Supersize Skies

I arrived to my home country of Argentina earlier today.

There are certain things I can always count on during my annual December trip: ninety degree weather, daylight past 9 PM, and looks of confusion when I mention things like "tofu," "seitan," "hummus," and "vegan desserts."

Prior to arriving to Buenos Aires, I flew from New York City to Miami.

I found the on-board snack choices quite interesting.

We coach-class passengers could purchase a jumbo 450-calorie cookie for $3, an entire container of Lay's Stax for that same amount, or a cheese/nut/raisin platter for $4.

The platter aside (which, nutritionally speaking, I was very satisfied with,) we are looking at jumbo portions being the ONLY options.

As Brian Wansink and others have found, when food is in front of us, we are highly susceptible to eating it in its entirety, regardless of our hunger level.

It boggles my mind that instead of offering, say, a 200 calorie bag of potato chips, the only option provided to passengers is a tube containining eight 150 calorie servings!

Since some of these flights last 3 or more hours, it is completely feasible that what starts out as a desire for a small nibble could easily turn into intermittent snacking on three or four servings of potato chips.

This is why I always recommending bringing your own healthy snacks on board. You'll save money -- and unnecessary calories!