· By Bridget Reed
Best Airplane Snacks for Your Next Trip
Flying is one of those things that people tend to either love or hate because, of course, humans were cool enough to invent airplanes and also weird enough to make flying one of the most uncomfortable activities imaginable.
But don’t bring it up with Billton unless you want to hear him quack on about it forever and ever. Seriously, just take our word for it.
And then there are the truly wild ones who get into an airplane just to intentionally jump out of it from 13,000 feet up — another engineering lecture you don’t need to hear from the ducky miniboss. But if you aren’t rocking a parachute for your next flight, you’re probably filing into the long metal tube with wings because it’s the best way to get where you’re going.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a quick puddle jumper out of the Eldergloom Forrest or a non-stop flight to the far-flung depths of the Darengeti. Either way, there’s one thing that everybody on that plane should consider ahead of time: what to munch on when they get snacky.
If the answer seems obvious, then we’re willing to bet some of the reasons why will still surprise you. And if the answer doesn’t seem obvious, welcome to the Final Boss Sour blog, where the answer to everything is “make it more sour.”
How Can I Pass the Time on a Flight?
How often do we just sit around for any time when we’re expected to do nothing in particular? Flight time is your time to occupy however you choose.
You can get deep into your new favorite video game or watch as many movies as you can fit into the duration of the flight. Maybe you’ve been meaning to learn how to crochet or write that essay or email you’ve been putting off.
And if you forgot to bring any entertainment in your carry-on, you can channel your inner miniboss and kick the seat in front of you until you start an in-flight brawl that ends with you duct-taped to your seat.
No matter what you get up to, there’s one inevitability that all passengers have to contend with eventually: what to eat when the snack attack hits.
You’ll want something that can boost attention and focus, distract you from boredom or flight anxiety, and generally taste super delicious from start to finish. Deep down in your sour-loving heart, you already know what the answer is.
What Are the Best Snacks for a Flight?
Turns out that basically no matter what you’re doing on an airplane, there’s one perfect snack answer for anything you might get up to on a flight: K.I.S.S. — Keep it Sour, Stupid!
Under Pressure
Do your ears get funky from the pressure changes? Chewing gum is an old classic flying hack for popping your ears because chewing and swallowing work the muscles that can help to open up your eustachian tubes.
Gum is great and all, but nothing gets your salivary glands going quite like super sour candy, so those chewing and swallowing muscles can get to working overtime. Plus, it’ll never run out of flavor and there are exactly zero old wives' tales, urban legends, or myths about sour candy staying in your stomach forever after you swallow it — just sayin’.
Laser Focus
If you set out to conquer a new video game, read a book, learn how to solve a Rubik's cube, or anything else that requires a certain amount of dedicated focus during your flight, sour snacks might be worth a try.
Eating sour flavors activates a bunch of different parts of your brain, including the prefrontal cortex, which is the base of operations for learning, focusing, and memory.
Snacking helps a lot of people stay more focused, but eating just anything isn’t always the best move. Fortunately, there are brain-boosting properties in blueberries, so you can pump up your antioxidants and support cognitive function at the same time.
Take a Breath
If focus is the least of your worries and the flight itself is the problem, you can try including sour candy in your flight anxiety toolbelt. When we’re feeling stressed or anxious, certain grounding techniques can help calm our frazzled nerves.
So, if you put the flight in fight-or-flight, you can integrate a powerful burst of sour flavor into your 5-4-3-2-1 Technique to help you settle into a sense of grounding, even when you’re nowhere near the ground.
Another cool anxiety-reduction technique is to create an abrupt shift of attention away from the swirling thoughts in your mind. You can try to settle your nervous system with distraction by holding onto an ice cube, sniffing a potent smell, or tasting something sour.
Leveling up isn’t just about taking on the Final Boss. Sometimes, the sidequest is just about getting through something that makes you nervous.
No Risk, No Reward
If you’re on the other end of the spectrum and you find yourself on a flight that ends when you hop out into thin air with a parachute, sour candy is still the best snack for your trip.
Since sour flavors increase risk-taking behavior, you could try snacking on some Level 3 Cranberries on the ascent to try and power through any last-minute nerves that crop up when the plane door opens. (This could also help support anyone afraid of regular flying, too.)
Plus, low blood sugar is the most common reason people pass out while skydiving, so getting in a little carbohydrate boost before you jump will help ensure you stay alert for the whole windy journey. Maybe bring extra for the rest of the adrenaline junkies, too.
Bonus points if you aim for Grime Square and take out Clawrissa when you land.
Beat the Snack Attack
No shade to sweet and savory, but sour candy is really out here, covering all the bases for a great airplane snack. Not to mention, Final Boss Sour is made with real fruit, so you’re getting natural antioxidants, zero artificial ingredients, and a whole facial workout from pulling faces when the sour really slaps.
Heck, you could stuff all three levels of Final Boss into your carry-on and make a game of it by competing with whoever you’re traveling with to see who can handle the most sour levels or who makes the funniest pucker faces.
Take it all the way to your final destination by drawing up a tournament bracket and marking off which minibosses you defeat along the way. Maybe even finish it off by having everyone rank their favorite flavor and sour level.
Safe travels, and keep it sour, stupid!
Sources:
Ear pain during flight: How to avoid, treat, and more | Medical News Today
Learning, Recalling, and Thinking - Discovering the Brain | NCBI Bookshelf
What Are Grounding Techniques? | Psychology Today
When Life Gives You Lemons, You Take More Risks | Neuroscience News