We get it.

Sometimes you slip up and order too few snacks from airfare. When that happens, and you're on day 4 of a trip, you need to scramble for some healthy food. But healthy options at airports are few and far between, especially with Delta on the loose (the variant, not the airline 😉).

To help you out, we're compiling the top five #actuallyhealthy places to eat in the 10 busiest US airports (50 places total), which we'll  publish in our forthcoming Airport Survival Guide.

But, as a special gift to our airfare crew, we'll release a few large airports on the blog over the next few months...starting with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

The A-List: Truly healthy options

FRESH TO ORDER
Concourse B

This isn’t a premium salad place like you might find in Denver or Los Angeles, but it does the job. One rule you’ll see repeated here and in the full Airport Survival Guide: Mexican and Mediterranean options (a.k.a M&M) are your healthy friends.
WHAT TO ORDER: The Mediterranean Salad, no cheese, dressing on the side.

NATURE'S TABLE
Concourse E

Again, this is a place clearly trying to market health, and it does a decent job offering quality options.
WHAT TO ORDER: Either the Chili-cado® Bowl (vegetarian chili), without cheese, or the Mediterranean Bowl, without cheese, dressing on the side.

The Fallbacks: In case of emergency

CHIPOTLE
Concourse D

Chipotle is the fallback of fallbacks, is it not? But-- beware. The menu has both healthy and unhealthy options, so choose wisely.

WHAT TO ORDER: Salad bowl with black beans (because its pinto beans are cooked in lard), brown or cauliflower rice, all three salsas, corn, and guacamole. We also get the sofritos, which is tomato- and onion-stewed tofu.

QDOBA
Concourse A

The second of two Mexican restaurants on the Fallbacks list is not an accident: veggies, beans, and brown rice are healthy staples. And is there anything better than guac?

BAJA FRESH
Concourse C

The third of three. More beans, more guac. It’s almost heaven.
WHAT TO ORDER: Custom Bowl with black beans, roasted veggies, salsa, onions, and guacamole.

Bonus: Concourse T

Since none of our health(iest) picks are in Concourse T here's a quick-hitter on how to master it.

• Where to get club soda: Soda is better when it sparkles. But there ain't much in T. The secret stash of glass-bottled Perrier is in Goldberg’s Bagels.
• Where to get iced tea: Grindhouse, an otherwise dangerous place (health-wise), has freshly brewed iced tea, including a healthy unsweetened version.
• Where to get quick food: Z Market has little jars of quinoa, beans and vegetables. While some ingredients don't pass the airfare #actuallyhealthy test, overall it's likely the best option in Concourse T.

Fun facts about ATL

1. The airport opened in 1925
2. The first Delta flight took off from ATL in 1935
3. The airport's name was changed 50 years ago to honor Atlanta mayor William B. Hartsfield on February 28th (also cofounder Justin's birthday)
4. Maynard Jackson, the other namesake, was Atlanta mayor from 1974 to 1982 and 1990 to 1994 (apparently mayors and airports are a thing).
5. ATL employs more than 50,000 people
6. In 2015, it became the first airport to serve over 100 million people in a year