What to eat at DisneyWorld?

bissenhotel

Going to Disney next week. Does anyone have any great "healthier" places/items to eat? :drinker:

Maggie_Pie1

The last time I went to disneyworld, I had to take a 401k loan out to pay for the food there. I'm being facetious, but it was expensive. So we just ended up bringing in snacks to eat while there and then having a nice dinner somewhere else.

busyPK

I love Disney!! I was there a year ago November. The food is pricey so I would suggest bringing snacks if you can. You will be walking a lot so have water with you and if you want to have nice dinners make sure you make reservations beforehand because they are booked all the time. Coral Reef was my favorite restaurant there (Epcot) and they had seafood and chicken if I remember right.

awdhemi

The last time I went to disneyworld, I had to take a 401k loan out to pay for the food there. I'm being facetious, but it was expensive. So we just ended up bringing in snacks to eat while there and then having a nice dinner somewhere else.

HAHA This made me LOL!

golope

I'm going there in March and I've been worried about the same thing. I've worked so hard to get where I am - I don't want to blow it all by eating Disney crap for a week. Not to mention the cost factor! My plan was a good breakfast in the hotel and then try to keep to simple snacks as best I can find during the day and a good dinner somewhere else at night. I'm assuming all the walking we'll be doing will help with the extra calories that I'm bound to eat.

bissenhotel

We got the free dining plan, sit down dinner, counter service lunch and a snack.

erxkeel

Small children, they are plentiful and low cal.

bump040510

Small children, they are plentiful and low cal.

Hahahahahahahahahahha!

Poohsta0

Grilled Mickey

nys2

erxkeel -- FUNNY! Loved it!

JennaM222

Going to Disney next week. Does anyone have any great "healthier" places/items to eat? :drinker:

minnie mouse

JPsFunkyMojo

I second the bringing in some snacks. Food is REALLY spendy inside any theme park, especially Disney. As for healthier options, if you're going to Epcot inside the Electric Umbrella they have this killer black bean burger. They also have healthier options inside the living seas.

cupcakediva24

They have fresh fruit for snacks and you can bring your own food in there as well. Just ask for veggies instead of fries or share meals and load up on the good stuff. I know Pinocchio's place in MK has a greek salad for entree that is REALLY good. Just keep walking and drinking water and I think you will do fine. You will be able to make great decisions food wise everywhere. They are good to work with everyone. Just tell them how you want it! Have fun!!!

MrsRipdizzle

I had typed this post on another thread so I'm just copying/pasting here as it also applies:
We went to Disney World for a week after Thanksgiving! It was ah-maze-ing! I was concerned about how I'd maintain while there since we were on the dining plan but I did great! In fact, I didn't gain a pound (well, when we first got back I was up a couple of pounds but within two days that all came out as I was retaining a ton of water from the excess sodium and flying). I was back to losing in no time! And I allowed myself to enjoy the food (we did four buffets while there...so you can only imagine!!). For breakfast I ordered a container of my favorite protein shake from Amazon and had it sent down so every morning I had my usual with a fiber bar or an apple. I also ordered (from Amazon) the following for snacks to throw in our bags: Jack Link's beef and cheese sticks, Kellogg's Fiber Bars, Planter's Peanuts/Cashews, and to-go packets of all natural peanut butter. I spent $100 with all the protein and snacks for my family, but it was worth it as I wasn't blowing money on other crap and we had plenty of energy to go from 8 am until midnight or 2 am (we got the most out of this trip!). I ate a dessert with each meal when it was offered as part of our plan...but sometimes I'd be so full by the time it came around that I just split it with my son or something. So, all of this to say...it's definitely doable to maintain (and even lose, I imagine had I made healthier choices and skipped desserts I'd have lost!). I wore a BodyMedia Fit and my average calorie burn was about 2800-2900 cals a day from just walking.

MB_Positif

I've only been to Disneyland, so I am not sure of what DisneyWorld has, but there was one sort of walk up type of restaurant that had a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado. It was good, and not terrible for me!

