Reports guide fliers to healthful food

Article by: KERRI WESTENBERG , Star Tribune
Updated: December 4, 2010 - 12:49 PM

MSP fares well in study on airport fare; United Airlines' menu ranks as healthiest.

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Good news for harried fliers this holiday season: If you wind up with time to kill at the airport or stuck on a long-haul flight, eating healthy could be easier than passing through security -- as long as you choose your meals and snacks carefully.

More airport restaurants are offering low-fat, high-fiber, cholesterol-free food: 82 percent do so, up from 79 percent last year, according to a report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Detroit's Wayne County Airport, where almost every restaurant offers at least one healthful entree, came in first in the study's assessment of 18 major airports. Minneapolis-St. Paul International finished sixth.

So what's a nutrition-minded traveler to eat at MSP? Go for the Southwestern black bean salad at Caribou Coffee (at the main food court and Concourses A, E, F and G in Terminal 1 and at baggage claim in Terminal 2), the grilled tempeh Reuben or veggie chili and rice at French Meadow Bakery (Concourse F) or the smoked tofu burrito at 360 Gourmet Burritos (the main food court).

DietDetective.com looked at nutrition in the skies with a survey of food on eight airlines. United Airlines, with a fruit tray and other light options, offered the healthiest choices. On Delta, which came in fourth, the Travel Treat snack box, which comes with tuna and raisins, and the Breakfast Snack, with yogurt and banana, are good picks.