There’s nothing worse than being stranded at the airport, starving, and nothing but unhealthy fast food options in every corner of the food court. Or stuck on the plane during mealtime with only a bag of pretzels or peanuts for sustenance over the next several hours. Airports are notorious for serving up only the unhealthiest of foods—think oversized cinnamon buns, greasy, stuffed-crust pizzas, and giant bags filled with candy or salty snacks—while some airlines are likely to serve no food of substance at all.

Thankfully, the situation is starting to improve. Travelers are now able to find at least a few healthier, natural—in some cases, even organic—foods at the airport and on board the plane. It will take a little more work to look past the obvious choices and ferret out the better-for-you ones, but, guaranteed, you’ll feel better for it!

Grab and go: There has never been a shortage of kiosks and quick, take-away food outposts on any airport concourse. The trick to sticking to your natural, healthy diet is to be careful with your food choices. Ideally, you’ll want to skip the fast food venues altogether. Instead, seek out places that sell sandwiches, soups, and salads. Most will be sold pre-made and pre-packaged, but you can still find ways to customize and make them as healthy as possible. Grab a mustard packet instead of mayonnaise to add to your sandwich (which, ideally is on whole grain bread), choose a soup made with vegetables and beans, and, when you buy a salad, remove excess cheese and croutons, and add dressing sparingly.

If there are shops that make made-to-order sandwiches, take the opportunity to pack it with healthy, natural ingredients. Try asking for smaller portions of meat and cheese and add extra lettuce and tomatoes, or spinach if that’s an option. Whenever possible, choose a healthier option like whole grain bread, or a wrap.

Snack smarter: Newsstands at the airport are filled with snack foods, but most of the offerings aren’t in keeping with a healthy, natural diet. But if you look, you can still find a few snacks worth eating. Many kiosks and cafeterias will have fresh fruit—either cut up in a fruit salad or whole apples, oranges or bananas. You can also find hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cut up veggies, and nuts. If your concourse has a concession that sells out of bulk bins, look beyond their candy selections and mix up a small portion of your own healthy trail mix—with dried fruit, raw nuts and seeds. At the newsstand, your most nutritious choice is a bag of trail mix. Just beware that those oversized bags pack as many 4 or 5 servings, so eat only a portion or share with your seatmates.

Being served: Stuck at the airport long enough to sit down for a full meal? Look closely at the menus—and don’t be afraid to make a special order—and you should be able to eat a fairly wholesome and nourishing meal without leaving the concourse. Even chain restaurants will usually have some salads or grilled entrees available. Get creative in how you ask to customize them—substituting a green salad or steamed veggies for fries, asking for extra veggies on top of your salad (in place of croutons), replace creamy dressings with olive oil and vinegar you mix yourself. And if portions tend toward the super-sized variety, ask for a half portion or share an entrée with your travel partner.

At a Mexican restaurant, the key is to avoid the more processed, fat-filled ingredients—like sour cream, fatty meats and refried beans. Instead, opt for more natural ingredients like a burrito filled with just black beans, lettuce and tomatoes. Top it off with red or green salsa for extra flavor without any extra fat. Even pizza doesn’t have to be off limits. Just stick to thin-crust slices piled high with vegetables (and ask them to go light on the cheese), while avoiding high-fat options like pepperoni, sausage and cheese-stuffed crusts.

Good food gets on board: In recent years, the selections of food available once you’re on the plane have been fairly grim. Airlines used to routinely serve meals on most flights. Granted, the entrees of rubbery chicken, glutinous pasta and stale sandwiches were often not worth eating, but at least you knew you wouldn’t starve in flight. Thanks to cost cutting measures, many flights now provide nothing more than a tiny bag of pretzels, cookies or chips. And if you are offered anything more substantial, you’ll have to pay for it. The good news is that sometimes you can actually get something healthy for your money.

Specific options at the various airlines can change over time, of course, but as of the fall of 2009, United was selling snack boxes for $7. But not all of the boxes are created equal. Some are filled with cookies, candy, chips, deli meats and processed cheese spreads. But United does carry an all-organic box that contains better-for-you choices such as granola, apple chips, and organic cheddar cheese crackers. On American Airlines, the Boston Market Chopped Salad ($10) makes a nutritious lunch or dinner—with mixed greens, zucchini, broccoli, dried cranberries and sunflower seeds topped with white meat chicken. And perhaps the most appealing options are those for sale on Delta and Northwest flights. Available on some longer flights, the breakfast menu includes a cup of yogurt with fresh berries ($3) and at lunch or dinnertime, you can get a healthy, all-natural fruit and cheese plate ($6) or an almond butter and jelly sandwich on whole wheat bread ($4).

If possible, plan ahead: Whenever you can, it pays to pack your own food and take it with you to the airport. The two biggest concerns when you BYO airplane meals are: how perishable the food is, and whether or not it will pass through security checkpoints. Soft cheeses, sandwiches with lots of tomato, pickles or condiments and fragile fruits aren’t great choices when you will be toting them around in your carry-on bag for several hours before eating. And liquids of any sort (including yogurt) will not make it past security. So what should you bring?

• Hard cheese cut into cubes or slices (you can’t bring a knife through security, so cut it up at home) with whole grain crackers
• Cut up veggies—like carrots, celery, peppers
• Durable fruit—like apples, bananas, oranges
• Your favorite Kashi® snack bars
• Packet of tuna or salmon (eat it on crackers or add it to a green salad you buy at the airport)
• Small sealable bowl filled with hummus or peanut butter to eat with crackers or cut up veggies (to make it past security, pack less than 3 oz. worth—and, for good measure, put the bowl inside of a 1-quart resealable plastic bag)
• Sandwiches on the drier side will travel well—including wraps and PB&J
• For a make-it-yourself meal on the plane, bring a cup of bean soup that just needs water. Ask the flight attendant for hot water to reconstitute the soup, and eat it with a slice of good bread for a hearty, healthy meal.

Taking control: There are enough aspects of travel that are completely out of your hands—flight delays, security lines, middle seats with no legroom. But your diet doesn’t have to fall prey to the mercy of the airport and its unhealthy fast food menus. With a little careful planning and some nutrition-conscious shopping you really can eat well while on the go. Bon voyage!