
And that is often the beginning of the end of your resolve to keep your diet “on track” for the rest of the trip.
Now, I’m not using “diet” in the sense of counting calories or restrictive eating. I’m just talking about what you regularly eat. And for me, I try to be a healthy guy. I focus on nutritionally dense whole foods.
It’s so easy to default to fast food and empty calories when we travel. I’ve been there, and I always feel terrible after it.
But you’re traveling. What are you supposed to do? You just have to make it work, right?
Not so. I do a lot of traveling for business, speaking engagements, and marathoning. I’ve had time to mess this up and figure out what works.
Before the Airport
When I know I'm flying, I eat a solid meal before I leave the house.
This single habit does more work than anything else on this list, because it means I'm not boarding a plane hungry, which is exactly when airports take your money (and your dignity) with a $25 sandwich.
I also pack snacks in my carry-on.
Yes, you can bring food through security — the TSA restriction is on liquids, not solid food. A handful of almonds, a couple of protein bars with a short ingredient list, and even fruit leather.
The goal is to have something on hand that isn't priced like a commodity and made mostly of refined flour.
You can even bring hummus or nut butter if they’re 3.4 oz or less and fit in a quart-sized bag.
At the Airport
I'm not going to pretend I've transcended the airport food court.
But when I'm making a deliberate choice rather than a desperate one, I look for protein and fat over carbohydrate-heavy options. Most major hubs will have healthier options, like grain bowls or sushi.
If you’ve never been, check out the airport map ahead of time and map the places between your gates.
The thing I try to avoid is the blood sugar spike-and-crash cycle that comes from eating something processed and starchy when I'm already tired. Flying is already a nightmare; it doesn’t need any extra help.
By the way, if you’re a frequent flyer who’s invested in airline memberships or travel credit cards, look into lounge access. They often have a solid variety of complementary foods.
Hotel Breakfast
Hotel breakfast buffets are engineered to be hard to resist, and most of what's prominently displayed — pastries, waffle stations, sugary cereals — will leave you hungry well before lunch, and with a sugar crash in tow.
So what’s the strategy? Eggs first, always. Scrambled, poached, however they're making them. Omelet stations are the real winner.
A bowl of oatmeal can be a good choice, provided you can control added sugars and toppings. But if there’s fresh fruit or nuts, it can be both nutritious and filling.
If the hotel doesn't have a hot breakfast, I'm looking for Greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, or whole fruit. Most hotel lobbies have at least one of these.
The Dinner Trap
Business dinners are their own category. You're eating late, you're probably drinking more than usual, and you're trying to be present in a conversation. I don't stress this one much.
Order something reasonable, don't fill up on complimentary bread, and drink water alongside whatever else you're drinking.
But don’t feel bad for a little splurge here.
The Bigger Point
Travel will never be optimal for eating well. The convenience, cost, stress, and disrupted sleep all push toward worse choices. So I’m not trying to be perfect, here, it’s just about maintaining energy, mood, and function.
One bad meal doesn't matter, but three straight days of bad meals can make you miserable.
A little preparation and a few consistent defaults are enough—just so we’re not completely improvising every time we're tired and hungry in an airport.
What's the best meal you've found in an airport? Drop where you found it in the comments.