Eating Well On the Fly
While the options for healthful, great-tasting food are increasing, hungry road warriors still need to be savvy and creative, and have deep pockets to make smart eating choices while traveling.
That's one of the lessons I learned while crisscrossing the country recently.
The good news: Fruit and vegetable options are cropping up in many more places. Just don't expect much variety. In the 1920s, Henry Ford told customers that they could have any color automobile they wanted -- as long as it was black. These days, the same can be said of fruit: You can find any variety you want -- as long as it's apples or bananas.
Salads make the menus of nearly every restaurant, including fast-food establishments from Arby's to Wendy's. But just because a salad has lettuce doesn't mean that it's healthy. At a McDonald's in Dallas recently, I tried to order the Asian chicken salad, a combination billed as having "crisp greens, warm orange glazed chicken (grilled or crispy), snow peas, edamame, mandarin oranges and toasted almonds." It was even served with Newman's Own Low-Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing.
Sounds delicious. But I wouldn't know. The disembodied voice that crackled back to me from the drive-in window was very kind to say that the only chicken available at that time was crispy, which is to say, fried. That would have added not only calories but also unhealthy trans fat.
So I opted for the fruit and walnut salad with yogurt. The apple slices were great. This could also be finger food, good for the car or the plane. But the walnuts were coated with sugar and the yogurt was so flavored with vanilla and added sugar as to be inedible, at least to my taste.
Starbucks and other coffee chains also now sell food, of course. While restaurants and fast-food places are exempt from listing trans fats on their products, some do. That information can be quite helpful. At Caribou Coffee in Atlanta, I found a roasted chicken sandwich on a multi-grain roll with havarti cheese and gourmet honey tarragon mustard spread. It was only after I unwrapped the sandwich back in my hotel room that I discovered the nutrition facts label: This sandwich came with 540 calories -- more than I had planned for lunch -- plus 1.5 grams of trans fat. While the facts were a bit of a surprise, the information allowed me to make a sensible adjustment: I ate just part of the sandwich and tossed the rest.
That strategy can be pretty pricey, since there's no easy way for travelers to keep leftovers for another meal. Frugal road warriors seeking healthful choices still don't have a lot of affordable options unless they bring their own food. At Wendy's, for example, the bargains are the side salad and the junior burgers. At the Atlanta airport, the Wolfgang Puck kiosk charged $8 for a chicken Caesar salad. Starbucks had a similar one for a dollar less -- fine if you have time to comparison-shop while dashing between planes. (And be sure to check for the dressing, which some food establishments forget to include. Good choices: vinaigrettes and low-fat creamy dressings.)
Airlines, of course, don't serve much food to passengers in coach these days. While the old airline food rarely earned stars, it was at least a meal. These days, passengers pay $4 to $5 for a snack box. On a recent American Airlines flight, the snack box included Lorna Doones, a small beef stick, crackers, a little cheese spread, raisins and a small bag of salted nuts. The calorie total for the box was about 600 -- pretty hefty for a snack. And that's before any beverages.
With only two carry-on bags allowed on planes, it can be challenging to bring along healthy food. But here are a few rations you can tuck into your bags:
· Larabars. They're packed with nuts and dried fruit, which makes them rich in healthy fat and complex carbohydrates -- the type that aren't likely to send your blood sugar soaring. Larabars contain only uncooked ingredients -- and no added sugar, colorings or preservatives. They're dense and packed with flavor and fiber, so they have staying power. Calories range from 190 to 240 per bar. Cost: around $2 each, about what you'd spend for a large soft drink at the airport. In bulk, they cost about $1.50 per bar.
· Nuts. They're high in protein. Get them unsalted or lightly salted. Mix your own trail mix or buy small packets to slide into your luggage or computer bag. Other options: pretzels and crackers. Buy them in mini-bags or pack your own small portions.
· Dehydrated foods . From unsweetened strawberries to soups, these foods don't require a can opener. They're light and portable.
· Shelf-stable food . There's no refrigeration required for these items, which makes them easy to slip into your bag. (To guard against spillage, pack them inside a plastic bag.) Find unsweetened applesauce, fruit cocktail in lite syrup, puddings and even milk. Just ask for some ice on the plane to serve it cold. ·
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