As a flight attendant, I spend a lot of time hanging out in airports all over the United States, sometimes with as much as 4 hours until my next flight. Because that layover time can overlap with suppertime, I've eaten more than a few meals in the terminal.

I've eaten those meals at almost every kind of food vendor they have and I learned the hard way that some meals aren't a good idea when you're traveling no matter how pressed for time you are.

I'm not exactly a health nut but I try to eat well. It's not too hard when I'm home but as a flight attendant, I'm not home for half of the month. Eating well almost always means not eating at a fast food restaurant.

If you're not a regular fast food consumer, the airport isn't the place to test your gut. You should especially avoid things like greasy cheeseburgers. Even if your body is used to them while your on the ground, the change in air pressure on the airplane combined with carbs, dairy, protein, and grease make them hard for your body to properly digest which can cause what I like to call IFF syndrome. That stands for In Flight Flatulence.

It's one of the most common and embarrassing problems you can encounter in a confined space like an airplane when the seat belt sign is on.

If you're stuck and the only place to eat is a fast food joint, pick up something like a salad or grilled chicken sandwich. It's also a good idea to substitute BBQ sauce for mayo. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. That should help avoid the IFF.

The best option for Airport dining is a sit down restaurant with a wide selection of healthy foods but that isn't always practical because of budget or time restrictions. If you need a quick pick-me-up, the coffee stands like Starbucks usually sell fresh fruit.

If it's early in the day, a good alternative to the high calorie, high gut-impact breakfast sandwiches, is a wholegrain bagel and a cup of tea.

The better you eat in the airport, the better you'll feel on the plane. Feeling sick or exhausted is always a bad start to a trip.

Henry Bingaman is a writer and working flight attendant for one of the world's largest airlines. For more tips on airline travel without the hassle, check out his e-book, "The Insider's Guide to Stress Free Flying," by visiting his site http://www.guide-to-stress-free-flying.com/e-book