Right way to eat in the skyway

When Rachelle Drakeford rushes around on her lunch break in the Minneapolis skyway, she finds it challenging to avoid the fatty, fried and other unhealthy foods displayed at every turn.

"Most places that I come across in the skyway have pizza, hamburgers, fries," said Drakeford, 42, a Hennepin County employee. "And then if you don't like pork -- everything is loaded with pork!"

For Molly McQueen, 28, an employee of Price Waterhouse Coopers, the biggest problem with grab-and-go lunching in the skyway is "sneaky calories."

"I think I'm making a healthy choice, and then I'll go online [to look at the nutritional information] -- and whew!" said McQueen, who is on a 90-day plan to lose weight. "All of the sudden it's a 700-calorie sandwich. And I thought I was making a good choice."

Like many downtown workers, Drakeford and McQueen don't bring their lunches. Despite knowing they would have more control over their food options if they did, they say they're too busy and aren't interested in packing a lunch.

The good news is that the skyway has healthy options for those who are trying to maintain a healthy or low-calorie diet. You just need to know what to look for, said Melissa Busick, a personal trainer and weight-loss coach at Life Time Athletic Club at the Grand Hotel Minneapolis.

"I try to educate people about making the right food choices," said Busick, who created a healthy food tour of the Minneapolis skyway for Life Time clients.

On a recent workday, Busick guided Drakeford and McQueen through good breakfast and lunch options in Capella Tower, US Bank Plaza and Rand Tower.

Before getting started, Busick offered a mantra -- one that she repeated during the tour -- for eating healthy no matter where you're buying food.

"When I'm talking about healthy," Busick told Drakeford and McQueen, "I want dishes that are full of protein, along with lots of vegetables and some healthy fats."

With that, the tour began.

Busick and her charges huddled outside the entrance of the first stop, Caribou Coffee. She warned them to stay away from the typically high-calorie or processed muffins and scones and instead choose items such as the Egg White and Turkey Bacon Day Breaker sandwich or the Classic Oatmeal.

Moving on through the skyway, Busick stopped the group now and then in front of places such as Au Bon Pain to discuss the merits of choosing healthy soup and salad options. At Chipotle, she heralded the restaurant's claims of providing naturally raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free pork, chicken and beef. Cut the flour tortilla, she said, advising them instead to build a bowl of lettuce and other veggies, beans or meats -- even guacamole.

"Guacamole?" Drakeford piped up. "Isn't that fattening?"

"Yes, it is," Busick said. "But it has good, healthy fats in there that help you stay fuller longer and are a great source of fiber, as well."

She reminded the group that smaller portions are always a good rule of thumb.

She also warned the women to be skeptical of marketing gimmicks with promises of "skinny" sandwiches or other claims of fresh or high-quality ingredients. Often, she said, these are just ploys to get you in the door. Even "healthy" sandwiches can have a bad side, she noted.

Busick also recommended searching out gluten-free options and staying away from what she called the "Dirty 7" ingredients. (See sidebar.)

"I try to emphasize that nutrition is 70 percent of achieving success with health and weight-loss goals," she said.

The message seemed to get through to Drakeford and McQueen.