Healthy Eats at DFW Terminal D

August 25, 2015

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Luxury Travel Advisor & Founder of Passport To Friday. Follow along on my travels and let me help you plan your dream trip or honeymoon!

I'm Chelsea.

Healthy Eats at DFW Airport

Oh DFW, basically my second home. While the other terminals offer not-so-good food options (think Pizza Hut, Burger King, etc.), Terminal D is DFW’s shining star when it comes to food, stores, and services. The great thing about the Skycab is that it’s fast. If you have longer than an hour layover, I highly recommend making your way to Terminal D as it truly is a far step above the rest of the terminals at DFW.

Yesterday I had a nice, long 4 hour layover at DFW. The weird thing is I’m not exaggerating when I say the word nice. I love long layovers if it is in an airport that I like. Yes, I even plan some of my flights around it (I see you LAS next week which I purposely planned a 3 hour layover to experience the Centurion Lounge there). While I may not necessarily like DFW, I love the Centurion Lounge in Terminal D. There’s only so many hours you can spend in there enjoying great food, getting a manicure, and sipping a cocktail though so I decided to take a stroll. I was amazed by all of the wonderful dining options! The minute I saw Quest bars at Smoothie King, I knew I had to start experiencing more of what Terminal D has to offer. Dallas, located smack dab in the middle of barbecue, queso, banana pudding, everything oh-so-amazing-but-bad-for-you country, has some healthy options! Cue the Chelsea celebration dance. I’ve curated a list of what I find to be some healthy options at some of the restaurants in DFW’s Terminal D:

(Side note: As much as I like to think I am, I am in no way a health expert and have no formal schooling in this. After studying abroad in Italy and experiencing a nice five months of real food, I have come to appreciate and seek out good, clean food. It is extremely hard to eat clean while dining out since you don’t know exactly what they are cooking your food with, but below are some of the options I found the most “clean” and healthy. Some simple healthy hacks you can make are requesting oil & vinegar instead of salad dressings, sautéing vegetables in oil rather than butter (preferably extra virgin olive oil), and opting out of unnecessary carbs such as mashed potatoes or rice and doubling up on veggies or protein instead.)


BREAKFAST


Healthy Eats at DFW Terminal D
Starbucks

Ah, the airport Starbucks. With 4 locations at Terminal D you have many options to try to beat those infamous Starbucks lines we all expect. The items vary at the different locations and depending on the day, but I did see a good assortment yesterday when I was walking around.  I recommend:

  • Spinach & Feta Breakfast Wrap (290 cal) – Wheat wrap filled with egg whites, spinach, feta, and tomatoes.
  • Hearty Blueberry Whole-Grain Oatmeal (220 cal) – Rolled and steel-cut oats with blueberries and agave.
  • Greek Strawberry & Blueberry Yogurt Parfait (250 cal) – Creamy non-fat greek yogurt layered with strawberries, blueberries, pure honey, and seeded granola.

(Located by Gates D12, D25, D28, D30 (Outside Security))

 

Jamba Juice

 I have mixed feelings about Jamba Juice because historically their smoothies are full of sweeteners and aren’t quite the healthiest, but they are definitely trying to make improvements. I suggest getting:

  • Whole Food Nutrition Smoothie such as the Carrot Orange Fusion (fresh carrots, fresh orange juice, bananas, mangos, soy milk, greek yogurt, chia seeds). The small ($5.39) is 280 calories with 10g of protein and the medium ($6.29) is 370 calories with 11g of protein.

(Located by Gate D27)

 

Smoothie King

I have the same feelings towards Smoothie King, although they are getting better about their healthy options as well. I suggest getting:

  • 16oz Fruit Parfait ($5.30) – fresh fruit, organic flax seed granola, and all-natural nonfat yogurt. With flavors like mixed berry (300 cal) and tropical (330 cal), this is a great option to get a good serving of protein, fruit, and whole grains.
  • Quest Bar ($3.55) – Serious excitement overcame me when I saw that Smoothie King had these! I almost always travel with a Quest bar so this is a great option if you forget one. Packed with protein and no sugar.
  • Kind Bar ($2.74) – Another great bar. Less filling than a Quest bar in my opinion, but does the trick.

(Located by Gate D22)

 

Au Bon Pain

Serving up breakfast until 10:00am, Au Bon Pain has a couple great options for those craving something savory. Try the:

  • Egg Whites & Cheddar Sandwich (230 cal) on a buttered wheat skinny bagel
  • Egg Whites, Cheddar & Avocado Sandwich (310 cal) on a wheat skinny bagel with lemon aioli.

Want to be extra healthy? Order it without the cheese!

(Located at Gate D22 international arrivals, Gate D27)

 


LUNCH / DINNER


Healthy Eats at DFW Terminal D
360 Gourmet World Grill

I view 360 as DFW’s version of Chipotle. You choose your style (burrito, bowl, quesadilla) then pick your protein and toppings. I suggest getting:

  • Bowl ($7.99) with Chicken or Veggies – get any of the toppings but to stay extra healthy, opt out of the spanish rice. My perfect bowl would have chicken, black beans, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and garlic lime dressing… yum!

