If you fly for work or travel often, you know that most airport terminals are lined with fast food restaurant after fast food restaurant. It’s tough, but not impossible, to eat healthy lunches at the airport.

Set the scene: you’re dramatically zig-zagging through the airport, dodging roller bags and small children, trying not to slip on the tile while your backpack bobbles up and down on your shoulders. You didn’t eat because it’s 6 a.m. and you had to rush to get to the airport to sit and wait for two hours.

If you’re trying to lose weight and/or improve your health, finding something healthy to eat at the airport can be intimidating. It doesn’t have to be.

Unless you use a small airport (like me Vermont), every airport is guaranteed to have a variation of the following kinds of restaurants and food outlets. If you fly from an airport the size of a middle school, like I do, that means it’s probably an easy drive in, a 30 second walk through security and there is a small coffee shop down the road with quinoa salad and maple-sweetened smoothies just down the road. Anyways, healthy lunches can be found – you just have to know what to look for.

Healthy Lunches…

From the Tex-Mex Chain

The best part of a salad from a chain-style, tex-mex restaurant like Chipotle, is that you get to choose every ingredient build-a-bowl style. Start with a massive pile of vegetables and go from there. Chicken, grilled steak, black beans…Chipotle even has a vegetarian tofu option for protein. And you never run out of flavor options: hot sauce, guacamole, corn salsas, tomato salsa and fresh herbs. I call these flavor boosters – the more the merrier!

If your stomach is growling and a salad won’t satisfy you, turn your pile of vegetables and protein into a burrito bowl by adding a scoop of rice.

From the Deli

My go-to healthy lunch from any deli or convenience store (in the airport or out), is a grab-bag medley of snacks. Look for fresh fruit and food items with ingredient lists that aren’t a mile long. Almost every deli/convenience store I’ve ever been to carries:

• Apples, oranges, bananas or fruit cups
• Beef or turkey jerky
• Hummus and veggies or crackers
• Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
• String cheese
• Nut and seed packets

Mix-and-match salty and sweet, crunchy and smooth, protein and fresh produce for a satisfying and healthy lunch option.

From the bakery/coffee shop

Every airport has a coffee shop at the start, middle and end of the terminal. While you can certainly go overboard with sweets, baked goods and desserts-disguised-as-coffee, you can also make smart choices.

Keep your coffee order simple. Avoid sugary syrups and whipped cream. Add your own milk or cream (bonus points from non-dairy creamer), and if you want a shot of flavor, ask for a half shot to avoid a sugar overload.

When it comes to ordering food, companies like Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts offer healthier choice options like yogurt parfaits, oatmeal and egg-and-veggie wraps. Pair it with a piece of fresh fruit and a bottle of water and there’s nothing unbalanced about that.

From the Asian take out restaurant

It’s surprisingly easy to keep it healthy at an Asian restaurant, even in the airport. Avoid fried foods and heavy sauces. Instead chooose sauteed chicken, beef or pork and vegetables with brown rice – sounds like a bodybuilders lunch made in heaven.

Is it your normal routine? No.

Would you make it for lunch at home? Not necessarily, but I’m willing to bet a giant salad and chicken with vegetables has made its way onto your homemade lunch plate at some point.

Key Takeaways:

• Aim for balance – you aren’t at home but you can still choose healthy options with protein, vegetables and healthy fats – foods that support your goals.
• Stay hydrated. Flying can quickly dehydrate you and since you had to empty your water bottle at the front door, you might forget to drink as much as you normally do.
• Choose minimally processed foods when possible.
• Remember that if you are on a work trip, you are on a work trip. It’s not vacation – stick to your guns!

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