DIET | DETECTIVE^®

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 other foods. However, we are able to give you the “best bets” on many of the meal offerings. The airlines are getting better at, and certainly more concerned about, what they serve.

Here are the snack and on-board food service offerings from several of the more popular airlines, along with Diet Detective’s comments, ratings (Health Score: 5 stars = highest rating, 1 star = lowest), calories, exercise equivalents and personal choices.

United Airlines (847-700-4000, www.united.com) 

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful. United is proud of its offerings, and willing to share the information.

Health Score: (**** ½) United still has the best variety and most healthful offerings. The only negative is that the snack boxes are not offered on flights of less than three hours. If you’re traveling more than five hours, they offer snack boxes, fresh salads and sandwiches, but the sandwiches and salads are not nearly as health-oriented as the snack boxes. It would be nice if many of the mayo-based sauces were optional on the sandwiches and wraps.

Best Bet: Go for either the Rightbite or the Smartpack snack box. The Smartpack is all-natural, trans-fat free and vegetarian-friendly, but it has a lot of food and can be high in calories for one person, so you would have to 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, you can try the roast beef if you’re willing to skip the cheese, and if you’re really trying to watch what you’re eating, you can remove 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 keep in mind that the mayo in 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 those on the other salad choices.

Total Calories: 810 (Smartpack), 550 (Minimeal), 650 (Quickpick), 580 (Rightbite)

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 210 minutes (Smartpack); 142 minutes (Minimeal); 168 minutes (Quickpick); 149 minutes (Rightbite)

Cost: $5 per box 

Continental Airlines (713-324-2950, www.continental.com) 

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful.

Health Score: (****) Continental provides a low-calorie, high-impact meal.

Best Bet: Both sandwich options 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 

Midwest Airlines (414-570-4000, www.midwestairlines.com)

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful. Midwest takes its food seriously, and it shows.

Health Score: (***) There are some reasonably good “real” meal choices, but those famous fresh-baked on-board cookies can hurt: They’re 120 calories each. And the individual snacks are unreasonably large portions.  

Best Bet: You’re always better off opting for a full meal than choosing a snack. For breakfast pick the cheese omelet, but skip the potatoes and the sausage. The omelet, yogurt and fruit cup add up to only 355 calories, whereas the full meal has more than 700. The yogurt and fruit in the continental breakfast may look OK, but with that muffin and flavored yogurt (which means added sugar) you’re still better off with the omelet. At least you’ll be getting protein and other nutrients. For lunch and dinner, the Roasted Chicken Salad in Pita Pocket is only 230 calories if you skip the mayo, and the Kettle chips add just another 60. You can also opt for the marinated Shrimp Salad, which is reasonable, and if you want to make it even better you can pull out the croutons and use only one dressing package.  

Total Snack Calories: 2 cookies, 240 calories 

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 62 minutes for the two cookies 

Cost: Best Care Cuisine $5.50 and $7.50 per breakfast, $5.50 and $10 per lunch or dinner 

Snack Choices: Cookies (served after 10 a.m.), 120 calories each  

Delta Air Lines (866-715-2170, www.delta.com)  

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Helpful. It took a lot of work, even calling the top brass at the airlines, but finally the head of media communications called back and provided the requested information.

Health Score: (***) The snack choices are not great; however if you’re on a flight that is 4½ hours or more there is an EATS Menu (created by famed chef Todd English) that allows you to purchase real food with some decent choices. Plus, Delta is moving away from the snack boxes and will provide the EATS Menu on most flights. Good for them — a big improvement over last year.

Best Bet: If you’re on a short trip, go with the peanuts from the snack basket for the most satisfying and nutritious of the snack choices. Among the snack box offerings, 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 Cheddar, Turkey Bacon and Apple Butter Croissant and the Nutella Banana PB&J —unless you plan to go on a long hike after you land. If you’re thinking about getting a snack from the EATS menu, you have a few choices, but your best bets are the Clif bar and the animal crackers. If you have someone to share it 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-$3 per individual snack, $4-$9 per meal

JetBlue Airways (800-538-2583, www.jetblue.com)

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Very helpful.

Health Score: (** ½) The individually-packaged snacks are portion-controlled; however, you can ask for as many as you want, and many people do.

Best Bet: If you’re really hungry, try the nuts; they have protein and good fat and will satisfy you. Eat them one at a time. The animal crackers are OK, but not very nutritious. Try to stick with no more than one snack; just because they offer more doesn’t mean you have to take them, especially if you’re not hungry.

