The SCD Diet and Traveling: Yes, you can fly on a plane… here’s how

Top 5 SCD Diet Tips for Traveling on a Plane. I made a trip out to Arizona that included a 5-hour flight on the way there. Here’s how I was able to pull it off:

1 – Carry enough food on the plane to get you through one day… enough time to stock back up at your new destination. I called the TSA and found out that while you cannot bring liquids on the plane, you can bring your pureed fruits and veggies if they are frozen solid! As long as they are frozen solid when you go through security, you shouldn’t have any issues. So, the night before my trip I made three different puréed fruits and veggies and froze them solid in three different Tupperware containers.

I had no problem getting through security and I brought:

• 2 cans of SCD Legal Tuna
• 2 very ripe bananas
• an avocado
• three frozen containers of fruits/veggies
• and some frozen cooked meat

All the frozen items were in a little flimsy beach cooler and kept each other cold. By the time we landed 5-hours later (and I drove an hour to where we were staying), they weren’t even thawed! I microwaved them for a few minutes and had a nice dinner. Then, I was able to go out and track down some more food to cook for the next day. It made the flight so easy knowing I had everything I needed.

2 – Call ahead to your destination to secure the necessities. Most hotels will have a microwave in the room or in the breakfast area, but call ahead and make sure. Also, most hotels have mini-fridges that you can rent for a few dollars a night… but call ahead to make sure. Most importantly, make sure you can get your hands on a stove or heating plate somehow… otherwise pack one so you have the tools to cook up some new fruits/veggies/meats on your own kitchenware.

If cooking meals becomes an issue, think about spending a few more dollars and renting a hotel room at an extended-stay hotel. These business hotels usually have a full-size refrigerator and a stove in each room… exactly what we need to make our meals.

3 – Map out your food restocking plan before you leave. Use google maps to find the nearest grocery store to your destination and print out the directions. Once you land and get unpacked, you can eat your frozen meal and head out to get stocked up for your trip. Having a plan with directions beforehand will drastically reduce your stress level about traveling on the diet.

4 – Plan out your meals and make everything in bulk as soon as you get there. Worrying about your meals will ruin a vacation.  Make all the food you will need for your trip in bulk as soon as you can when you arrive. Having all your meals planned out and pre-made in the refrigerator will free up your mind to focus on being on vacation and having fun. It will allow you to completely relax and enjoy the trip.

5 – Repeat everything on your trip back home. It can be just as stressful coming home as it was leaving. Make the frozen Tupperware for the trip home and that will again buy you time to settle in at home and unpack before you have to run out and get more food. A better idea yet would be to prepare a few days worth of meals before you leave for your trip and leave them in your freezer. Then, call a friend or relative to stop by the day before you arrive home and have them put a few of those meals in the refrigerator to thaw out. That way you will be able to relax and transition smoothly into being home again with a few meals all ready for you to heat up.

Traveling on the SCD diet is all about planning. Proper planning will drastically reduce your stress level to the point where you won’t have to worry about your food at all. It was the biggest hurdle I experienced so far since I have been on the diet and it went flawlessly. My family and I had a blast in Arizona and I was never hungry or worried!

Do you have any additional tips and tricks for traveling on the SCD Diet? We would love to hear them, post them in the comments below…

-Jordan