This week, we’re in Charleston, the Holy City. Sun and sand, shrimp and grits. A great town for hush puppies, cornbread and she-crab soup, but it’s not necessarily the first city that comes to mind when we think of healthy eats.

However, we’ve recently seen some movement in a more nutritious direction. At a conference for female pilots this week hosted by The Ninety-Nines, our team was fortunate to find a great little spot called Basic Kitchen, a plant-forward take on a lively, American gastropub. Other health-focused spots dot Chucktown’s map, like Gnome Café, Rush Bowls, Clean Juice and Verde.

Just like in other cities we’ve covered, the airport is usually where good nutrition stops, and Charleston International (CHS) is no exception. In fact, of all the Airport Survival Guide entries, this might be the most limited in terms of both healthy options…and food options in general.

We’ve put together the healthiest places to eat in the busiest airports around the country (Los Angeles International, Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta Hartsfield, Denver International, LaGuardia) to help snackless and vulnerable fliers navigate these calorie-rich, nutrient-poor travel hubs. And during our time at CHS, we had to work extra hard to dig up some healthy options.

But don’t worry, fly folks, we pulled got it done. Here are the healthiest foods at CHS.

Healthy Hacks

Charleston’s main airport is full of beer gardens, bars, grills, and similar eateries that are not health-focused yet can be beat by any wily airport veteran. Here’s how to hack the Holy City.

Charleston Beer Works

To be clear, we wouldn’t stop here if we had a choice. With seven or so menu options total—most unhealthy—this stop can work if time is short or a travel companion is hankering for a beer.

What to order: Get the hummus and substitute the pita with veggies for dipping. Alternatively, make the same move with the chips and salsa.

Hudson News

In a major rush, stop here and find some healthy snack diamonds in the rough. The biggest issue with this option—like at all airport convenience stores— is the package size. Unlike airfare snacks, these packs are monsters and come with the scary price tag, so plan to share with a friend, or flex some serious self control.

What to grab: BARE Apple Chips, Barnana Coconut Banana Bites, and Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame (an airfare newbie).

Jack Nicklaus’ Golden Bear Grill

We love the Golden Bear on the golf course, but when it comes to healthy food, he don’t know Jack. Just pray they’re still serving breakfast.

What to order: From the breakfast menu, go with reliable oatmeal and fresh fruit. We don’t trust the dried fruit — usually loaded with extra sugar and oil. One extra secret from the pros is to add some bananas and nuts, which aren’t offered with the oatmeal but are available upon request.

For lunch and dinner, we’re in trouble. There are no #actuallyhealthy options we recommend, so get the Impossible Burger in a lettuce wrap and with avocado in a pinch. We’re not big fans of the impersonation meats at this point.

The #actuallyhealthy savior

Caviar & Bananas

Thank the good lord, this spot brings salvation to Charleston International. Morning, noon or night, you’re in good shape at good ol’ C&B.

What to order: For breakfast, grab a plain oatmeal and a side of fruit, plus ask for nuts. For lunch or dinner, build a salad with a base of mixed greens and spinach, and add artichokes, red peppers, onion, corn, tomato, avocado, quinoa, toasted almonds and a side of balsamic vinegar. Then get some fruit from the grab-and-go area.

As a back-up or to satisfy a sandwich craving, go with arugula, pickles, onion, tomato, spinach, yellow mustard, and avocado on multigrain bread, and add hummus if it’s available.

Fun facts about CHS

• As a joint civil-military airport, it serves as both a commercial flight hub and a military air base.
• It serves about 4 million passengers per year, placing it around No. 50 in the ranking of the nation’s busiest airports. For comparison, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International handles 10 times more (53 million per year).
• The annual passenger total has doubled in the last decade, making it one of the fastest-growing airports in the country.
• Breeze Airways—the newest airline and latest from JetBlue founder David Neeleman—announced last year that Charleston would be its “focus city” and that the airline will service 11 destinations from CHS.
• Unlike many airports that handle gate ownership via long-term leases, all of Charleston’s 15 gates are technically up for grabs. CHS owns all of its gates and has no long-term leases, so for anyone thinking of starting an airline, try to snag a few odd departure times. Good luck 😉