U.S. Airlines do not offer enough Healthy Foods, Survey Says

Not only do airports have long lines and crowded paths, they also do not provide many healthy food selections, a new survey found.

For this research, Charles Platkin, a nutrition professor at Hunter College and City University of New York, and his colleagues surveyed 12 major airlines in the United States (Virgin America, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Air Canada, United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines).

They graded them based on 10 criteria, which included the number of low-calorie, nutritious options offered and the availability of the nutritional content/information for each item.

"I don't think airlines are keeping up with the trends across the United States, the 'better for you' food trend, the organic trend," said Platkin said reported by CNN.

The team found that since 2000, when they first started recording data, the sizes of free snacks have gotten smaller, which means that there are fewer calories per tray. Some of the small snacks, however, were still considered to be high in calories. Platkin also noted that the move was most likely made with the airline budget in mind and not people's health.

The size of meals that could be purchased, on the other hand, has gotten bigger. The team reported that although some airlines did offer low-calorie options, the levels of sodium in a lot of the meals were very high.

"Your taste buds change at high altitudes and you need more salt for the foods to have flavor," Platkin said.

Overall, Virgin America received the highest health rating with a 4.5. JetBlue and Delta were right behind with a 4. The airline with the lowest rating was Frontier Air with one star. When assessing how healthy the food options were, the team looked at calorie, protein, fat, sugar and sodium levels.

The researchers expect there to be even more improvements to the airlines' menus in the future, especially since fast food restaurants and other eateries have been adapting to the current eating trends. In the meantime, they recommend people who prefer to eat healthy to eat prior to their trip or to pack something for the journey.

For more information on the survey, visit dietdetective.com.