Recently, my husband and I were traveling internationally and had a wait to board the plane. We decided to eat lunch before the flight because there would be no in-flight food. The only options for food in the airport were American fast food chains. Trying to pick the best of the worst food, I chose Wendy’s. I figured a salad and water would be my best choice.

Before ordering I had no idea what the ingredients were in the food. Man, I was I surprised. My salad had apples and pecans in it. The ingredients on the pecan packet listed sugar as the second ingredient.  I asked for a plain balsamic vinaigrette and received a packet of fat-free raspberry vinaigrette.  Here are the labels:


As you probably know, I am not a fan of fat-free products. But when you are in a foreign country, you can’t always get what you want. I might as well had dessert – 11 grams of sugar in this little packet of dressing. Needless to say, I only used about a tablespoon of it for a little added flavor.

There were two types of water on the menu board – plain and strawberry. I don’t know what I was thinking that a fruit-flavored water would be just flavored and not juice! Again, sugar is the second ingredient then juice, juice, and more juice! I should have skipped this all together but I must admit, I drank the whole thing since I was thirsty.

So my salad wasn’t the worst choice I could have made but I certainly didn’t get what I’d hope to get. Sugary pecans, sweetened dressing, and sugar-flavored water made my meal less than healthy. I survived but lesson learned. I guess I could have asked ahead of time what would be available at the airport or gotten an Internet connection and looked up the nutrition information on the chain’s web site. But vacation means giving yourself a break. I didn’t gain weight and continued losing when I got home.

I’m now two and a half pounds away from my initial goal. I’m very excited. Plus, I’m in nutrition class to begin my new career. At least I know how to make good choices in bad situations.