One of the toughest parts about traveling is figuring out what to eat when in the airport and even while on the plane. With airlines not offering much when it comes to food these days, our choices are limited. What's even more limited? Healthy food choices. Luckily the Diet Detective [1] has deciphered through all the food on major airlines in an effort to find the best options in flight.

Here are highlights [2]:

• United: 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.

There's many more so

• Continental: Both sandwich options are fine; impressive that they offer light mayo.
• Jet Blue: If you’re really hungry, try the nuts; they have protein and good fat and will satisfy you. Eat them one at a time.
• American: If you really want a snack, or if a meal is not offered, your best bet is the Nut Blend.
• US Airways: Ask for the Snack Pack and 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.
• Delta: 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.
• Northwest: 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.
• Southwest: 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.

So what's to be learned from this? Bring your own food from home, not only will you save dough, but you'll also save yourself from trying to figure out what to eat.

Source [3]