Total Snack Calories: See individual choices below.

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) see individual choices below 

Cost: No charge 

American Airlines (817-963-1234, www.aa.com) 

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Helpful.

Health Score: (** ½) No more snack boxes. The individually packaged snacks are oversized and have mega calories. These snacks should be for a family, 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 you really want a snack, or if a meal is not offered, your best bet is the Nut Blend. The other choices don’t offer much in terms of nutrition, and they’re just too high in calories. But you’re always better off eating a real meal if it’s available (flights of three hours or more). If you’re flying for three hours or more during breakfast, go for the Breakfast Club, skip the mayo and have only one slice of the croissant. Avoid the bagel (the other choice); it’s typically higher in calories. For lunch 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 pretty high in calories. Skip the sesame dressing, which is served on the side — the salad will be tasty enough without it.

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) Listed individually below.  

Cost: $3 per individual snack, $5 per sandwich  

US Airways (480-693-0800, www.usairways.com)

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Helpful. They started out not being helpful, but one PR person there really worked hard to gather all the information.

Health Score: (** ½) There are some decent choices in the snack box, but overall the choices could use a health tune-up. On flights under 2.5 hours they offer only pretzels; not much nutrition there, but at least they’re not too high in calories.

Best Bet: Eat only one-third of the fruit and nut mix (give the rest away or save it) and the chicken salad; skip the fruit bar and the cookies and you’re good to go. Aside from the Snack Box, there are a few meal offerings for flights of 3.5 hours or more. For breakfast the choices are not so great. There’s a Mini Muffin Breakfast Platter or a Breakfast Croissant Sandwich. Pick the muffin platter; at least there’s fruit included, and you can eat only one of the muffins (and skip the butter — it’s 100 calories per tablespoon). If you want the croissant, skip the cream cheese spread. For lunch and dinner, go with the Tomato & Mozzarella Salad with Italian Meats. I know it sounds high in calories, but the protein will keep you from getting hungry, and if you go easy on the mozzarella cheese and the salami and get rid of those butter cookies before the flight attendant leaves your area, you’ll avoid temptation.

Total Snack Calories: 820 (snack pack) 

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 156 minutes

Cost: $5 per Snack Box, $7 per meal 

Northwest Airlines (800-225-2525, www.nwa.com)

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Not very helpful. It took a bit of work, but finally, after calling and e-mailing, some information was provided. This is the comment from the Northwest spokesperson: “Essentially, we don't keep track of nutritional values for our menus.” Well, considering all the surveys showing that people want this information, maybe they should.

Health Score: (**) There are snacks sold individually and a Snack Box. Both choices are relatively high in calories.

Best Bet: All flights offer a choice of Pringles or the Good Sense Snack Mix. Pick the mix — it will be significantly more satisfying and give you more energy. But be aware that these snacks are very high in calories — they’re large and are meant for more than one serving. Try to 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 at the very least gives you portion control. If you’re on a flight to/from Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii or the Caribbean, Northwest does offer sandwiches, which you can preorder; however, no information or details on these were provided by the airlines.

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 (only on select flights) 

Southwest Airlines (214-792-4223, www.southwest.com)

Cooperation in Providing Nutritional Information: Somewhat helpful.

Health Score: (**) Not much variety, and not much in terms of nutritional value. The snack pack is offered on flights of 2.5 hours or more.

Best Bet: Go for the nuts and skip the pretzels. If you purchase the snack pack, eat the dried fruit and the nuts and skip the crackers and cookies. If you can’t resist and have to eat something more, go for the cheese sandwich crackers — at least the cheese has some nutrients and might keep you satisfied.  

Total Snack Calories: 380 (snack pack), individual snacks below.  

Exercise Equivalents: (Amount of walking to burn off the calories) 99 minutes for the snack pack. For individual snacks, 18 minutes for the nuts, and 13 minutes for the pretzels

Cost: Free

Snack Choices: Short flights: Honey- or dry-roasted peanuts or pretzels (70, 70, 50 calories). Snack Pack (flights 2.5 hours or more): Lorna Doone Cookies (100 calories), Ritz 6 pack Cheese Sandwich Crackers (200 calories), Dried Fruit and Nut Mix (80 calories).

Looking for more tips on making your airline travel healthier? Check out Fat Birds Don't Fly and Last-Minute Vacation Diet Cheat Sheet.

