Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Travel Tips
  3. Travel Warnings
  4. How to Eat Healthy Food at the Airport

How to Eat Healthy Food at the Airport

By Lila Battis
January 08, 2016
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: French Meadow Bakery
Travel has a heap of mental health benefits–but it’s also liable to throw a wrench in your usual wellness habits. “You’re out of your usual routine, and you’re often totally on your own without a game plan, says Torey Armul, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It can be hard to find healthy food in the airport, and when candy and fast food are so close and convenient, it takes a little extra effort to maintain healthy habits.”

But given all the other ways travel can hurt your health, it’s more important than ever to seek out smart choices when you’re en route. “Traveling can be exhausting, so that’s when you really need that energy and you want to feel good,” says Armul. “But if you’re eating the wrong stuff, you can wind up sluggish, tired, and bloated.”

The ideal snack or meal has a combo of both protein and fiber, says Armul, which both digest slowly and will keep you full and energized from check-in to baggage claim. Toss a piece of fruit, some nuts, or a low-sugar granola bar in your bag so you have a healthy fallback plan, and scope out the airport options before you fly—planning ahead will help you stay the course instead of stopping at the first Mickey D’s you see.

We combed the menus at key airports to find the foods that'll give you energy and help your health mid-layover without packing a resolution-killing calorie wallop. Don't let a few hours on the road destroy your diet: Read on, then fuel up accordingly.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Credit: Napa Farm Market

The Place: Napa Farms Market
The Dish: Tuna Nicoise Salad
The Details: For the sweet spot between filling and flavorful, opt for this composed Nicoise Salad--a mix of tuna, green beans, olives, potatoes, and egg. It sounds hearty, but those ingredients are packed with nutrients, too: Just 3 ounces of tuna contains all your recommended B12 for boosting brain function and building blood cells, while the choline in eggs has been linked to improved memory and better liver function.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

Credit: Courtesy of Burrito Beach

The Place: Burrito Beach
The Dish: Veggie and Egg Breakfast Burrito
The Details: Skip the greasy, cheesy fast-food breakfast staples and instead make a pit stop for this dish, which is high on nutrients and super filling without getting into gut-busting territory. Zucchini and peppers add bulk without hiking the calorie count, and both are great sources of carotenoids, pigment compounds that have been associated with better vision and a lower risk of certain cancers. Looking to go extra-lean? Order it with egg whites to keep the calories low without sacrificing healthy proteins.

2 of 12

3 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)

Credit: Boston Globe

The Place: Berkshire Farms Market
The Dish: Hummus Platter
The Details: Skip the chips--the grab-and-go hummus platter is both smarter and more satisfying. And according to a study from Louisiana State University, this snack could help whittle your waistline: Hummus-eaters have a waist circumference that's 2 inches smaller than their chickpea-avoidant counterparts, and they're 51 percent less likely to have high blood sugar.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)

Credit: Yelp

The Place: Sora Japanese Cuisine and Sushi Bar
The Dish: Chirashi Bowl with Miso Soup
The Details: When in doubt, go for a fish dish: Seafood is generally lean and lower in calories than other animal proteins, so it's a solid choice when you don't want your stomach to start rumbling somewhere over Nebraska. This bowl is piled with salmon, tuna, octopus, and crab. And beneath all that seafood is a generous serving of potassium-rich seaweed salad, which helps keep your blood pressure in check.

4 of 12

5 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

Credit: Courtesy of Genghis Grill

The Place: Genghis Grill
The Dish: Buddha Bowl
The Details: The bran and hull that make brown rice brown are the same parts that make it extra-healthful: Because it's not processed as much as white rice, it takes your body longer to digest, so you can stave off hunger and stop glucose spikes. And since the soy in tofu is low-calorie and high-protein, you'll be less inclined to overdo it on the in-flight snack box.

