Philadelphia International Airport Ranked Among Healthiest Airports in the Country

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I have never thought of the Philadelphia International Airport as a healthy-food destination. I always eat before heading to the airport, but if my flight gets delayed and my stomach starts to growl, I usually see it as an excuse to eat my one Cinnabon of the year because, well, what good healthy vegetarian eats are there? A decent amount, apparently: PHL was just ranked among the healthiest airports for nutritious food options in the nation by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, coming in at 11th place out of 19 airports that made the cut.

Registered dietitians studied the menus of the busiest airports in the country and found that 75 percent of restaurants at 23 of the nation’s busiest airports, including PHL, offer at least one cholesterol-free, plant-based, fiber-packed entrée. When it comes to Philly’s offerings—where one can find a healthy plant-based option at 78 percent of its restaurants—the survey cites dishes like Saladworks’s create-your-own salad, Chipotle’s build-your-own burrito (hey—you don’t have to smother it in cheese and sour cream), and the veggie sandwich from Tony Luke’s. So we’re not talking organic quinoa bowls with tofu and freshly massaged kale here, but we’re not talking Cinnabon, either.

Baltimore/Washington International Airport came in first, with 92 percent of its restaurants offering a healthy plant-based option, and our neighbors over at Newark Liberty International Airport came in at fifth place, with 86 percent of their restaurants offering a dish that fits into this category.

This news of healthy airport food options comes at a good time, considering some of the busiest traveling days of the year are right around the corner: This year, when your Christmas Eve flight is unexpectedly delayed for who knows how long, you can take solace in knowing you don’t have to resort to Cinnabon for sustenance.

Unless, of course, you have a craving you just can’t ignore. (We wouldn’t blame you.)

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