Even if you pack your own snacks, there will inevitably come a time when every business traveler gets stuck at the airport and needs to eat. Unfortunately, not all choices are equal when it comes to airport food, and finding a healthy snack or meal can be difficult.
With help from David Zinczenko’s Eat This, Not That! we’ve located the good and the oh-so-bad of six popular fast-food chains often found at airports. Read before you eat.
1. Dunkin’ Donuts
- Choice Chow: Ham, Egg, and Cheese English Muffin Sandwich
- Diet Destroyer: Multigrain Bagel
- Why: The breakfast sandwich is the better choice because it has less calories, fat, and saturated fat. If bagels are your best friend, order a reduced-carb or plain variety and skip the cream cheese.
2. Starbucks
- Choice Chow: Grande Sugar-Free Nonfat Vanilla Latte
- Diet Destroyer: Grande 2 percent White Chocolate Mocha
- Why: Switching from 2 percent milk to nonfat milk is a nutritionally sound move, and avoiding the white chocolate mocha saves 340 calories and 18 grams of fat.
3. Aunt Annie’s
- Choice Chow: Original Pretzel Without Butter
- Diet Destroyer: Whole Wheat Pretzel Without Butter, with cheese sauce
- Why: You might think whole wheat is always the better choice, but people who are watching their fat, calorie, and sodium intake benefit from ordering the original pretzel instead. The original variety has about half the fat of the whole-wheat recipe and clocks in at 70 calories less.
