Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
What is ANA Airlines’ Low Calorie Meal option? 🤔
Hello Strawberry readers! It has been awhile since I have reviewed low-calorie meals on flights. What can I say, sometimes I’m just feeling a tad bit masochistic healthy! 💪
Alas, I can’t have pizzas all the time
Did you know that you can request for low-calorie meals on flights? Maybe you are cutting calories (any low TDEE gals here?), your next health check-up is coming soon, or maybe you’re just a health-conscious person. You can make sure to fulfill your health goals during your international flights for sure. 🛫
I’ve always had the best plane meals on Asian airlines, and ANA is one of them. Maybe it’s due to personal taste preference, but I’ve always liked the side dishes way more. Curious about what ANA Airlines serve for their low-calorie meal option, though? I’ll show you an example meal!
Table of contents
A Bit About ANA Airlines
ANA stands for All Nippon Airways, and ANA Airlines is Japan’s largest airline! Its headquarter is located in Minato, Tokyo. This airline has many domestic and international routes available, and is often the airline chosen for routes transiting in Japan. ANA offers complimentary special meal service, which you can request before your trip.
Meal Types
ANA Airlines offers a wide range of special meal options (including religious meals and specific dietary requirements). They cater to various dietary needs! Some of the meal types they offer are:
- 7 Allergen Free Meal (AFML): No wheat, buckwheat, dairy products, eggs, peanuts, shrimp and crab
- 7 Allergen Free Child Meal (AFCL)
- 28 Allergen Free Meal (ATML): No wheat, buckwheat, dairy products, eggs, peanuts, shrimp, crab, abalone, squid, salmon roe, orange, kiwifruit, beef, walnut, salmon, mackerel, soybean, poultry, banana, pork, matsutake mushroom, peach, yam, apple, gelatin, sesame, cashew nuts, almond
- 28 Allergen Free Baby Meal (ABML)
- Baby Meal (BBML): Best for infants under 2 years old. Includes purees and soups.
- Child Meal (CHML): Good for children ages 2-5, who need softer foods.
- Vegetarian Lacto-Ovo Meal (VLML): Contains eggs & dairy, no meat or fish
- Vegan Meal (VGML): No meat products, fish, eggs, honey, nor dairy
- Vegetarian Raw Meal (RVML): No processed foods, no additives/preservatives, no cooked fruits & vegetables, no animal products
- Vegetarian Oriental Meal (VOML): Asian dishes without animal, eggs, nor dairy products
- Hindu Non-Vegetarian Meal (HNML): Food according to Hindu dietary laws; no beef, no pork, no alcohol
- Hindu/Asian Vegetarian Meal (AVML): Vegetarian food cooked with spices; meat, no fish, no eggs, no fowl, no lard nor gelatin
- Muslim Meal (MOML): Meal according to regulations of Islam. No pork, no gelatin, no alcohol, no seafood without scales/fins
- Kosher Meal (KSML): Prepared according to Jewish kosher laws, served in sealed package
- Vegetarian Jain Meal (VJML): Prepared according to Jain doctrine. No meat, no fish, no eggs, no dairy, no root vegetables. This type is not available in some airports
- Diabetic Meal (DBML): Low-fat meat and high fiber accompaniments for diabetic individuals
- Low Salt Meal (LSML): Meal prepared with small amount of sodium
- Low Fat Meal (LFML): Food with low fat meat and low cholesterol, high fiber ingredients
- Low Calorie Meal (LCML): Meal with < 400 kcal for those consuming 1200 kcal or less per day
- Bland Meal (BLML): For passengers with gastrointestinal issues; no deep fried items, no black pepper, no chili powder, or any other potentially irritating ingredients
- Gluten Free Meal (GFML): Food prepared with no wheat, rye, oats, barley, triticale, kamut, spelt, flour, starch and semolina. Not for those allergic to wheat flour, cross contamination risk cannot be eliminated completely
- Low Lactose meal (NLML): No lactose meal (from dairy), but this meal is not for those allergic to dairy
- Fruit Platter Meal (FPML): Fruit-only meal, without additives/preservatives
- Seafood meal (SFML): For passengers with seafood preference (fish and shellfish). No meat
Low Calorie Meal Review!
Is it impossible for healthy eating on planes, unless you have your own private jet? 🤔
In the spirit of experimentation, I wanted to try ANA Airlines’ other diet options. I have always stuck to the regular meals. Partly because they are pretty good and partly because I did not know the many ANA in-flight meal options available.