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Looking for healthy gifts for the holiday? Check out the FoodTee Market.

CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network and author of The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Copyright 2007 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com.

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written by This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , January 13, 2008

Complaining about not enough food and at the same time complaining about too many calories? With so many hungry people in the world? If there are too many calories in the food, save a part for later. Let us be happy that we are not deprived of the needed amount of calories.

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written by SCA, January 12, 2008

Was on a 6 hr trans-con flight; on orbitz they ask you what type of meal (ordered Kosher); in reality, they only had the wraps and ran out by time they got to my seat. All that was left was a tube of Lay's potato chips. Hah! What a meal!

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written by ME, January 12, 2008

$3 for a 3 musketeers!? holy crap!

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written by Clark, January 11, 2008

Considering how gigantic most people are these days, I doubt that anyone would starve to death if they missed a meal. You get what you pay for...the reason most domestic airlines are in trouble is because they do not charge enough for flights...too many airlines, too much competition, a lousy railroad system, and a cheap public that always wants something for nothing. Buy a first cla*s ticket...you will have a great seat/bed, great meals, wonderful service, and nothing to complain about.

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written by John, December 05, 2007

Dealta's Biscoff cookies use Palm Oil!!! Unless you are looking for a heartattack stay away!

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written by Dennis, December 03, 2007

What do we expect for the price of a ticket? Everyone complains about over bookings, departures, arrivals, over wieght people and now the food. Get a grip. The price of a ticket today is cheaper now than it was 20 to 25 years ago in the industry. Their cost continually rise, but the ticket price are still the same if not less. I know a mechanic that has been laid off almost a dozen times in his 15 years in the industry. He went to school and studied to become an aircraft technician and has to get a license through the Federal Government and is concidered unskilled labor. He is making less now then he was when he first got into the industry. Everybody usually gets some type of raise but with the publics cry for cheaper fares they get left out in the cold. I for one do not complain anymore about what we get with the cost of a ticket. It is cheaper than driving and my time is better spent. If the public what better service, then they should pay more for a ticket. If the people grip about over booking then the one that don't bother to cancel unpaid reservations weeks in advance, or allow airlines to penalize them for inconvienencing other pa*sengers. There are alot of small things that WE as average citizen don't understand about the airlines. Why do the want to charge overweight people for 2 seats? It because of weight and balance of the aircraft. They have general formulas for everything. X amount People, X amout bags. So before you go on a rampage about what you do ando nopt get evaluate, ask questions. You will be surprised about some of the answers you get.

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written by Ryan, November 24, 2007

Southwest's snack pack is a travesty health wise. Part of your snack pack (and yes I realize they don't charge for it but that has nothin to do with health) is a 100 calorie chips ahoy pack...but besides the fact that it is only 100 calories, it has no nutritional value. And the Handi-Snack....don't even get em started on that. It is all processed and terribly unhealthy for you....DISGUSTING. And then the salami stick is also very unhealthy and fairly processed.

On US Airways about two weeks ago they had a salad that had mandarin oranges on it and was very healthy and fresh...thumbs up to them.

On Northwest Airlines about a month ago the snack option was a huge thing of Pringles. First, it was about twice the amount of Pringles any one person ever needs to eat in one sitting. And second....that is SO not healthy.

Bottom Line....Southwest's food quality is terrible (regardless of it is free). You can tell that Nabisco/Kraft is giving away those snack packs to Southwest free for a bit of free publicity...and the customers Southwest goes for (lower middle cla*s) are the same customers Nabisco/Kraft is going for (lower middle cla*s junk food eaters)

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written by radner, November 24, 2007

Um, southwest doesn't charge for the snack "packs". and they rotate the inventory... my flight had 100 calorie chips ahoy "crackers", flavored breadsticks/cheese, and a salami strip

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written by JME, November 23, 2007

HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE PREMISE OF THE AIRLINE HEALTH RATINGS. MOST PASSENGERS MISS A MEAL OR TWO ON THEIR TRAVEL DAY BY ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT EARLY, DEALING WITH SECURITY, AND TRAVEL TIME ITSELF. SO SCRIMPING ON THE CALORIES (TOSSING THE BREAD, EAT THE CHEESE, SKIP THE CHEESE), IS THIS WISE? WHY NOT WALK THE TERMINAL BEFORE EACH FLIGHT OR DURING CONNECTIONS...BURN THOSE CALORIES....