Traveling when gluten-free or with other food allergies or intolerances can be challenging. We all face daily decisions of when to eat, where to eat, and what to eat. For those with food restrictions, those decisions can be the difference between feeling great or feeling miserable. Here are my tricks for managing a gluten-free diet while flying.
I was diagnosed with Celiac many years ago, so I understand this quandary first hand. I, unfortunately, am one of those people who has to eat gluten-free, and I have to make sure that the food I eat does not come in contact with other food, utensils or surfaces that have gluten on them.
My need to eat gluten-free has required some adjustments and changes when we travel. As a result, I have developed a variety of tips to make traveling and flying more enjoyable.
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Eating Ahead of Time
I always make sure that I have eaten prior to boarding the plane. If we plan to eat at the airport, I research ahead of time, which restaurants have gluten-free options.
Airline Accomodations
Many airlines try to accommodate passengers with food restrictions or special diets. We fly Alaska Airlines a lot. After years of flying with them, I’ve come to appreciate that at least one of their standard pre-packaged snack boxes includes a gluten-free option.
For example, they offer a gluten-free box that includes hummus, gluten-free chips, olives, dried fruit, and dark chocolate. With the exception of the crackers, their vegetarian box is also an option. It includes cheese, apples, grapes, and chocolate with individually packaged crackers. Since I always bring crackers with me, I just trade mine out for what they provide. Bonus for Eric as he always appreciates my discarded crackers.
Alaska has also begun offering additional snacks that are available to purchase such as chips, popcorn, jerky, and trail mix. All of these snacks are also gluten-free. As a gluten-free passenger, I feel confident, when flying Alaska Airlines, that if I want to purchase a snack that there will be a gluten-free option available for me.
Flying airlines with these types of options make flights more enjoyable when you’re a gluten-free traveler. As a result, I try to fly on Alaska Airlines as often as I can. See “10 Secrets to Optimizing Your Travel Rewards” for more information on the benefits of the Alaska Airlines Rewards Card.
Pre-Order Special Meals
On longer flights, many airlines provide passengers an opportunity to pre-order a special meal. These meals usually need to be requested 24-48 hours prior to the flight.
Passengers generally have the option of either gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, or kosher meals. Although some airlines include additional options such as low salt, bland meals, diabetic meals and options based on religious practices.
There are limitations to these meals. If you are a gluten-free vegetarian, you only have the option of a gluten-free or vegetarian meal but not both. Don’t expect to get a custom made gluten-free, vegetarian, kosher, low salt, bland meal. You’re on your own for that.
Trudy Tip: One benefit of requesting a special meal is that all special meals are served before the standard meal service. This can be especially nice for passengers seated at the back of the plane who are provided meal service last.
Bring Your Own
Even when airlines offer gluten-free options or special meals, I find it is better to not solely rely on their food. We’ve had times where airlines have run out of a specific snack or don’t have them available on a flight. Instead, I order a special meal and bring my own snacks.
The snacks served with the beverage service are rarely gluten-free so I like to have something on hand. I always carry a separate bag of gluten-free snacks for the flight plus have other food items in our checked luggage for the remainder of the trip.
What To Bring For The Flight
Most food can be brought onto the plane, in a carry-on bag, as long as it is under 3.4 oz/100ml. It also needs to fit in your one quart-size bag.
One time I had a brand new unopened jar of organic peanut butter that was confiscated at security. Unfortunately, it was the expensive kind. The jar was over 3.4 oz/100ml so I was given the option of paying to store it in a locker or throw it away. As you can imagine, I was not pleased and no I didn’t pay to store it in a locker.
At the time, I didn’t realize that the TSA 3-1-1 requirements not only apply to liquids but also to creams and pastes. Check out “How To Get Through Airport Security Like a Pro” for more tips on what TSA does and does not allow.
I wish I would have known about the MyTSA App prior to packing for that trip.
MY TSA App
The MyTSA App is a helpful resource for checking what food can be carried on and what needs to be placed in checked luggage.
Below, I searched for peanut butter in the “Can I Bring” section located at the bottom of the MyTSA App screen. My search shows that I can bring as much peanut butter as I want if placed in checked luggage. However, it must be less than 3.4 oz/100 ml if stored in my carry-on bag.
