I flew Southwest not too long ago (hadn't in years though), was surprised that they gave out peanuts for snacks. I read recently that they were doing away with that. I like beef jerky for a snack. Fills you up. It's hard to take a budget airline cross country, as they don't feed you at all. (flew Frontier recently too)

While there may be some that can be effected by the scent or trace amounts of peanuts in the air for others I think they may be having panic attacks. Panic attacks can shutdown a persons body as quickly as a real allergic reaction.

Some doctors are now suggesting that certain allergens be fed to young children to help build there bodies resistance to allergens.

I understood that some airlines still serve their signature peanuts but won't if they are told there are allergies to them by other passengers on board. Because it can be life threatening to some people, I think it's rude and inconsiderate to be a "denier" about the seriousness of the issue and just bring them on board anyway. Just wait until someone YOU love is affected, you'll change your tune, I suspect.

It's so darn easy to switch to almonds or almond butter snacks and not risk affecting others. It's not just the fumes of peanuts, it could be contaminating a seat, or bathroom door handle, drop down table, etc.

And as far as panic attacks, I guess if I was highly allergic to peanuts and smelled them near me, I might have a panic attack, too!

Olychick, the scientific and medical consensus is the nuts or nut product must actually be consumed to generate a reaction. "In The Peanut Allergy Answer Book, Harvard pediatrician Michael Young characterized this secondary contact risk to allergic individuals as rare and limited to minor symptoms. Some reactions have been noted to be psychogenic in nature, the result of conditioning, and belief rather than a true chemical reaction. Blinded, placebo-controlled studies were unable to produce any reactions using the odor of peanut butter or its mere proximity."

I'm the first person around to be annoyed (and disappointed) when I spot someone being inconsiderate, BUT

Someone whose personal medical condition(s) can result in a potentially life threatening problem when out in public needs to manage those situations themselves. It's unreasonable to expect people to abstain from otherwise normal, nonthreatening and acceptable conduct, or anticipate an issue, just because of the possibility that someone's rare sensitivity could be triggered.

We've all maybe seen signs as at theaters - "Caution, strobe lights" as a warning because (I think) they can be a problem for people with epilepsy. No sign is needed to say - Hey, if you're going into a closed place like a plane and you're sensitive to peanuts, be prepared (an epi pen?) because someone may be eating them.

I had to go back and reread chloecat's comments about sharing her cupcakes with the flight crew. I love that story and believe her that it happened, but wouldn't that be dangerous if the baker wasn't a good person? Maybe I watch too many many movies where people slip poison or hallucinogenics into food!

When we travel, if we bring snacks onboard, it's things like jerky, trail mix, granola bars and packaged almonds. I stay away from things that have a good chance of getting squished such as sandwiches, bananas and other types of fruit. I also bring foods that don't require refrigeration. If there are decent food options, we get a meal at the airport before boarding so that a snack is all we'll need/want later. If/when the airline offers in flight meals, we eat those rather than a restaurant meal. I find that the meals on longer domestic or international flights are better than those on shorter flights. If flying first or business class, the in flight snacks and meals are of much better variety and quality than what is served in coach.

Often it's not on the flight that we want something to eat, but while waiting to board or waiting for a cab or shuttle. Sometimes there is a wait to board, but not enough time to buy something especially if a long walk through the terminal is involved.

I pack our snacks in whatever carry-on I'm taking on board with me and they go through the xray machine with the rest of our stuff when we go through security. I have never had security take my food away or even ask about it. The only thing they've ever made me get rid of was a water bottle I forgot about it.

The cupcakes were from Magnolia Bakery in NYC - packaged by them for transport. I would never offer homemade "treats" to anyone, especially these days. lol :)

WTF?? Someone else eating peanuts on an airline should have NO effect on any other passenger with a peanut allergy. And anyone who does have such a serious, life threatening allergy should not be going anywhere in public - or where they may come into physical contact with a peanut (although that appears to be a non-issue if not ingesting) - without an epi pen!!

Of course anyone with a severe allergy would carry an epi pen. Using an epi pen doesn't guarantee that the person will be okay for the duration of the flight, and there's still a good chance an emergency landing and medical attention would still be required.

Also, not everyone knows they have an allergy to nuts. I read an article about a child who ate a cashew and went into anaphylactic shock. Luckily there were people with epi pens on board. The first one didn't work but the second one did. If there hadn't been two different people on board with epi pens, he very well could have died.

I don't really understand why people are so opposed to avoiding nuts in airplanes. It's such a minor inconvenience and it can make such a difference when there's no way to get immediate medical attention like there is on land. I don't think nuts should be banned everywhere but I do think there are a few very specific situations, like on a plane, where people should be considerate towards allergies of all types.

