Packin' Eats

Posted by Petra, Staff Writer

Despite the fact that I travel often, and eat extremely often, I always forget to bring snacks to the airport. I'm no finicky eater, but it feels like a shame to waste calories on the likes of Cinnabon when a whole vacation's worth of more memorable treats lies ahead. Of course, the "healthy" in-terminal options feel even sadder: pale turkey wraps in misty wrappers, mealy apples, "fruit" smoothies made from mystery syrup. Thus, when my flight is inevitably delayed, I inevitably end up at Hudson News (or equivalent newsstand-slash-souvenir shop) strategizing some quasi-nutritious way to tide myself over. In the end, an oil-coated tropical trail mix makes me wish I'd just gone for peanut M&Ms (hey, they've got protein, and they don't taste like coconut cardboard). 

But things ended differently during a layover in San Juan last Sunday. Hanging in the newsstand-slash-souvenir shop, amidst the oversalted cashews and sugary granola bars, were little sachets of dried fruits labeled Sensible Foods. Hmm. I grabbed the Apple Harvest variety and flipped to the nutrition info, ready for a list of unpronounceable chemicals. Instead: organic apples. That's all. No preservatives, no corn syrup. A full serving of fruit, and just 80 calories.

Well, they had to be gross, then. But upon trying them ... no! They were great: crunchy and sweet. Not sticky or spongy. The corn version (yep, dried corn), which I bought mostly out of curiosity, was even better, lightly dusted with sea salt and evocative of the fresh on-the-cob kind.

Apparently, what the California brand does is extract the water much more quickly in order to maintain nutrients and create crunch. I only wish I'd tried the other varieties. I'm going to order some online, since the packets are also perfect for stashing in the handbag for emergencies (such as shopper's fatigue during the Bloomingdale's summer sale). Of course, I'll forget to pack any next time I fly. Hudson News, I hope you're on top of this.

Comments

[Midwest girl]

I found these yesterday at my local Bed Bath & Beyond. They just had the Cherry Berry and Tropical Flavors but I wouldn't have picked them up if I hadn't seen this post. They were $1.79 a bag.

[Joanna]

Sounds delicious. I just wish the site had information about retailers that carry the products. Or I suppose I could order a case.

[chez shoes]

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that dried fruit = concentrated sugar, albeit with viamins.

Basically an all-sugar snack will make many of us hungrier, as a heavy dose of sugar (even fructose) leads to a blood-sugar rise followed by a sudden crash.

So, best to have this snack in combination with something that contains protein and fat - nuts would be a perfect choice, or cheese.

[ButterflyOnFoot]

You can only order this stuff by the case, it appears. So, naturally, I went ahead and ordered a whole case. This had better be good.