While airline food has long been the butt of jokes, not all airline food is created equal. According to flight attendants, these are the foods you want to avoid.
Three flight attendants spoke with HuffPost to pull back the curtain.
According to one flight attendant of seven years, who was identified in the report as Whytney, most flight attendants and airline employees will bring their own food to work.
“Usually, people bring a pretty large insulated lunch box with everything in it: meat, yogurts, salads, fruits and more,” Whytney, who requested that her surname be withheld for privacy reasons, said in the report.
However, there are those instances where lunch is forgotten at home, and in that case, Whytney shared that there are certain foods she’s staying away from, including water, coffee, and tea.
While bottled water is fine, Whytney shared that tap water should be consumed with caution, as it “comes down to how often the pipes are cleaned.”
“The issue isn’t so much within the United States, but across other countries, similar regulations aren’t in place,” she said.
Whytney isn’t biased in her warning to take caution either, as a 2019 study ranked 11 major and 12 regional airlines in terms of water quality. The study looked at factors like whether E.coli or coliform was present.
“Most flight attendants won’t drink the tap water, coffee, or tea,” Whytney said.
Funny enough, one common concern in the report was dehydration, and flight attendant Jasmine King shared that avoiding salty snacks, like nuts and pretzels, and staying clear of alcohol will help passengers avoid hypoxia, which can occur when there are low levels of oxygen in body tissue.
“Alcohol affects your body negatively when in high altitude,” Whytney explained.
But it isn’t just the beverages.
One Delta Air Lines flight attendant, who was identified by the HuffPost as Dennis, shared that while it’s a matter of personal preference, he would stay clear of an in-flight steak or filet.
Dennis shared that he avoids the steak because of how they are prepared, being that they’re overcooked.
“If you are particular about how your steak should be prepared, don’t eat it,” Dennis said.
Other things listed by the flight attendants included most entrees, as Whytney said that a majority are filled with high levels of sodium.
“Pasta and soups are usually high in sodium,” Whytney said. “Also, some Indian meals fall in the category because they have no meat but a higher salt content. Any kind of sandwich with deli meat inside of it probably has higher levels of salt as well.”
So, the next time you’re walking through the airport, it may be worth it to grab an overpriced snack and water bottle.
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