Allergy emergency

Two to 4 hours without peanuts seems a minor inconvenience to me but I was wrong. Some of you simply can’t go without, so my expectations were obviously too high.

"But to ask that all of humanity abstain in public circumstances is a bit much, don't you think?"

Pb, I would agree that it is a bit much to expect people to never eat nuts in public. But I do think that in very specific circumstances, like a plane trip, it is reasonable to ask people to abstain from nuts for a few hours. There is no option to call 911 and epi pens malfunction sometimes, and sometimes they aren't enough in a really bad reaction.

And I know your wedding venue analogy is sarcastic, but expecting someone to change their wedding to accommodate you is not the same as asking someone to pick a different plane snack.

You will probably think I'm crazy giving you a recipe when you only have 3 days left, but these are so easy, delicious, filling, fairly healthy and nutritious.

Chewy Nut and Cereal Bars

1 1/2 C. sliced almonds (4 1/2 oz.), 1/3 C. sesame seeds, 1/3 C. honey, 3T. Light brown sugar, 2-3 large egg whites, 1 T. veg. oil, 3 C. Rice Krispies, 1 C. roasted, salted cashews coarsely chopped.

Toast almond 3 min. @ 350. Add sesame seeds and toast 2 -3 min. more. Reduce temp of oven to 325. Stir together honey, brown sugar and oil in small saucepan. Heat over low heat stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir together cereal & nuts in large bowl. Beat egg whites with 1/4 tsp. salt 1 -2 min. until foamy. Stir honey mixture into cereal mixture then add egg whites*. Spread in 9" pan. Bake 30 -35 min. (in my oven it's 33 min.) *Sometimes at this point I add a handful of mini semi-sweet choice. chips. I take paper towel to press mixture down and compact before baking. Bake and cut into 10 bars. - 5 across and then halved. I wrap each in plastic wrap and put in baggie. Makes a good healthy on-the-go healthy snack and they're gluten-free!

Sorry you feel so put-upon, pb32. Societal change is often seen as infringement of rights. Remember when everyone smoked cigarettes on planes? In offices. In cars with small children. I shudder.

But really, when it comes to flying in this day and age, what you can or cannot eat on board is the least of the discomforts you will suffer.

And for what it is worth, I attended a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner last year hosted by a vegetarian wife and her husband with celiac disease.

Back to a meal on the plane: a meal that feels more like a meal than a snack, is more satisfying and seems to help keep body and spirit on track. So if I need to bring a meal on a plane, I like something that acts like a meal. A plate of some kind (plastic, paper, or even a napkin); an action, like putting slices or spreading cheese or salad on crackers, though a nice sandwich is great if it has texture (a crunch, some lettuce, etc); a "side dish" even if it's grapes, a salad (personally I don't need dressing on a salad, but I think I'm a rarity lol).

When I land, I don't feel like I've missed anything.

You can always find that people who try to take advantage. This is not new. But I maintain that putting hundreds of people in a sealed aluminum tube 15,000 feet in the air requires we make accommodations for one another.

While I may not be willing to accommodate the cousin needing two entrees, I would not categorize the request as the needs of the one outweighing everyone else or being whiny or asking to have every whim catered to. The RSVP asked and cousin responded.

And so you know:

The Mayo Clinic has defined Lupus as “a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when
your body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs.” Marked by a rash and multiple types of inflammation, lupus is hard to diagnose because it attacks so many different areas of the body. Lupus can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, heart, and lungs. Doctors have noted that the cause for lupus is still unknown and that symptoms
appear differently in each person.

The purpose of the Ketogenic Diet is to remove inflammatory carbohydrates to the point that your body goes into a state of Ketosis. A ketogenic diet cuts your carbohydrate intake to approximately 5% of your total caloric intake. Calories that are consumed are composed mostly of healthy fats and an adequate amount of protein.

" But I maintain that putting hundreds of people in a sealed aluminum tube 15,000 feet in the air requires we make accommodations for one another."

If that's the case, then everyone who is considering any kind of airline flight should have to go through a thorough physical examination to make sure they do not have or are not carriers for any possible sort of communicable pathogen before being allowed to fly!! The very young, the elderly or anyone with a compromised immune system could be exposed to a life threatening illness just as harmful as the remote potential possibility of an allergic cross-contamination!

This adamant insistance on no peanuts on a plane......just in case.....is just getting silly.

