If you’ve ever stepped foot inside an airport, you probably know that the food choices are not exactly healthy. Most of what you can find on the fly (pun definitely intended) is something like vending machine snacks, maybe a pre-made sandwich, and all the sodas you can possibly imagine. If you have the misfortune of traveling through a small airport, you can pretty much forget about finding a whole meal, let alone something healthy.
Even in a sea of unhealthy food options at airports, Sharita Jennings, founder of Get Fit Like That, is here to help. She’s put together this list of healthy, or at least kind of healthy food, that you can find at most airports when you’re starving and short on time.
When eating during long travel days, keep in mind that light meals are typically best, especially if you’ll be seated for multiple hours. In the air, your body shuts down the digestive process making your food sit in your stomach for hours, and resulting in discomfort and other digestive issues when you land.
Try to avoid big heavy meals full of starches, opting instead to snack on something small when you need to. If you don’t have time for a sit-down meal at the airport where you can get a good serving of protein and veggies, keep reading to find the healthiest food options in any airport.
Just about every airport terminal has a cafe or newsstand with some apples or bananas available for you to indulge in. This is one of the simplest ways to stay healthy and curb your appetite on your travel days. If you have the choice between a pastry and fruit, go with the fruit!
The same goes for pretty much any fresh item you can find at the airport from a salad to a sandwich as it will have fewer artificial ingredients that might upset your stomach on a long flight.
Amidst all the sweets and bags of chips, most airport markets have bags of mixed nuts and/or seeds. This is a great option to curb your craving while you wait around and pack in some protein in the process. The only thing to watch out for when snacking on peanuts, almonds, and other varieties of nuts is the calories.
Typically, even a small snack bag contains more than 1 serving of calories and fat. So if you can find a small bag to go with that fruit, that’s a safe bet.
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Starbucks and some airport food stands usually have a refrigerated section with lunch boxes or snack packs full of boiled eggs, a salad, and/or a small sandwich. This might not be the best tasting option available, but it is a great option to have everything you need in a meal and keep you full for hours.
You can usually find oatmeal packs at even the smallest of airports. Oatmeal is a simple and quick meal that can help keep you
full thanks to its high fiber content. If you can add some fruit, even better. The fiber will prevent you from feeling like crap (another intended pun) once you land.
RELATED: Traveling Overseas? Follow This Health Checklist
This is a tricky purchase whether you’re at the grocery store or at the airport. When you really need something fast, a high-protein bar is a great option. But, something to look out for is the sugar and carb content. Even the popular protein bars can have as much sugar and carbs as your favorite candy bar, if not more!
So be careful with which bar you choose and look for the highest protein content and the fewest grams of sugar as possible. Bonus points if you can avoid too many artificial ingredients or those you can’t pronounce.
Don’t forget that the best way to avoid the temptation to eat poorly when traveling is to come prepared with your own snacks and even meals if you can! You’ll save money and time going back and forth about which protein bar is the healthiest.
Sharita Jennings is a fitness and travel enthusiast and creator of Get Fit Like That, LLC. She is a health policy attorney and ACE certified group fitness instructor and fitness nutrition specialist. She provides online fitness plans and leads group fitness classes in Washington DC. Check out her fitness tips and workouts at GetFitLikeThat.com.
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