By Brianne Hogan / Source: Ecorazzi

Finally! Air travel is getting a whole lot easier for vegans.

According to the Physician Committee’s 2015 Airport Food Review, seventy-one percent of restaurants at the 30 busiest airports in the U.S. offer at least one high-fiber, plant-based, vegan meal option.

The results are a 25 percent increase from 2001, which means that airports are listening to the needs of travelers who prefer to eat healthy while on-the-go.

Not surprisingly, Los Angeles Airport (LAX), which opened the country’s first plant-based eatery in 2013, ranks highest on the list. A whopping 90 percent of its airport eateries offer nutritious vegan meal options. Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and Denver International Airport (DEN) round out the top five with 80 to 84 percent of their eateries offering up delicious veggie dishes.

But a heads up for those who are traveling to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL): their healthy plant-based options are very limited.

So what does constitute as a healthy vegan meal?

“We’re looking for fiber-packed menu items that prevent blood sugar levels from spiking and promote fullness,” Cameron Wells, M.P.H., R.D., associate director of clinical nutrition with the Physicians Committee, said in a press release. “Salads that mix a leafy green base and are topped with root vegetables, lentils or beans, whole grains, and garnished with fresh fruit, nuts, or seeds is always a great find.”

With most American airports serving up everything from beet burgers to quinoa salads, it’s relieving to know that during this holiday season we can load up on healthy snacks while at the airport (which is sometimes more than we can see for the treats offered at our mother-in-law’s).

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