I have a severe, life threatening allergy to corn products. I have Epipens at the ready. Airborne triggers are very real. My allergists have a motto, "If you can smell it, you are consuming it."

If I were on an airplane and someone opened a fresh bag of popcorn or corn chips near me, I will react--even if I am stuffed up and don't consciously smell it. It's a fact of life.

I've had several severe reactions to airborne corn even when I have had no inkling corn was involved, so it is not psychosomatic. Sleeping in a car, went through smoke from a burning corn field, I reacted. Opening a roasting pan of my ribs, inhaling the delightful aroma nearly sent me to to hospital. Someone doctored the ribs with a little Open Pit sauce and I reacted badly. Even charcoal smoke makes me react because corn starch is used in its production.

Yes, my allergy limited where I can eat, shop, live and work. I would never bring a known aromatic allergen into a confined space like a plane-even though I love peanuts!

If you are in small groups of people (say, 20 or less) than I think you shouldn’t eat peanuts. We had a friend come over for dinner (it was a group gathering, with three other families) and she was allergic to peanuts. I was going to make peanut butter cookie, but I didn’t. SOME people have allergies to just breathing it in. Others eating it.

GeorgysMom- Those sound amazing! It’s definitely not too late, I was planning on going shopping tomorrow. I’m a late packer, I normally pack the day of. Thank you!!

Pb32 - I am sorry you have a breathing issue. I myself had eight years of asthma when I lived in Ohio.

But why are you comparing the small amount of people who have life -threatening allergies to vegetarians, lactose-intolerant, people who eat keto, and other dietary preferences? It's not the same thing, and of course it's going to sound ridiculous when you categorize it similarly.

A vegetarian isn't going to die or need to stab themselves with an epi pen if someone eats beef jerky near them. A lot of people here have special diets, and I've been a vegetarian for 18 years. I make do, or eat at home. I think it's really a small part of the population that would throw a fit and demand accommodation. I've never met anyone like that.

I do think answering honestly when asked, like a wedding invitation, is perfectly fine and doesn't mean someone is entitled, though asking for 2 entrees is a little unreasonable and not something I would ever do.

I do think it's just considerate to avoid common allergens in an enclosed public space, like a plane, including food and perfumes. A lot of people here at the KT get headaches and other physical responses to strong perfumes.

Pb32, I know you are being facetious, but to enlighten others, problem items in group settings are normally aromatics, hot foods and strongly scented. Peanuts and peanut butter, hot shrimp, popping corn are the biggies. All are just as pervasive as tobacco smoke if allergic. You may not have to eat anything, but ya gotta breathe!

If preparing foods for others, just have a complete list of ingredients--and don't be offended if someone chooses to not partake in order to avoid immediate and longer term reactions.

Back to the original topic, I carry stick cheeses, dried fruit, snack bars (love LARA bars). None need refrigeration.

This is a bit silly. The topic is about planes, not company picnics. Label your food and you'll be fine for anyone with allergies or special diets. They can eat or not eat, or avoid the space if necessary. It's not the same as being trapped on a plane with airborne allergies.

I agree with loonlake.

Not really a meal but I bring a meal replacement shake like Ensure. Not as satisfying as a meal but curbs my hunger pains.

If you do need or want to keep a small item or two cool, you can use an old, small sponge, place it in a sealable sandwich bag, freeze, and you have something that is useful and disposable if needed. Or reuse. It works in an emergency. Not as good as the ‘real’ cooler freezer packs, but useful in a small lunch bag.

That must be difficult! I hope you can enjoy the nice weather soon.

What I don't understand is why we have become such a snack culture that adults (aside from those with a real medical condition like diabetes) can't go on a five hour plane ride without packing things to eat. As long as I have a water or soda I'm good. I can see taking an emergency candy or granola bar but snacks plural?

Me? I eat before and then eat when I get somewhere. There is always food available 24/7 most anywhere you travel domestically these days.

I remember being on flights and being really hungry. Wheels up at 4:30 means no food after 3:30. Wheels down at 9:45 means you eat very late or not at all. Reasonable concern, I believe. Candy or granola would not hold me over. I am a protein and little to no sugar traveler. I am not a fan of airport food or airport prices.

And driving home from Dulles Airport = nothing quick to buy.

OutsidePlaying, that’s a wonderful hack. I think I will use it!

Watchmelol, I can see how some adults can go five hours without eating, but I NEED to eat every one or two hours or my blood sugar crashes and it ain’t pretty. I can’t even leave the house without a small snack unless it’s a short trip leaving the house.

I'm assuming the poster, above, who said they take Ensure on a plane must be taking the powder. The bottles are 8 oz., and are not approved by TSA, or are they?

