I have been bringing my own food onboard for years. I never step foot on a plane without necessary provisions for any flight over 4-5 hours.

Since I am pressed for time before most trips taking care of all those last minute details, I usually just put together a bag of goodies the night before, foraged from the aisles of Trader Joe’s. They have a nice assortment of prepared sandwiches, wraps, sushi rolls, salads and the like, so I start with the fresh items that appeal to me, and build up from there.

I often grab one or two salads, a couple of wraps (Chicken Caesar is my favorite of theirs), and maybe a foccacia sandwich (with turkey for the Tryptophan) or two (depending on the length of the flight), and split that with my husband. As a rule of thumb, I plan for one sandwich or similar item – each, for every 4 hours of flight, plus a selection of snacks in proportion to the length of the flight – usually one serving per two hours of flight).

I stow the bulk of my toiletries with my checked luggage (as does my husband) which leaves room to place any dressings or sauces in a separate smaller plastic bag, placed inside of my airline approved liquids bag with my few essential on-board liquid toiletries in their own separate bag (I save and re-use the bags for the return trip, as well).

In a pinch, if I am unable to hit Trader Joe’s, I’ll grab something from the choices in the terminal, but that’s pretty rare.

I aim to limit my carbs during the flight, which isn’t easy with disposable packaged food items, and try to emphasize produce and lean proteins (something rarely found in airline meals), since my doctor advised that doing so would reduce the chances of inflammation, dehydration, jet lag and travel fatigue – all common symptoms of airline travel. My main deviation from that goal is the bread on the sandwiches and the occasional cookie, etc., but since I find the gluten in the bread actually calms my nerves while flying, it seems a fair trade-off, and I do my best to balance it out.

For snacks I bring fresh fruit (I find grapes and apples travel best, pre-washed, of course), crudités, cheese, nuts, chocolates, etc. I also bring a handful or two or hard candies and lozenges, and make sure to pack plenty of napkins, and my latest staple: a package of Doctor’s Brand Brush Picks (http://www.teethgrinding.org/brushpicks.htm) – no affiliation, they just rock.

The return trip is a different story. It’s always such sweet sorrow to leave my travel destination of choice and return home, so I like to bring a taste of the local cuisine back with me, and the fresh goodies that won’t make it through customs, I savor during the return flight. To that end, I set aside time the day before returning and, if possible, the morning of, to shop for last minute fresh food items from the best vendors around, and bring that on board with me.

As an example, for my recent return trip from Paris I stopped at the Eric Kayser Bakery near our hotel in the 6th Arrondissement before leaving for the airport and bought several of my favorite sandwiches (Le Rustique), along with some financiers and pastries. I added to that some Macarons from Laduree and chocolates and caramels procured from L’Etoile D’Or.

Needless to say, that transcontinental in-flight dining experience was pure heaven.