Executive Travel : Choice Can Be Good for You

Some air travelers complain that the proliferation of name-brand restaurants in airports--most of them hawking fast food--still leaves them without many options for healthy eating.

“I’m pretty much a health nut, and there’s not much here to eat,” Michelle Cochran of San Antonio said recently as she awaited her departure from Los Angeles International Airport to Australia. “There are salads and pieces of fruit, but they don’t look very fresh.”

Even so, experts on healthy eating say the proliferation of fast-food chains means air travelers will have more appetizing options for nutrition.

“If you want a hot dog and cheese, which is really high in fat, that’s fine, but if you want something healthier, now you have a choice,” said Martin Yadrick, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles.

For example, bagels and pretzels are sensible choices because they are low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates, said Kim Galeaz, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Chicago-based American Dietetic Assn. Turkey, chicken and lean roast beef sandwiches are also healthy, along with side salads, dried fruit, juices and low-fat milk.

Even fast-food restaurants offer nutritious items, she said. Hamburgers are fine if not loaded with “special sauce,” and Mexican food items are OK as long as there’s not too much cheese, sour cream and guacamole. Vegetarian pizzas and frozen yogurt are also good bets, she said.

“What you want to steer away from is fried foods and extremely high-fat foods like bratwurst and sausages, because they will make you sluggish on the plane,” Galeaz said.