 |
SHAPE UP |
This is the second annual www.DietDetective.com Airline Survey. The airlines are constantly changing what they serve, and we're on the case, trying to distinguish calorie bargains from calorie rip-offs. Since last year's survey, Delta increased its score, but United, American and US Airways all dropped slightly in the ratings. This year we've also added rankings for Northwest as well as updated the menus and included food items in addition to snacks.
Here are a few of the various airlines' snack and on-board food service offerings, along with Diet Detective's comments, ratings (Health score: 5 stars = highest rating, 1 star = lowest rating), calories and exercise equivalents. Only the snacks have the calorie information because most of the airlines could not give us detailed ingredients lists to analyze the nutritional content of the other foods. However, we are able to give you the "best bets" on many of the meal offerings.
UNITED AIRLINES
847-700-4000
Cooperation in providing nutritional information: Very helpful.
Health score: (HHHH1/2) United still has the best variety and most healthful snacks. However, the sandwiches and salads are not nearly as health-oriented.
Best bet: Go for either the Rightbite or the Smartpack. The Smartpack is all-natural, trans-fat free and vegetarian-friendly, but it has a lot of food and can be high in calories, so share it. For breakfast (on five-hour-plus flights), go for the yogurt and mixed fruit; skip the cake, Danish and crackers. As far as the sandwiches go (on five-hour-plus flights), try the roast beef if you're willing to skip the cheese, and if you're trying to watch your diet, ditch half the bread. The ciabatta roll is higher in calories than a wrap (300 vs. 200). The turkey breast looks like the best choice, but the mayo (in all the wraps) adds 100 calories, and you can't remove it. In terms of salads, pick the Hawaiian Chicken. Even though the macadamia nuts are high in calories, they offer nutrients, and the dressing is lower in calories than the other salad choices.
Total calories: 895 (Smartpack), 550 (Minimeal), 650 (Quickpick), 580 (Rightbite).
Exercise equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 231 minutes (Smartpack); 142 minutes (Minimeal); 168 minutes (Quickpick); 149 minutes (Rightbite).
Cost: $5 per box.
Snack choices:
For detailed calorie information on the Minimeal and Quickpick, go to www.DietDetective.com.
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES
713-324-2950
Cooperation in providing nutritional information: Very helpful.
Health score: (HHHH) Continental provides a low-calorie, high-impact meal.
Best bet: Both sandwiches are fine; impressive that they offer light mayo.
Total calories: 285 (turkey), 316 (ham).
Exercise equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 73 minutes (turkey); 81 minutes (ham); 21 minutes (peanuts); 13 minutes (pretzels).
Cost: No charge.
Snack choices:
DELTA AIR LINES
866-715-2170
Cooperation from airline: Helpful.
Health score: (HHH) The snack choices are not great; however, if you're on a flight that's more than four hours, there is an Eats Menu (created by famed chef Todd English) that lets you purchase real food with some decent choices. Plus, Delta is moving away from snack boxes and will provide the EATS Menu on most flights. Good for them — a big improvement over last year.
Best bet: For short trips, peanuts from the snack basket are the most satisfying and nutritious choice. From the snack box, the raisins would be the only keeper. The EATS menu includes Kashi cereal with fruit and a Grilled Mediterranean Shrimp Salad, which are the best choices. Skip the roast beef, the Nutella-banana PB&J and the cheddar, turkey bacon and apple butter croissant — unless you plan a long hike after you land. If you're thinking about getting a snack from the Eats menu, your best bets are the Clif bar and the animal crackers. If you have someone to share with, go for the trail mix, but it's loaded with calories — so be wary.
Total calories: 370 (snack box).
Exercise equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 96 minutes for the snack box.
Cost: Free from the snack basket, $1 to $3 per individual snack, $4 to $9 per meal.
Snack choices:
Eats snacks (4.5 hours or more): Pringles (3 ounces, 480 calories, 125 minutes); Clif Mojo Bar (1 bar, 200 calories, 52 minutes); Dove Milk Chocolate Bar with Almonds (1 bar, 570 calories, 148 minutes); animal crackers (32 pieces, 240 calories, 62 minutes); snack/trail mix (6 ounces, 720 calories, 187 minutes).
AMERICAN AIRLINES
817-963-1234
Cooperation in providing nutritional information: Helpful.
Health score: (HH1/2) No more snack boxes. The individually packaged snacks are oversized and have mega calories. These snacks should be for a family of four, not one person. They really are a disaster, but the real meals American offers for flights over three hours aren't bad.
Best bet: If an actual meal is not offered, go for the nut blend. The other choices don't offer much nutrition, and they're just too high in calories. For breakfast (three hours or more), go for the Breakfast Club, skip the mayo and have only one slice of the croissant. Avoid the bagel; it's typically higher in calories. For lunch (three hours or more) there are three choices: the Italian wrap, turkey and cheese ciabatta and the Asian chicken wrap. The best of the bunch is the Asian chicken wrap — it has healthy almonds and chestnuts, but it also has 1.5 ounces of cream cheese, which makes it higher in calories.
Exercise equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) Listed individually below.
Cost: $3 per individual snacks, $5 per sandwich
Snack choices: (sold individually) Great Nut Supply Co. Nut Blend (4 ounces, 496 calories, 129 minutes); Mega Bite Cookie (4 ounces, 440 calories, 114 minutes); Lay's Stax Potato Crisps (5.75 ounces, 900 calories, 234 minutes); 3 Musketeers (3.28 ounces, 400 calories, 104 minutes).
NORTHWEST AIRLINES
800-225-2525
Cooperation in providing nutritional information: Not very helpful.
Health score: (HH) There are snacks sold individually and a snack box. Both choices are relatively high in calories.
Best bet: Pick the Good Sense Snack Mix over the Pringles — it's more satisfying and gives you more energy. But beware, these are not portion-controlled. Split the mix with three or more people. If you're on a flight lasting more than two hours, you can also purchase the Smartsnack snack box. The snack box is a better option because each item is individually wrapped, which gives you portion control. If you're on a flight to/from Mexico, Alaska, Hawai'i or the Caribbean, Northwest offers sandwiches, which you can preorder; however, the airline didn't provide any information.
Total snack calories: 680 (snack box), see individual snacks below.
Exercise equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) Entire snack box, 177 minutes, individual snacks are listed below.
Cost: $2 per snack, $5 per snack box, $5 per sandwich.
Snack choices: (snack basket)
Individually sold snacks: Good Sense Snack Mix (raisin nut mix) 4.5 ounces, 435 calories, 113 minutes; Pringles original 2.8 ounces, 480 calories, 125 minutes.
Snack box (flights of two hours or more): Pepperidge Farm Parmesan Goldfish Crackers (0.75 ounces, 90 calories); Sonoma Valley Trail Mix "carb wise" (2 ounces, 320 calories per serving); Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps (0.81 ounces, 100-calorie pack); Glacier Ridge Farms white cheddar cheese sticks (two) — 0.5 ounces each — 66 calories total; O'Brien's Premium Hickory Smoked Beef Summer Sausage (1.125 ounces - 110 calories); Venus Stoned Wheat Wafers (0.5 ounces, 60 calories).
Even if you ate before you left home, you are still going to get hungry. We often underestimate the amount of time a trip can take. Make sure to check with the Transportation Security Administration for the latest in-flight rules on bringing food and water: www.tsa.gov.
A two-hour flight could mean four or five hours of travel, so here are some ideas for snacks you can bring:
Some tips if you bring your own
Charles Stuart Platkin is a nutrition and public-health advocate, and author of "Breaking the FAT Pattern" (Plume, 2006). Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter at www.dietdetective.com.