Chloecat, your assumption is correct.....powder form.

It's not just the 5 hr flight - add in the 2 hrs early at the airport and how long it takes to get ones luggage and get to where one is going after landing. It can easily be another 2 hrs or more. I don't like to go that long without a meal. I prefer some protein. I often buy some wonderful chicken salad and pack it with a tiny ice pack, planning on eating it within 2-3 hours. I also like a bit of something sweet and may buy a delicious treat. Cheese and crackers are always welcome as well and they keep well. And dried fruit. So, I buy these things at a local gourmet deli or at Whole Foods and have a treat on the plane. The food available at my airport is swill and also expensive. So I take my own.

Didn't need to last spring when I flew Business Class from Detroit to London on Delta. I was very well fed and the food was actually quite good. It just kept on coming!.

BTW, my mother had Lupus and no one ever told her to eat a special diet. Her rheumatologist did his residency at Mayo's so I did trust him.

When two new young families moved in across the street from me about 5 years ago, I immediately invited them for dinner. I asked them if they were allergic to anything (I'm thinking shellfish/peanuts etc), and was given a very long list by both couples of what they could and could not eat. Was was gluten-free and the other were vegans. I had no idea how to cook for them, so I called them and said I was sorry - just couldn't pull this off - didn't know how to cook like that. I was shocked that anyone would expect a neighbor to cook to their picky eating habits (and yes, I DO consider them picky eating habits).

Vegan and gluten-free are picky? Typically those are ethical and health-related food choices, and seem like important information when someone offers a dinner invitation.

I don't have allergies but I'm a vegetarian, so if someone invited me to dinner and asked about allergies, I would say none. But if I didn't offer up that I was a vegetarian, there's a good chance I couldn't eat anything, which would be awkward for everyone involved. I would feel horrible if someone spent hours cooking something I couldn't eat and I'm sure they would be upset that I didn't tell them.

Did they ask you to make them dinner? That is the only way I could see thinking they "expect" you to make them food, but inviting them to dinner and having them provide food restrictions seems responsible and courteous to me.

I'm so intrigued by this whole story! I'm very curious how others would see the dietary restriction information.

Gee, I was just talking last evening with a friend about how the two of us are "a hostess' worst nightmare" because of all the things we can't eat. It bothers us a lot, and we try to finesse our dietary restrictions as much as we can.

But if someone invited me to dinner and asked about food allergies, I'd have to tell her what I can't eat. I'd be uncomfortable doing it, but I'd be honest. And if she then said she couldn't deal with it, I'd wonder why she asked me in the first place. Then if I found out she was saying people shouldn't expect her to cook to their picky eating habits, I'd be thoroughly pissed. How to get off to a good start with new neighbors . . .

Sorry if I had lots more food allergies or was on a special diet I would just tell my host or hostess that because of food restrictions and the difficulty of someone not used to cooking for them I would like to but rather not cause problems. Better to state upfront that you think someone might have difficulty preparing special foods if you have many restrictions than accept then provide a list of no's after accepting. Then tell them when you are settled you will fix them a dinner as thanks welcoming you to the neighborhood. I drew the line at peeling grapes.

Maifleur01, now that it's morning and I can think about it a bit, if this scenario actually happened I would very likely do as you describe and turn down the invitation. I know that's what I would want to do; I avoid dinner invitations whenever possible.

But if the hostess referred to me as a picky eater, I wouldn't think much of her. People don't usually invent dietary restrictions. I hope my kids remember when their mother ate everything. I raised them to be adventurous eaters, trying (and enjoying) all sorts of ethnic foods. And we grew a lot of our own foods, including the potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and blueberries I can no longer eat. I miss tomatoes most of all.

((Alisande))

I agree hugs Alisande and anyone else suffering with allergies particularly Airborne and touch sensitive allergies. Hard to escape those allergens!

For a snack I would probably bring an apple some slices of cheese and perhaps some baby carrots and sugar snap peas. I would keep it simple and light in other words. I would do the small ice pack and the sponge is a great idea if that's all you have!

Chi I would definitely accommodate other people's food needs. As you will read below I have food related problems so I understand. And respect people's desire to watch their food intake whether for health reasons or for conscientiousness reasons.

I hope my contribution to this conversation isn't too far off track. If it is I can definitely delete.

I am diagnosed as sensitive. I get a huge migraine when I eat the wrong foods or around strong chemical orders and cigarette or wood smoke My migraine are quite debilitating and last for several days and I can't work when I have them. Also migraines do damage the brain so I try to avoid them like the plague. Before I was on this diet I was classified as disabled due to my migraines. I was unable to work or function in many ways. Also I couldn't exercise. Miserable existence!

