I went to Chicago this weekend, and it was the first time in a year. During a 3 hour wait at the airport, for lunch I had these California rolls and edamame with unsweetened green iced tea. The CA rolls were almost nil on the mayo and I was thrilled! But, you can't always eat like this at the airport.
I used to be a corporate road warrior and traveled 60% of the time. One of the main reasons I got out of that job with all the travel was because of all the crappy food in airports and on the plane. Plus, it's really tough to stay disciplined with the food when you're on the road and everything is on an expense account. Mentally, you're almost like, "Oh yeah, it's free food. I can eat anything I want."
I find too that around the US at the various airports, the food selections can vary significantly. You have better luck eating healthier at the major hub airports like San Francisco, O'Hare, Dulles, and JFK than the smaller regional airports that typically will have like one Burger King, Starbucks, and some Pizza place.
In the international wings of the airport, I find better foods there because there is more of a global flyer to cater too who is not necessarily attracted to our American chain foods. You can find more soups, rice, vegetables, and not as starchy foods. If I have a really long lay over, I've taken shuttles to the international wing just to eat because no way can I eat the fast foods and sit on a plane for xyz hours because the processed food doesn't sit well with me.
I've always brought my own snacks like organic nuts, food bars, and fruits because again, it's another way to nosh on the plane yet do it healthier. I'm kind of glad that they charge for food now on the planes because most times I would eat the meal more just because it was there in front of me, and not because I was actually hungry.
So, what are some ways you try to eat healthier at the airport on the flight?