It’s usually quite hard to keep up with low calorie diets while traveling, so this might be a good option for many. Additionally, airline special meal services is already part of what you paid for, so why not take advantage of it on your trip.
So why not, right? What’s the worst that could happen? (Spoiler alert: PLENTY!)
How do I order a low-calorie meal at ANA Airlines?
If you need to put in your request, just go to your reservation page and pick your desired meal from the options available. There are many special religious or dietary meals available- read up on the 24 kinds available above and choose what fits your needs. You just have to make sure to do that up to 24 hours before your flight, et voila!
Serving Time
After the boarding process, a flight attendant came by my seat and confirmed that I picked the Low-Calorie Meal option. After getting my positive answer, she stuck a sticker to my seat to mark my special meal request.
So if you did put in a request for a special meal, make sure you don’t move around and change your seat! It might make it difficult for you during meal service times.
As far as serving time goes, I got my food at the same time as the others (unlike my experience in Qatar Airways). It is completely fine, though! I was definitely not in a hurry.
On the plus side, since I was traveling with a companion I can show you the regular meals in the economy class as well!
Jakarta to Tokyo
1. Breakfast, Jakarta to Tokyo (CGK – NRT), Low Calorie Meal
Breakfast (Low Calorie Meal): Mushroom and eggplants with tomato sauce, cucumber and pepper salad, pea salad, fruit slices, bread roll with margarine, orange juice
Here is what I had for breakfast on my flight to Tokyo with ANA. I was crying inside after I tasted my meal, because this was EVEN WORSE than Qatar Airways’ low cal meal. The salads were meh, they just gave me cut up raw cucumbers and bell peppers without dressing 😭
The main was by far the worst part. It just tasted like how it looks: canned mushrooms, unappetizing eggplant slices, and tomato sauce that did not impress my palate. I know what I signed up for, but does it have to be this way?! 😢
I could not eat it all, so I choked down what I could of the main and salads. The dry bread roll (less dry than Qatar’s though!) was served with margarine. The fruit slices were tasteless. I don’t know if I have to cry, laugh, or just do both at the same time. I made up my mind- I will NEVER AGAIN order low-calorie meal at ANA flights. Especially because…
2. Breakfast, Jakarta to Tokyo (CGK – NRT), Regular Meal
Breakfast (Regular Meal): Seafood and vegetable stir fry with white rice, sweet potato cooked with butter and soy sauce, edamame, smoked salmon slices, coleslaw salad, and fruit slices. Beverages I picked are water and green tea (ocha)!
I saw my travel companion’s meal and it looked WAY better than this mess on my tray!! They even give you a sheet with Japanese and Western meal options and CALORIE COUNTS!!! Is this a new practice? I feel like I did not experience this at my previous ANA flights. Granted, that was years ago before COVID..
My companion told me that it tasted fine too. Additionally, just look at the calorie counts- all around 250-350 kcal?!?! I would gladly categorize the regular meal as low-calorie for sure. I will not take my chances and will just stick with the regular meal next time.
3. Light Snack before Landing, Low Calorie Meal
I appreciate the light snack before landing, and though cold (I am not a fan of cold sandwiches, sadly) it is much better than the actual meal service! This mini cold sandwich is filled with chicken and cucumber slices, and I forgot if they included some sort of sauce. It was a little dry, but no major complaints.
Tokyo to Jakarta
1. Dinner, Tokyo to Jakarta (NRT – CGK), Regular Meal:
Dinner (Regular Meal): Tempura bowl with white rice, cabbage salad, vegetable stir fry, potato salad with smoked duck slices, green tea, mineral water
As I said, I am going to stick to regular meals at ANA from now on! They regular meals are WAY BETTER than the low-calorie meal for sure. They even give out the meal options menu with calorie counts again- I think this is a standard practice now. Which I honestly really appreciate, how thoughtful.
This tempura bowl was soggy though, I think all airplane meals are usually microwaved before serving (correct me if I’m wrong!). I did enjoy the smoked duck and potato salad, and at least all components of this meal have good flavor! This is all I ask, really. The salads are definitely more palatable as well 👍
Conclusion
For my health nuts, weightlifting contestants, or anybody that is counting calories: please just eat the regular meal at ANA Airlines! They taste infinitely better than the low calorie meal option, and a few hundred additional calories at a 7-8 hour flight won’t make that big of a difference unless you are TIGHTLY controlling your intake.
Would I order the Low-Calorie Meal again?
NO WAY! 2/10!
P.S.= Curious about Qatar Airlines’ Low Calorie Meal option too? Read my review before putting in your request!
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