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The Best And Worst Airline Food For Health-Conscious Flyers

1 More Reason To Avoid Airline Food
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Travel and healthy eating can be a tricky combination to pull off but if you want to avoid packing on extra baggage -- the kind that doesn't fit in a suitcase -- start with ditching certain airline foods.

That's the notion from Charles Platkin, a personal trainer and author better known as the Diet Detective. In an online survey, Platkin ranks the health offerings of 12 major airlines by analyzing their choices of snacks and in-flight meals.

Platkin grades airlines according to their score in eight categories: health of meals and snack boxes, health of individual snacks, healthy offerings, the caloric value for snacks, meals, snack boxes, menu innovation, cooperation in disclosing nutritional information and their improvement from 2012's ranking. Those numbers then translate to a ranking out of five.

Leading the pack for 2013 are Virgin America and Air Canada in a tie, each with four-and-a-half stars.

Air Canada earns praises for their snack options, like celery and carrots, and an average of 296.90 calorie count for their meals and snack boxes. Calorie counts for individual snacks average at 365 and the airline's overall calorie count for meals and snacks comes to 330.95

Virgin America's overall meal calorie count clocks in way over Air Canada's with an average of 458.6 calories but the U.S. airline still wins points for their healthier individual snack calories (270.63), their "Travel Light" menu and the "Flight Bites" program which features salads and a dessert.

On the other end of the nutritional scale is Allegiant Air, a U.S. budget carrier with one-and-a-half stars.

Allegiant's low ranking shouldn't come as a surprise as it didn't even bother to provide any of the nutritional info of their meals and snacks, according to Platkin.

Allegiant says they've tried to offer healthier options for its passengers but it ultimately sticks with what's popular.

"Our onboard food offerings are simply a reflection of passenger demand. In the past, we have experimented with healthier options, such as hummus and granola bars. Those items most frequently purchased by our passengers have remained on our menu, while less popular options were dropped,'' Allegiant spokesman Justin Ralenkotter said in an interview with USA Today.

But it's not all bad news for hungry travellers. Overall, airlines managed to reduce the number of calories per food items from 388 in 2012 to 360. Readers curious about how individual meal items rank can take a look at the slideshow below or see the survey in full detail here.

Last Place: Allegiant Air

The Most And Least Healthiest Airline Food

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