Nutrition Hits The Masses: Large Companies Get Healthy

Believe it or not, healthy habits are on the rise in America. Airports and massive corporate chains — both unlikely nutritional havens — are beginning to take baby steps in the right direction, offering health-conscious travelers and customers better options than ever before. We’ll recap two ways in which the large-scale, healthy revolution is hitting the masses right now.

Airports

_{Image via Metabolic Centres}

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Frequent flyers are looking for nutrition, not nuggets, and airports are catching on. While McDonalds and Chick-fil-A once made up the bulk of travelers’ airport dining options, new and improved choices have arrived on the scene (or in this case, at your gate!). For example, New York’s LaGuardia Airport offers countless healthy snack options, including Brad’s vegan, gluten free, and organic kale chips (above), as well as Biena Foods’ roasted chickpea snacks (if you haven’t tried their cinnamon maple flavor yet, you know what your homework is).

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People are undeniably paying attention to these healthy switch-ups, too. The Huffington Post wrote about a 2012 report that investigated what percentage of each airport’s eateries offered healthy options for diners. The winner? It’s not LAX, if that’s what you’re thinking. Rather, Newark’s Liberty International Airport came in first place, with 92 percent of its 61 restaurants offering healthy choices to customers! Go New Jersey?

Chain Restaurants and Stores

 _{Image via Panera Bread}

Think that cherry pastry looks all-natural? Neither do we, but by 2016, it may look a little less…synthetic. That’s because the massive corporate chain it came from, Panera Bread, has just vowed to remove all artificial ingredients, sweeteners, and coloring additives from their menu in the next two years, according to Well and Good NYC. This encouraging news is part of a series of positive, healthy changes being made by massive American food companies. Even Walmart is starting to offer organic foods to its shoppers. When “the nation’s largest retailer and grocer” steps into the wellness world, you know we are making healthy headway. Bravo, Americans!

For more on healthy eats, check out our features here.

How would you like to see large companies get healthier?