How Healthy Is Your Favorite Airline? A Food Survey Of America's Top 8 Airlines (PHOTOS)

DietDetective.com has issued the 2010 Airline Food Survey, rating the healthiness of foods for eight American airlines.

DietDetective.com's editor, Charles Stuart Platkin, PhD, MPH and public health advocate, said in a statement:

"This year United provided the 'healthiest" choices in the sky, while Continental had a fall from grace, US Airways received the lowest rating, and Virgin America and Delta were the least cooperative (and also received a low health rating)."

Below are the surveyed airlines' arranged according to health score (1 = highest, 8 = lowest), along with Dr. Platkin's "best bets" for what to eat on each of them.

Text and captions courtesy of Charles Stuart Platkin at DietDetective.com.

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#1 United Airlines

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On flights longer than two hours go for the Tapas, which includes almonds, olives, hummus and bruschetta. For flights longer than three hours, United has a plethora of choices - the Turkey sandwich at 600 calories is one of the healthiest options, and the Chicken Caesar Salad and Fruit Tray are also good choices. For breakfast, your best bet is the Smoothie or the Yogurt Parfait. Skip the Continental Breakfast - at 783 calories, it's a bad start to your day.

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On flights longer than two hours go for the Tapas, which includes almonds, olives, hummus and bruschetta. For flights longer than three hours, United has a plethora of choices - the Turkey sandwich at 600 calories is one of the healthiest options, and the Chicken Caesar Salad and Fruit Tray are also good choices. For breakfast, your best bet is the Smoothie or the Yogurt Parfait. Skip the Continental Breakfast - at 783 calories, it's a bad start to your day.

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Food

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Ick. Yum!

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Comments

[kndam72]

11:58 AM on 12/02/2010

does it really matter?

Do I fly daily and am I counting on those airline "pay meals" to be my daily diet?
The normal airline traveler travesl at most twice a year and if they have a meal that isn't exactly the healthiest in the world, I doubt it will affect their overall health.

You might as well ask how healthy your carnival food is, how healthy your NFL stadium food is, or how healthy your cinema food is.

[JScott]

12:18 AM on 12/01/2010

You mean they still serve food?

[boyer37212]

06:15 PM on 11/30/2010

Who cares? Just as long as they serve Bloody Marys, I'm happy. What a lame article. It sounds like something from Men's Health. (Get on the plane, eat a wimpy salad, then go look at your fake tan in the lavatory).

[francesk]

07:34 PM on 11/30/2010

LOL....I was going to write the same thing....after being groped by security and being scared silly about flying, I want a drink or two or three....I don't care about the food.....

[Yoda103]

05:57 PM on 11/30/2010

Is that a joke? Anyone who wants healthy food should buy their own before boarding. Last time I flew I couldn't even drink their water.It tasted like really bad tap water that had been marinating in a plastic bottle, in a cave for 100 years. The worst water I've ever tasted.

[Connie Markley Boppre]

05:51 PM on 11/30/2010

i wish i had a favorite airline.............

[OutAtFirst]

04:12 PM on 11/30/2010

US Airways food isn't bad, but that's assuming you actually get on the plane and it actually takes off. Plus you have to have pretty fast reflexes for when the attendant throws it at you.

[GrandOldParty]

04:03 PM on 11/30/2010

Fly private the meals are much better!!!! FlightTime is a good one,Stratos is nice as well... really wish I could afford my own G series aircraft, keep it on my wish list!!!!

[FreeHat]

04:01 PM on 11/30/2010

Lol, people need to be told what healthy food is...?

''The Premium Nut Blend is a strong nutrition choice, but make sure to split it with at least two other people.''

What happens if I don't? Will I my nuts explode?

[pene]

03:58 PM on 11/30/2010

You're kidding, right? I haven't had a meal on an airplane since Regan. Most flights smell like the fryer at McDonalds.

I make my own food, good healthy food, bring an empty water bottle (can't bring a full one through security...uncleared water is not allowed) and fill it up at drinking fountains.

Nobody wants to pay champaign prices for a box lunch eaten in a coffin-sized space.

[camanokat]

04:04 PM on 11/30/2010

Most drinking fountains are too shallow to fill the bottle I carry. What I do is get something small from, say, a bagel shop to carry on the plane for my snack and have them fill up my bottle with ice water. I didn't think you were allowed to bring food from home on the plane.

[pene]

05:36 PM on 11/30/2010

absolutely you can bring your own food. and get a free drink or have them fill up your bottle. I just fill my bottle as far as the fountain will allow and then ask the steward to put ice in it. lots of ways to skin that cat. It's one more thing to carry on but hey, i've seen people with giant bags squeezing them in the overhead so what's an empty bottle?

I fly a lot too (i wish I didn't but I just have to)...so it's better to make your own trail mix, boiled eggs, croissants, or sandwiches depending on how many hops (and you can't just get a direct flight anymore...flying is not supposed to be convenient, it's all about making money at the mall.)

[FirstBiteBooks]

03:43 PM on 11/30/2010

My advice is to stick to the beer - you get the calories plus after the 5th one you wouldn't mind how bad the food/flight is.

[camanokat]

04:04 PM on 11/30/2010

LOL! No kidding!

[opprobrious]

03:39 PM on 11/30/2010

Don't want to eat the crappy food? Preorder the kosher meal. While I'm not sure what makes it kosher, it's slightly better than the normal fare. But, since we're talking about health here, my guess is that the jet fumes you're forced to breathe in for what seems like forever before the plane finally taxis down the runway offsets any healthy meal choice one could possibly make.

[Cynth]

09:56 PM on 11/30/2010

Yes, same with ordering the vegetarian and sometimes the seafood options.

And I totally agree on the fumes!!!

[rougebaisers]

03:04 PM on 11/30/2010

Can't eat on a plane. They stink.

[Red45]

02:29 PM on 11/30/2010

Beef jerky, as tasty as it is, is packed with sugar and salt so it's not a healthy choice under any circumstances. Some of this food looks good and some of it looks disgusting. Next time I fly, I think I'll bring my own food.

[VA Jill]

02:11 PM on 11/30/2010

Excuse me? WHAT airline food? Other than stale peanuts of pretzels, the only food I have seen on any airline was on a 5 hour flight where they sold box "lunches" for $5.......and they were gone before the flight attendant got to the middle of the plane! I think that was Untied...oh, excuse me, United, which I never fly unless I absolutely HAVE to.

[pene]

04:01 PM on 11/30/2010

i was actually able to fly from virginia to seattle without being able to buy the snack box (as you said, sold before they got to me), and the food courts were closed in chicago at 8:30 pm. I was so hungry when I got to seattle i almost fainted.

P.S. the snacks are $7 now.