(Located by Gate D18)

 

Banh Shop

Craving some Asian flavor? Banh Shop has got you covered. Of course with the name “Banh Shop”, they have quite a few options for Banh Mi style sandwiches which aren’t always the healthiest. You can order one of these and just not eat much of the baguette, but really what fun is that? I suggest getting on of the following:

  • “Banh Fire” Bowl ($8.95) – A stir-fry of carrots, bean sprouts, red onion, scallion and cilantro tossed in a spicy tamarind sauce and topped with peanuts, “Banh Fire” jalapeño pesto with your choice of protein. I suggest omitting the white rice and sour cream.
  • Cool Fresh Summer Rolls ($2.50) – A gluten-free (if requested) and vegetarian option, these consist of lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, daikon, and rice vermicelli rollers in rice paper with nuoc mam and ginger-peanut sauces. Fresh and delicious!
  • Field Green Salad ($6.95, $8.95 with protein) – Definitely a more boring option but sometimes you just want a salad. This one has mixed greens, carrot, cucumber, corn, red cabbage, and red onion tossed in a ginger-peanut dressing.

(Located by Gate D31)

 

Starbucks

Same as with breakfast, Starbucks’ selection changes depending which location you are at.  I recommend:

  • Protein Bistro Box (380 cal) – Apples, hard-boiled eggs, grapes, white cheddar cheese, peanut butter, multigrain muesli bread.
  • Omega-3 Bistro Box (420 cal) – Wild-smoked Alaskan salmon cream cheese spread, edamame hummus, trail mix with dark chocolate chunks, wheat-free crackers and cucumbers.
  • Hearty Veggie & Brown Rice Salad Bowl (430 cal) – Butternut squash, beets, kale, red cabbage, broccoli, peas, tomatoes, brown rice, and lemon tahini dressing

(Located by Gates D12, D25, D28, D30 (Outside Security))

 


SIT-DOWN DINING


Sky Canyon Restaurant near Gate D14

Sky Canyon Restaurant near Gate D14

III Forks

At the airport for a long time and want a nice sit-down meal? III Forks has great, upscale options such as:

  • Ahi Tuna Starter ($16.95)
  • III Forks Salad with Ahi Tuna ($20.80)
  • Red Pepper Chicken Entree ($26.35)
  • King Salmon Entree ($32.95)
  • Sides (all $5.96) – Fresh Asparagus, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sauteed Spinach

(Located by Gate D27 Upper Level)

 

Reata Grill

“Legendary. Western. Cuisine.” Their slogan doesn’t exactly remind me of healthy dining, but there are a few healthier options hidden among their vast menu. These include:

  • Chopped Up Salad ($11.99) – Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, toasted pecans, cucumber, and carrots tossed in Reata’s Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. This is a good salad option while the other few salads they have are tossed in ranch or caesar dressing.
  • Grilled Shrimp ($16.99) – Skewers of grilled shrimp served on a bed of rice and seasonal vegetable medley. Opt for no rice and double veggies.
  • Reata Alpine’s Grilled Chicken ($14.99) – Two 6 oz. seasoned, grilled chicken breasts served with mashed potatoes and seasoned vegetables. Opt for no mashed potatoes and double veggies. This also might be a shareable entree considering a standard recommended portion size of chicken breast is 4 oz. and this is technically 12 oz.

(Located by Gate D33 Upper Level)

 

Cantina Laredo

Can’t leave Texas without some good Mexican food, and Cantina Laredo offers a modern twist on the classics. I suggest:

  • Ensalada de Cilantro y Pollo ($13.19) – This dish is gluten-free and has fajita chicken, black beans, red pepper, monterey jack cheese, avocado, and cilantro-lime dressing.
  • Ensalada de Camaron Con Miel ($15.17) – This dish is gluten-free and has grilled shrimp, jicama, mangos, roasted walnuts and goat cheese crumbles with tropical honey vinaigrette.
  • Laredo ($16.49) – Grilled chicken breast topped with sautéed artichoke hearts, peppers, mushrooms and onions in chipotle-wine sauce.

(Located by Gate D24)

 

Pizza Vino

Being a pizza restaurant, there are limited healthy selections although you are able to get your pizza with gluten-free dough for an extra $1.99. If you do decide to get a pizza, I suggest the Veggie Pizza ($10.99) because it’s loaded with good-for-you veggies like roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Otherwise, I suggest:

  • Chopped Salad ($8.99) – Chopped romaine lettuce, bacon, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, red onions and house vinaigrette. Add grilled chicken for $2.99 for extra protein and request oil & vinegar in place of the vinaigrette.
  • Panzanella Salad ($7.99) – Roasted zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, red onions tossed with house vinaigrette and parmesan cheese, served with a side of bread. Opt for no bread and add grilled chicken.
  • White Bean Hummus Dip ($7.99) – Blended Cannellini beans and hummus dip, served with garlic bread and raw carrots and celery sticks. Ask for no bread and double veggies.

(Located by Gate D18 Upper Level)

 

Sky Canyon

A fusion of international and Texan flavors, Sky Canyon might be a good choice if you want some different flavors. I suggest:

  • Ceviche ($11 – $12) – They offer a variety of ceviche including:
    • Honduran Tuna – Coconut – Ginger – Passion Fruit
    • Ecuadorian Shrimp – Orange – Golden Tomatoes – Popcorn
    • Salmon Veracruzano – Green Olives – Capers – Jalapeños
  • Also, when I was there I think they had a Seared Ahi dish. There might be some good seasonal options like that!

(Located by Gate D14)

 

Safe travels y’all!

Best,

Chelsea Rose Martin

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Hi, I'm Chelsea Martin, Luxury Travel Advisor & Founder of Passport To Friday. I've been planning bespoke luxury vacations and honeymoons for almost a decade now. I can't wait to help you plan the trip of a lifetime! 

A true Cancer, hotel-slipper-obsessed gal whose IG Explore page is full of dogs.

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