In a search for protein powder, I found that it can be stored in carry-on luggage or checked bags. However, the App did note that powder-like substances over 12 oz./350 mL taken through security will need to be placed in a separate bin for extra screening.
Ice and Ice packs
I recently learned through the MyTSA App that ice is allowed through the security checkpoint. This includes gel ice packs as long as they are frozen solid. However, ice and ice packs that are slushy, partially melted or have liquid at the bottom are not allowed through the security check-point.
Keep in mind that if for some reason on a layover you have to pass through security again, your ice may no longer be frozen solid and it may need to be removed. For that reason, I would suggest only using gel ice packs on direct flights.
TSA will allow medically necessary gel ice packs regardless of the state of the ice. TSA needs to be notified of the medical need at the security checkpoint. I would recommend a note from a doctor to ensure the gel ice packs aren’t confiscated.
Sanitize
These handy Clorox Wipes are great to have on the plane. Some people with Celiac are very sensitive to cross-contamination and planes are full of germs and gluten food remnants from other passengers.
I highly recommend bringing along these Wet Ones singles in order to clean the tray table, armrests, seat belt buckle, and the entertainment monitor as soon as you get settled in your seat.
Containers for Food
I found these Sistema Lunch Boxes a few years ago and fell in love with them. They are great for flying because they are small, have divided compartments, and are plastic, preventing food from getting crushed or broken.
The other great thing is that I can place a frozen ice pack next to it and any perishable food will stay cold.
Trudy Tip: Remember, not to put food that is in the form of a paste or cream in this container (e.g. hummus and peanut butter). They need to be in their own container that is under 3.4 oz./100mL and still needs to fit into your one-quart size bag.
TSA Approved 3-1-1- Bags
I like to use this TSA approved bag because it holds more than a standard quart-size Ziploc bag yet still meets the TSA requirements.
Place Larger Quantities in a Bin
When we are going on a longer trip I often purchase a case of protein bars that will last the length of the trip. These Gomacro bars, in particular, are very dense and when run through the security x-ray machine almost always raise red flags. Hence, a special search.
Trudy Tip: If you have special food items, or in our case a full box of Gomacro bars, place them in their own bin so they can be checked without the need to pull everything out of your bag. We have had special searches on two different trips because of these bars.
Simple Foods To Bring on a Plane
My Favorite Gluten-Free Travel Food
Fruits and Vegetables
Planes can be very dehydrating so any food with added water content helps stay hydrated. I like to bring fruit or vegetables with higher water content such as watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, cucumber, bell peppers, and celery. I just cut them up and put them in a bag in my purse or my lunch box.
Chomps
I love Chomps The venison flavor is my favorite flavor. This is a good quality meat stick that is gluten-free, and high protein. This is a good protein snack when flying.
Glutino Pretzels
Sometimes I will bring Glutino Pretzels to have for a snack during beverage service. I like Glutino Pretzels because they are light, crisp and taste like regular pretzels. Eric actually prefers these over regular pretzels.
Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers
The Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers are my favorite gluten-free cracker. They are light and crisp, unlike many rice crackers. I buy them in a big box at Costco when they are in stock. I usually bring a bag of these and a clip to close them back up so they can be eaten throughout the trip.
Caramel Almond & Sea Salt Kind Bars
Kind bars are my favorite gluten-free bar. My favorite flavor is the caramel almond and sea salt. The combination of almonds, caramel and sea salt make these slightly sweet and salty. I also like that they only have 5 grams of sugar. Delicious!
Skinny Pop Popcorn
SkinnyPop Popcorn is another of my favorite gluten-free snacks. This is a health-minded snack made of non-GMO, no preservatives, artificial ingredients, and no trans fats. Even better, the snack size bags are less than 100 calories
Hippeas Organic Chickpea Puffs
I absolutely love the Hippeas Chickpea Puffs. These puffy and crisp snacks have a slight white cheddar flavor. They are not only gluten-free but are made of chickpeas so they have more protein and fiber than a standard puff. In my mind that makes them healthier.
A Little Planning Goes A Long Way
Flying when gluten-free or with other food restrictions adds one more thing to think about when traveling. Planning ahead by choosing airlines that accommodate food restrictions in combination with bringing some of your own snacks can make for a more enjoyable flight.
I hope you enjoyed these gluten-free flying tips.
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