AJ_MotherRunner

I am not sure what your meal plan includes, but in Downtown Disney there are tons of sit down restaurants that will offer seafood, chicken dishes and salads. I would order something high in protein and a dinner salad (with dressing on the side. I dunk my fork in the dressing cup - that way each bite has dressing and it is amazing to see how little you need for your salad). Another thing I do is ask for a to go box right off the bat. We as Americans are known for having jacked up serving sizes. Put half of the meal away before you even start eating, that way the temptation is packed away in the little container. Lastly,

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HAVE FUN!!!

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Enjoy your vacation and don't beat yourself up over food choices!!!

rebawagner

we have season passes and go often... I recommend packing your own luches (FOR EVERYONE)... Throw some cheese sticks and fruit snacks as well as a couple uncrustables or pre wrapped subs for the kids. I brought nuts, apples and cheese sticks for me. Buy one of those Brita filtered water bottles and fill them up at the water fountains (waters are about $3.00 each and sodas are $2.75. ) If you HAVE to eat there... There is Chili (its not good) and salads, but most everything else is fried, pasta or fatty! HAVE FUN!!!!

cmp04d

I am lucky enough to live in Florida and have a brother-in-law who works at Disney, so I enjoy the parks several times a year, and it is possible to eat healthy. Usually, I bring my own snack (granola bars and such) to prevent the binging on ice cream bars and such. When it comes to actual meals, most quick service places have salads and wraps. You can also get grilled chicken sandwiches and substitute apple slices or grapes for fries. If you are in EPCOT, visit The Land pavilion, they have healthier foods that are incredibly delicious. Most sit down places will have some sort of grilled meats to chose from, just pair it with extra veggies and you're set.

Also, don't forget about all the walking you will be doing! You will be on your feet for hours so you can eat a little more than you would at home. Plus, don't forget it is a vacation and its ok to indulge a little, just in moderation. Have fun!

robmaguire1

Just got back from Disney World. Since you are on the dining plan, expect to eat alot. What you want to do is not eat the "crap" food like hamburgers and chicken fingers. There is a great place at the Contemporary called The Wave. It's never busy and they have some healthy food selections, especially for breakfast. When you have your sit down meal, have a salad with dressing on the side and a piece of fish or chicken with no sauce or toppings on it. That should help.

bbbgamer

This will be a problem. Not a whole lot of healthy options. Take healthy snacks in with you, they do not mind if you bring food in. Find restaurants around the area before you go that you can and want to eat at. i remember a salad at one of the restaurants there was almost $20.00.... A burger and fries about $10.00.....A pizza is the best deal at the resorts for about $15-20...It will feed more than one....You're definitely going to want to take something. If you stay at the reseort you can rent a refrigerator, its small but you can keep a few things in there. Go to the local grocery store and stock up.

autumnsfalling

I was just there for a week in October. I was bad (you may not want to follow my example) and I ate (almost) what I wanted. I enjoyed myself but I did watch my portion sizes. Given the amount of walking we did, and that we were there for the Food/Wine Festival in Epcot I was happy that I was only up 2lbs when I came home. Three days of being home and back on my plan I had lost the little bit that I gained at Disney.

My perspective is that this food/weight loss journey that I'm on is a life-long change. I don't want to deny myself those treats all of the time or I may not end up sticking to this new way of eating for the long-term.

I couldn't eat all the time like I did on vacation and the key (for me) was mentally allowing myself to eat like that for the week knowing that as soon as we were back home I was back on my "diet". I was actually looking forward to watching that water weight fall back off.

Good luck and enjoy your trip!!

PS - in my experience with Disney (we go regularly) just tell the server that you're looking for healthier options and they will direct you to those items on the menu... or at a buffet just ask your server to direct you to those items on the buffet. They are MORE than happy to help!!

rgunn02

We packed in our food in a pack back every day that we were there - and then we would let the kids have one treat before we left at the end of the day.
we're a family of 5 and starts to get expensive not only is it mostly unhealthy. They have small stands through out the park with healthy options - but they are pricey.

