Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. News

This airport is now offering happy meals to put customers in a better mood

Lulu Chang
By

hate traveling how about a happy meal at the airport 11807275 1021412821237374 6389280978654520274 o 720
Few situations are more combustible in our day and age than long-distance travel, making airports veritable breeding grounds for the angry, the frustrated, and sometimes, the hungry. Capitalizing upon all these emotions and hoping to turn that frown upside down is London’s Gatwick Airport, which is embarking upon the ingenious (if it works) idea of offering their passengers literal “happy meals” chock full of mood improving hormones that should make for an all-around better travel experience. With dishes like a salmon citrus salad meant to improve brain function and a blood-sugar-steadying fattoush salad, even the most finicky frequent flyer may be subdued.

According to nutritionist Jo Travers, who is helping Gatwick Airport with the new menu rollout, “There are certain foods that will help the ‘happy’ chemicals in your brain to keep flowing. Two key players are the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, along with amino acids tryptophan and theanine, which can contribute to the creation of serotonin, known to most as ‘happy hormones.’”

Related Videos

Travers continued, “Low levels of these chemicals can cause fatigue in addition to lowering existing levels of serotonin. Similarly, a deficiency of Omega 3, can lead to fatigue and mood swings.”

Related
11856511_1021412564570733_3282027073406642871_o_720

For one month, Gatwick will be trialing these new culinary offerings, and the airport is certainly hoping to see some reduction in complaints and general misery as a result of these happy meals. With more and more people flying and with an ever-growing number of destinations, it’s no wonder that the travel industry is hard pressed to make the experience more enjoyable overall.

There are, of course, a few standards that can be abided by across airlines and airports. As Raymond Kallau, founder of travel website Airline Trends, told CNN, “Passengers traveling by air often have a long and tiring day that is filled with snacks, and making it easier for them to choose the right kind of food, promoting a light meal instead of one that is high in carbs, will make them feel better.”

Geirthrudur Alfredsdottir, a pilot with Icelandair and editor of the Fit to Fly website, also offers his own advice to passengers. “There are many things people can do to be in better condition for flying,” says Alfredsdottir. “They should eat light meals before, stretch and do some small exercises.”

So there you have it. The next time you’re on a 20-hour transatlantic journey, try to make your way through Gatwick airport. Or at the very least, snack healthy, and try to move around.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
The eMeals vegan meal kit uses your local grocery stores for ingredients
eMeals

Going vegan might be easy on the planet, but it's not always easy on you. From the high cost of vegan products to the hidden animal-based additives in just about every food, it can be hard to make the switch to true veganism. Luckily, you don't have to brave the food landscape on your own. eMeals has now introduced a new vegan meal kit that promises to deliver more vegan choices at half the cost of traditional meal kits.

Promising an average cost of just $3.50 a serving, eMeals' new vegan kits aren't exactly what you're accustomed to. Aside from the obvious absence of meat, dairy, and anything else derived from an animal, an eMeal meal kit doesn't send a bunch of prepackaged ingredients to your door. Instead, it relies on grocery stores (either of the physical or digital variety) to provide the ingredients. With an eMeals subscription, you'll get creative, plant-based, animal-free dinner menus that rotate on a weekly basis; each of these menus comes with an automatically generated grocery list that you can either use to self-shop or send to AmazonFresh, Walmart Grocery, Kroger ClickList, or Instacart for either curbside pickup or home delivery.

Read more
No time to cook healthy, delicious meals for the young ones? Give Yumble a try
yumble

From Blue Apron to Sun Basket, prepared-meal services are increasing in popularity. They save time and allow people to try some new food without purchasing extra ingredients they might not use again. This growing trend has mostly targeted a more adult demographic. Now, with parents looking for new ways to feed their kids in mind, Yumble offers healthy prepared meals for children.

Hello Fresh co-founder Dan Treiman has teamed up with Joanna and David Parker to launch the new meal service. With Yumble, parents can easily put fun, delicious, super-healthy meals on the dinner table or in a lunch box. Some of the signature dishes include Smac N' Cheese, Chicken Pops, and Protein Poppers. The Smac N' Cheese comes with whole grain macaroni mixed with butternut squash and baked into the shape of cupcakes. Chicken Pops take chicken nuggets and give them a healthy twist. Baked on lollipop sticks, they come with a variety of dipping sauces. For a snack, the Protein Poppers are made with sunflower butter, oats, chocolate chips, and honey.

Read more
Territory adds new diet-specific filters for ordering prepared meals
territory menu filters healthy prepared meals meal 1

A good meal isn't really as simple as eating, drinking, and being merry. It seems like everyone has different dietary restrictions these days. Perhaps now more than ever, prepared meals are definitely not one-size-fits-all.

Territory, a service that delivers nutritious meals prepared by professional chefs, is responding to customers' changing needs. The company announced Monday that it has rolled out new filters to make it easier for users to order healthy food for their particular diet. On top of existing options such as dairy- and gluten-free, the new filters let customers drill down by specific programs, including Whole30, MedStar Healthy, Mediterranean, new and expecting mothers, and macro-friendly.

Read more