I just bring my dinner with me when I'm invited out. Usually it's simple vegetables which I put my own Tabasco sauce or salsa on or something like that. After a question or two nobody seems to mind and my DH gets to go out and enjoy meals everywhere. That way I don't have to bother the host.

I even bring my own bread to restaurants if I'm in the mood for that. Otherwise I have steamed vegetables and eggs in the shell.

I do not however have an allergy to peanuts or corn so do not have to worry about food smell touch or taste. Here there is a shortage of epipens so allergy sufferers are having to avoid completely the outdoors and schools and planes in order to survive their allergies. I think they just want to live or have their children live through childhood.

Geez louise

But I maintain that putting hundreds of people in a sealed aluminum tube 15,000 feet in the air requires we make accommodations for one another.

If that is the case, then I would like an opinion on the laundry detergent and deodarant everyone is using - I have significant scent/chemical sensitivity and your fabric softener or body lotion might be my trigger.

(sorry for taking this further OT)

Thanks everyone for the food suggestions! Flight is delayed slightly so I should be boarding in a few minutes. I brought almond butter, a sliced apple, trail mix, and a granola bar. More than I need, but I’ll save the granola bar/ maybe trail mix for breakfast. I brought my Camelbak and got a large ice water from Starbucks.

Have a great trip!

Most of us over the age of 65 have never had to worry about what we served when entertaining except for shellfish - perhaps a severe peanut allergy but I only know one man with this. He simply never eats anything prepared in anyone's home as he knows they probably have used peanuts or peanut butter in their mixing bowls/skillets. I usually just dealt with the shellfish by never serving it unless I absolutely knew my friends ate it.

But when we were younger and had and went to lots of dinner parties, no one was on any "special diet" - no gluten-free (not sure anyone had even heard of gluten outside a home ec class!), no paleo, no Mediterranean, no vegans or vegetarian. When I was married 40 years ago, my matron of honor did not eat red meat at the rehearsal dinner, but she found plenty of other things on her plate and did not go hungry. I think she was the first person I knew who didn't eat red meat.

If one has never learned to cook for such diets, it's pretty hard to learn, especially when entertaining. I never serve a recipe I have not prepared multiple times before. At my age, just preparing a meal for others is not easy and trying to figure out what is "allowed" is frankly just more than I am up to doing. I wonder how we all survived all those dinner parties in the past. Have people's bodies really changed that much? I don't remember anyone ever becoming ill and we all knew one another pretty wells.

I think specialized diets are a product of better nutritional knowledge, increased informational resources, like the internet, for recipe sources, and many more options on the marketplace. It's not all fad diets or people trying to be annoyingly exclusive.

Everyone I know who eats restrictively has a good reason for it, like health, ethical or sensory issues.

Tenneessee_swift, as a peanut conversation participant, I'm sorry that discussion bothered you. It's pretty normal for threads here to go off tangent, just like real discussions around a kitchen table! Personally, I think the tangents can make threads much more interesting but everyone's feelings on the matter differ. I hope you enjoy your trip.

I actually enjoyed all the conversation. None of the tangents were completely wild (in my opinion) and I learned something from all of this.

Like Chi said, it's just like talking around a kitchen table. You can throw a conversation starter out, but often times you can't control where the group takes it from there. :)

Its totally fine that it went off topic! It was interesting to read. Sometimes specific threads can get a little wild though.

As to the issue of more food sensitivities/allergies, etc. I also think there is a rise because our food is more adulterated in ways we probably can't imagine - all to increase profits for the corporations who monopolize our food sources. I'd be very curious if people could get more pure food (does it exist in the world?) ancient grains, non gmo, non hybridized, no additives, etc. if they would be less sensitive than they are to what's available here.

Food companies produce food for the requirements and demands of customers. When something they do meets resistance or disapproval in the market, for whatever reason, it gets changed. Don't buy what you don't like and speak up about it.

I know very little about the subject but I remember hearing one theory that the modern world provides too clean an environment for kids to develop robust immune systems. Children living in squalor and poor circumstances tend, overall, to have fewer allergies and less susceptibility to disease than kids in more affluent families. There are other factors too, I know, but i don't suspect peanut allergies are common in Third World countries.

With regard to food allergies and/or sensitivities, I think there is also a link to the pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and other chemicals used to grow much of our food. I still remember the ads from my childhood that promoted "better living through chemicals" but now we're realizing the living isn't always better.