Eating Healthy At The Airport

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By Dr. Adeyemi Fatoki

healthysaladEating healthy at the airport is a misnomer. The goal of airport food vendors is not to help you eat healthy but to make you eat more and keep coming back. What every traveler should keep in mind is that eating junk food once in a while is not really going to have much of an effect on your weight or health. The problem is more with the things you eat on a regular basis. Here are a few tips to help you make the best of unhealthy choices:

1. Avoid foods that are labeled low fat. They usually have more sugar and/or salt.

2. Limiting your sugar intake is more important than calories. As far as calories are concerned, if you are hungry, you will find something else to eat. It is the processed foods that we can’t stop eating. It is difficult to consume excess calories of more natural foods as you will only make yourself sick. For women, I recommend limiting you total sugar intake to 24 gm (6 teaspoons) a day and for men, 36 gm (9 teaspoons).

3. Learn to read the ingredients of food packages or refer to the nutritional information when available.

4. Avoid processed foods. Words like enriched, bleached, high fructose corn syrup, modified corn starch, artificial sweeteners and a bunch of names that you have no clue about is a good way to identify processed foods. These foods are generally called comfort foods. They are the ones we generally can’t stop eating until we finish the entire package.

5. Buy foods in smaller packages or sizes. Avoid super-sizing drinks.

6. Avoid artificial sweeteners. The body was never designed to use anything that sweet.

7. Drink water instead of soda with your meals.

8. Try to eat equal amounts of protein, carbohydrates and salads/vegetables. If not possible, do 50% protein and 50% vegetables. Protein tends to be more filling so you eat less.

9. If you can, pack your own snack. At least, you know exactly what you are eating.

– Dr. Adeyemi Fatoki, M.D., is a Bariatrician, Author, & Medical Director of Great Heights Family Medicine in Calumet City and Ottawa, IL and co-founder of Practical Health Technology Solutions and Practical Weight Management Program

Copyright 2012 Adeyemi Fatoki, MD. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.