These 3 Airlines Serve the Healthiest Food

Yes, there is airplane food you may actually want to eat. (Yahoo Health/Getty Images)

Airline travel is rarely a great experience, even with all the on-board advancements they’ve had in recent years (hello, personal televisions). But, if there’s one thing we can all agree on when it comes to on-board dissatisfaction, it’s that the quality of food tends to be lacking.

A recent survey found that many US Airlines lack healthy food when it comes to on-board meal services. Charles Patkin, a nutrition professor at Hunter College and City University of New York, surveyed 12 major airlines regarding the nutritional value for the foods they serve the economy-class during domestic flights. Then, he ranked them according to which airlines offered the healthiest food options.

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Patkin’s findings were astonishing considering the overall health trend in the United States seems to steadily highlight a healthy diet, however, airline carriers simply aren’t keeping up with this progression. “The average number of calories per food item was 360 in 2012; in 2013 it was 388; last year 397, and this year it’s 400, a 3 calorie increase over last year,” said Patkin.

With higher calorie counts and low variety, airline food frequently just isn’t up to par. Thankfully, Patkin was able to uncover the airlines that serve the healthiest food, so you can rest assured the next time your stomach grumbles when you head into the air.

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Virgin America

With a recent drop in their overall calorie count, Virgin America tops the list for providing the healthiest food options. The average calories for a meal is 408 while the average calorie count overall (including meals, snack boxes and individual snacks) is only 352.27, a 15% percent drop from the 386.25 calorie count from last year.

Overall, Patkin claims that almost all of the meals offered by Virgin America are good choices, especially the Ginger Chicken Soba Noodles and Provencal Tuna Sandwich thanks to their high amount of protein.

JetBlue Airlines

Not only does JetBlue offer healthy food options, they actually provide nutritional information on their website for those of us who want to plan ahead. The carrier was found to have an average meal calorie count of 483, with an overall calorie count of only 327. Patkin advises to opt for the Kale & Quinoa Salad or the Spicy Soba & Korean-Style Chicken which offer a lot in terms of nutritional value. Try to stay away from the Grilled Chicken and Brie Sandwich since it’s high in calories but low on nutritional value.

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Delta Air Lines

Delta has recently seen some major improvements when it comes to airline food, and Patkin attributes that to their usage of the healthy frozen food company called Luvo. Luvo prides themselves on providing people with wholesome, nutritious meals without sacrificing on taste. Thankfully, according to Patkin the food on Delta Airlines seems to meet these standards. The average overall calories across all their options is 512, while the average meal calories hovers at 546.3.

Although the Delta Air Lines menu is complicated and changes according to your flight, there are various healthy options no matter what flight you decide to take. Patkin recommends, “for Lunch/Dinner transcontinental flights the Luvo Quinoa Crunch Wrap Snack Box is a good choice and will fill you up.” In terms of snacks, choose a pack of pretzels to keep the calorie count low.

If you’re not flying on any of these airlines, or a meal isn’t offered (likely), plan ahead and pack a cold meal of chicken, sliced fruit or veggies and hummus. You’ll feel better while traveling, and you won’t regret eating six packs of cookies and honey peanuts.

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