There's a pretty decent chance that this week you or someone you love will be getting on a plane in the next few days. Maybe you're curious about those snacks the airlines will give you to keep you from complaining about yet another flight delay.
The health website DietDetective.com and Charles Platkin, a public health advocate and CUNY assistant professor, have released their survey of the nutritional breakdown of the food offerings of the major United States airlines.
Virgin America and Air Canada were shown to have the healthiest choices, while Spirit Airlines had the lowest score. Apparently, Spirit Airlines and Delta were particularly uncooperative and as such had lowered scores. You can read the entire survey at DietDetective.com, but here are a few highlights:
"Pick the Nissin – Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup. It will fill you up and it's more like a meal. The cashews need to be shared. They will fill you up but have too many calories for one person. I love the idea of the Celery & Carrots with Ranch Dip -- nice touch. I just wish the dip were hummus or something healthier than ranch." (on Air Canada)
"Try to stick with no more than one snack. Just because they are free and they let you take more than one doesn’t mean you have to take them, especially if you’re not hungry." (Jet Blue)
"For lunch/dinner options, there are not too many offerings. You have the Chicken and Turkey Cuban at 552.5 calories or the Turkey Peppercorn Ranch Ciabatta at 576 calories. The chicken and turkey is the lower-calorie choice and is probably healthier based on the ingredients -- try to have only half the bread." (Delta)
"Go for the nuts and skip the pretzels and other items." (Southwest Airlines)
"Bring your own food!!!" (Spirit Airlines)