5 of 12

6 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

Credit: Yelp

The Place: La Tapenade Mediterranean Café
The Dish: Frittata
The Details: Breakfast pickings in most airports are slim, unless you’re a fan of powdered eggs and plasticky slices of American cheese. Enter La Tapenade’s frittata, which is packed with spinach and artichokes and comes with a side of grapes. Just one egg has over six grams of protein, which is over ten percent of your daily protein quota. Spinach, meanwhile, is both low in calories (just 27 per cup) and high in fiber, plus it’s a great source of magnesium and iron and contains more potassium per cup than a banana. And it’s one of the best veggies for staving off hunger pangs: Thylakoids, the parts of spinach cells that contain chlorophyll, trigger the release of the hormones that send satiety signals to your brain, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Credit: Wikipedia

The Place: Ben's Chili Bowl
The Dish: Ben's Salad Bowl
The Details: Whether you order the Con Carne or the Veggie Chili, this chili-salad combo is the way to go. Mixed greens give you a hefty dose of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while the chili will keep you full enough to curb snacking down the line. And don't be shy with the hot sauce. The capsaicin that gives chiles their heat temporarily spikes your metabolism, boosting fat burning for several hours after you've eaten.

7 of 12

8 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Credit: Courtesy of Cibo Express

The Place: Cibo Express Gourmet Food Hall
The Details: We couldn’t pick just one item here, because the whole place is a healthy traveler’s dream. Snag your favorite fruit in their well-stocked produce section (they’ve got everything from dragonfruit to pomegranates), choose your favorite veggies at the salad bar, or stock up on protein-rich snacks to see you through your ride, like vegan jerky, bite-sized wheels of brie, and chia-and-flax mini packs for topping Greek yogurt.

8 of 12

9 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)

Credit: Silver Diner

The Place: Silver Diner
The Dish: Grilled Salmon with Quinoa
The Details: Salmon is a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, while quinoa is a slow-burning complex carb that’ll give you energy without the crash. And at 583 calories and 38 grams of protein per serving, this dish will keep you satiated for hours without destroying your diet.

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

Credit: Real Food Daily

The Place: Real Food Daily
The Dish: Basic Bowl
The Details: It’s hard to go wrong with this build-your-own bowl, which allows you to mix and match greens, beans, grains, and vegan-friendly proteins. To stay full without taking a major calorie hit, try protein- and mineral-rich sea vegetables with tofu and brown rice, or pair black beans with sauteed vegetables and quinoa.

10 of 12

11 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Credit: Vino Volo

The Place: Vino Volo
The Dish: Blueberry Kale Salad and a glass of red wine
The Details: At only 33 calories, just one cup of kale has 2.5 grams of filling fiber and 9 percent of your daily required calcium and potassium. The antioxidants found in blueberries fight age-related free radical damage, and the berries themselves are rich in fiber and vitamin C. And while it feels like an indulgence, go ahead and reach for the red: Thanks to the healthy polyphenols in grape skins, moderate red wine intake has been linked to a lower risk of vascular diseases, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

11 of 12

12 of 12

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

Credit: French Meadow Bakery

The Place: French Meadow Bakery
The Dish: Beet and Pear Salad with Walnuts
The Details: Nitrate-rich beets can lower your blood pressure in as little as two hours--a serious boon before a lengthy flight when your DVT risk is heightened. And previous research has linked pear consumption to better vascular health: Eating 171 grams of white fruit or vegetables daily--about one medium-sized pear--can reduce your stroke risk by 52 percent, Dutch research reports. Plus, walnuts are high in protein and healthy fats, and recent research has shown regular walnut consumption can improve the function of your blood vessels and reduce LDL cholesterol.

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Lila Battis

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
2 of 12 Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)
3 of 12 Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
4 of 12 Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
5 of 12 Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
6 of 12 Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
7 of 12 Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)
8 of 12 LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
9 of 12 Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
10 of 12 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
11 of 12 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
12 of 12 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Travel + Leisure Sites
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

How to Eat Healthy Food at the Airport
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.