Eating healthy can be a challenge throughout your daily life, but it is especially challenging in places like the airport, where most of your food options consist of quick grabs from a newsstand. Your initial move may be to reach for something like chocolate covered pretzels at a kiosk, but you know that if bought, you will eat the entire bag. So what healthy snacks are out there for you to buy that are satisfying enough to hold you over?
1. Sabra hummus pretzel cups
Photo by Dannah Strauss
Most shops sell the Sabra hummus and pretzel cup combos, which will allow you to enjoy a long lasting snack with the added fun of dipping your pretzel thins into hummus.
With 10 g of protein, 7 g of fiber and 1 g of sugar, this snack will keep you full and satisfied. Flipz chocolate covered pretzels, on the other hand, have only 2g of protein, 1g of fiber and 11g of sugar.
2. Cheese sticks
Photo by Dannah Strauss
Another great option is an individually packed cheese stick. I often overlook these when searching for a snack, however, cheese sticks are a great source of protein, are low in calories and they fill you up while helping you with portion control.
Cheese sticks are under 100 calories and contain 5-7g of protein. Alternatively, Cheetos Cheese Snacks have about 150 calories and 2g of protein making them less able to sustain a hungry passenger.
3. Apple or banana
Photo by Dannah Strauss
Almost every newsstand sells apples and bananas at the counter. These fruits are each a great choice because you can’t go wrong with an unprocessed wholesome food. Although the fruit options may be limited, apples and bananas are convenient enough to just throw into your travel bag. It is always nice to have something juicy and fresh for a long flight.
These fruits are typically under 100 calories and filled with natural sugars that are easy to digest. Meanwhile, packaged fruit snacks can have upwards of 200 plus calories and 36g of sugar per bag.
4. Kind Bars
Photo by Kathryn Harmon
If you’re in need for something sweet but also something that will satisfy your hunger, Kind bars are a great option. Kind bars are made with ingredients you can actually pronounce and contain raw nuts to keep you feeling full.
Look for bars that are low in sugar at about 5g of sugar or less and high in protein at about 7g. Some of the chocolate covered protein bars can carry unnecessary sugar and act more like a candy bar. Grabbing a candy bar, such as a Snickers, will set you back 250 calories, 27g of sugar, and only provide 4g of protein.
5. Chobani yogurt
Photo by Lauren Farfel
Check the refrigerated section at any newsstand and you can pretty much guarantee you will find Chobani yogurt. Greek yogurt is extremely high in protein and therefore a great option if you are traveling and need something to last you in between meals.
Chobani has about 12-15g of protein and about 7g of sugar. Compared to a fast food vanilla ice cream cone that has 5g of protein and 20g of sugar, Chobani is a much better snack.
It is also important to stay hydrated while flying, so drinking water while eating will not only allow you to stay hydrated, but will also make you feel full. No one likes being stuck on a plane for hours on end, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice healthy eating habits while doing so.