Seminolegirl97

I have an annual pass to DisneyWorld as I live 90 mins away from it and it's a fun thing to do on a Sat. Food wise this is what we do to keep costs low and eat semi healthly.

If you are in Epcot there is always the "Food Court" in the Land. Salads and good sandwiches. Probably $10 a person. Also, the worlds have great yummy food. In the World Showcase, America is pretty inexpensive.

Magic Kingdom, if you go to Tomorrow Land, cross the bridge to the right from the castle and there is a cafe there that has turkey wraps. Again its probably $10. Also, Frontier land has a busy little restaurant that sells fish.

Keys to keeping it cheap: We NEVER EVER buy Soda, what a waste of $3! Bring a water bottle with you and crystal light and just refill through out the day. You can go into any restaurant and use the cold water from the soda machines! Good for you and free!!!

If you have a car, we always hit Subway before we go to the park. Healthy and cheaper. We have also brought subway subs into the parks with us. And homemade little finger sandwiches. We bring individual packets of Almonds and Apples. Keep in mind if you are there when it's warm the food is getting warm in your bag so plan for that. I have a Kate Spade backpack that is insulated so I stick an ice pack in it and our food and it looks cute without screaming "I'm carrying my lunch in DisneyWorld!" You can bring any kind of food you want, depends on if you want to carry it!!! There are lockers to rent but I never want to walk to the lockers from across the park!

Good Luck and enjoy your vacation!! You are never too old to enjoy Disney World! :happy:

lostsanity137

I can't say I have ever looked for healthy food at Disney. When I go, it is definitely my cheat day. You do so much walking anyway, that you can usually justify the calories. It is expensive, but I love eating in Japan at Epcot. I always get the Japanese curry rice, and my BF gets the Udon noodles. Yum! Then churros in Mexico, turkey legs in America. *Drools* Epcot is my favorite so I haven't spent a lot of time eating at the other parks.

cmp04d

I was at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure this past Saturday, they have similar food options. Feel free to look at my diary and see how I ate. I didn't gain anything all weekend as was able to drop 1 lb this week.

philOHIO

The last time I went to disneyworld, I had to take a 401k loan out to pay for the food there. I'm being facetious, but it was expensive. So we just ended up bringing in snacks to eat while there and then having a nice dinner somewhere else.

BUY THE DINING plan! The savings can be in the HUNDREDS! Sometimes WDW offers the dining plan for free with your stay. Disney isn't any more expensive than elsewhere in Orlando. If you want to know where to eat, send me a PM. I know Disneyworld like the back of my hand.

deliak2010

LOL at all the hilarious responses . But to answer your question, Disney World doesn't have many healthy options within the theme park itself besides some really bland (and overpriced) salads, fruits and other generic things. I used to go to Disney World every other year with my family and we used to pack food with us and carry them in our knapsacks, which was easy and delicious . Or if you don't want to do that then you can just map out your day into portions of food from the park according to what's the "best of the worst" from their selection so to speak lol.

Good luck and I hope you have a blast at the Happiest Place on Earth!!! )

MamawB6234

We went to WDW last year with the free dining plan. Its the only way to go and enjoy yourself. They have plenty of healthy choices, even for snacks. It was the first time I had used this app to help me keep track of my foods. Between the walking and smart choices, I did not gain any weight while there, and their restaurants have such beautiful food presentations, you'll be tempted to take pictures of them. We saved a couple of our dinner points to use at 2pt. restaurants for a really special dinner. Don't forget to make reservations, because many others are also using the dining plan also.

bhalter

I cannot remember where I saw it, but try Googling some information - we're going in a year for our wedding and I found a message board or site that listed some healthier options at certain restaurants. WDW has already laxed on their "no food in the parks" area so we're planning on packing a bunch of non-perishable healthy snacks to have throughout the day.

HMD7703

Do like the locals and bring your own snacks!!!

You will save tons of calories and money.

UsedToBeHusky

It's Disney World!! Just have a good time and worry about working it off when you get back!!