Better living through better nutrition with Olympic Athlete Garrett Weber-Gale

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Meals in a pinch: Choices that certainly are better than a bacon cheeseburger and fries

Finding decent food is often a problem while traveling. We all know how pathetic the choices can be in some airports. In terminals like Minneapolis where you do have good options, time between flights can be your enemy. Plus, not everyone can or wants to spend $15 or $20 for a decent airport meal.

I found myself with a similar problem at a hotel recently. I hit the gym before a meeting and then jumped onto email figuring there would be time to grab a plate of food from the typical pre-meeting Continental breakfast. Budget cutbacks quickly set me straight. No food. My option was coffee or tea. It's at such times that nutrition bars can really save your bacon, so to speak.

The selection shown here range in calories form 170 to 240 with anywhere between 8 and 13 grams of protein. The vitamin complement was pretty good on every one of them. The list of ingredients was a little longer and more complex than one might like. Regardless, I've done worse in a pitch when it comes to a meal. I'll bet you have, too.

I picked up all of these at a Hy-Vee pharmacy near the Des Moines airport for a little over $6. (Yes, it was a heck of a sale.) I usually keep a couple bars in my briefcase when heading out on a trip. Not only are they better than nothing. They're better than so many other things one might eat.

3 comments:

Amit said...

whenever I have to eat a meal in an airport and I feel pretty gross afterwards...

Melissa G said...

I'm fortunate to live in a city like Minneapolis where there's pretty good airport food. One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants, French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, has set up shop at MSP International. Bonus for me...they have vegan options, which doesn't happen very often at airports.

I eat my fair share of Luna & Clif bars. They are a lot healthier than chips or a candy bar when you're looking for an afternoon snack. But certainly not as good for you as fresh fruit, veggies or nuts. You summed up nutrition bars well. They are MUCH better than nothing and almost always better than most junk you can find in vending machines or convenience stores. And they're nice to have on hand in case you need them!

Mark Gale said...

Thanks for the comments. Yeah, I think the nutrition bars are a decent option. Minneapolis does have some of the best airport eating around.