Flying is fun but stressful. What's adding more stress is where to find good food-that is, healthy, nutritious, delicious meals. But you're in luck. More airports and airlines are upgrading their menu, and they are including healthy choices for you.
While many airlines are now serving light meals, there's one that ranks as the best in terms of being health friendly. In the annual ranking of meals and snacks served onboard, conducted by Charles Platkin of DietdDetective.com, Virgin America bested 12 other carriers with a score of 4.25. The highest grade that can be earned is 5. The airlines is applauded for its more diverse healthy choices like the soy ginger salad with salmon, which has no more than 400 calories.
Delta Airlines and JetBlue Airways were tied at 3.75, then followed by Air Canada and Alaska Airlines. United Airlines scored 3.25 while American Airlines got 2.75. In the bottom three were Frontier Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines, which received less than a star. The main reason may be the complimentary meals provided by the airline. Although this allows the airline to stand out since most already charge their food, this may also encourage the passengers to eat more calories than they should.
Overall, however, Platkin believes that this is a great time as far as healthy food while several thousand feet from the ground is concerned. It means they are paying attention to the changing needs of fliers that now want healthy clean food.
Meanwhile, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine conducted a study among U.S. airports and the types of food they serve. The researchers checked out the menus of 30 of the densest and highest-trafficked airports in the country and discovered that more than 70% of them do serve something healthy, including an entrée that is plant based. Getting the highest mark is Baltimore/Washington International Airport with a score of 92%. It's then followed by Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which received 90%.
