Eating healthy is relative, right? It may be different depending on who you ask. For me, as a functional nutrition coach, eating healthy means whole, plant based and colorful foods with great ingredients! You may think it is hard to eat this way in a Disney theme park but it is actually vey easy and the options are fantastic! I plan to do articles for each different park, Disney Springs and the resorts on healthy options soon. But today I am just going to focus on an in general overview of the delicious healthy options I have had since we moved here in June!
There Are Always Salads Right?
Of course you can always find a salad at Disney restaurants but some are far superior to others! The one pictured above is the famous Cobb Salad from the Hollywood Brown Derby and it is phenomenal! This salad features split roasted turkey, bacon, egg, tomatoes, blue cheese, avocado and classic dressing. It comes looking instagram ready, all chopped up and looking good! The flavors in this salad are incredible, I typically ask for it light on the blue cheese or without the blue cheese since I don’t eat a lot of dairy and it’s never and issue, you can make any modifications you need.
My second favorite salad is the Fried Chicken Salad at Chef Art Smith’s Homecoming at Disney Springs. I ask for grilled chicken instead of the fried because I do not eat much gluten and this is not a problem either. You can make just about any dish at Disney fit your needs as long as you aren’t afraid to ask! Overall, the salad game in Disney is on point and not your average bowl of lettuce.
What About Desserts?
We all see those beautiful Disney treats on social media and wonder if any of them actually fit into our diets. First off I want to say that balance is everything when eating healthy as a lifestyle and not a crash diet. It’s ok to have a treat on vacation, or 5, hahaha! But it’s also nice to know that there ARE things that fit into the way we eat available that are still special and pretty!
The cupcake above is a Plant Based Valentines Cupcake available at the Port Orleans Resorts this month. It is a chocolate cake with a plant based butter cream frosting. It was really good, I’m not a huge cupcake eater or really sweet eater in general so this one wasn’t super exciting to me but if you love cupcakes you will love this one! There are tons of gluten free and plant based desserts throughout the parks and resorts, even for the holidays and the Epcot festivals. I appreciate being able to enjoy these special items without compromising the way I eat all the time and that they still taste great!
You can go to the My Disney Experience app and look through the menus of wherever you are in the parks under Mobile Orders and there will be a tab at the top to click allergy friendly options and a tab for plant based options, makes it really easy to see all the options available. You can also ask a cast member at any dining location for an allergy menu or even talk to a chef about your needs and what options you have to modify existing menu items to fit your needs. Cast Members are always super friendly and helpful with this
Are The Healthy Options Bland & Boring?
NO! Not at all! The curated plant based menu items Disney already has on their menus have always impressed me. The picture above is the Felucian Kefta and Hummus Spread from Docking Bay 7 in Star Wars Galaxies Edge. This dish is Impossible Meat mixed with Quinoa and spices on a bed of hummus, topped with tomato and cucumber relish with large pieces of pita bread. It has a great spice and flavor and the elements really mix well together. You can find a plant based Ronto Wrap over in Ronto Roasters in Galaxies Edge for lunch and breakfast as well! These are examples of more adventurous options, what about those of you out there that aren’t so adventurous with their food and kids?!
Luckily you can ask to make just about anything fit your needs and if Disney can do it, they will! We have asked for quick service pizzas to be made gluten free, meals involving dairy to be dairy free and they have accommodated us every time! They have dedicated allergy kitchens in most locations and will always ask if cross contamination in an issue. So if your kids just want pizza, a burger or chicken tenders but you need them to be gluten, nut or dairy free the message here is….Don’t Be Afraid To Ask! Nine times out of ten they will be able to accommodate you and will do it gladly!
There Is Always Something New
One of the things I love most about the healthy options in Disney World is that there are always new things being added to menus across the resort. The above picture is the Plant Based Vegan Soba Noodle Waffle Bowl in Hollywood Studios. This is available at a walk up quick service restaurant called Fairfax Fare on Sunset Boulevard in front of Tower of Terror. This dish includes chilled soba noodles, edamame, red cabbage, red peppers, shredded carrots, celery and green onions tossed in Yakisoba Sauce served in a waffle bowl. If you are ordering at the counter you can add plant based chicken or regular chicken to the bowl. I also just recently discovered that you can ask for a regular bowl or gluten free option for the bowl and they will accommodate. I just didn’t eat the bowl the first time I got this. I loved this dish especially because it is so colorful! It tasted really good too and is a perfect small portion for one person.
You can always count on new options when an Epcot festival starts as well. A lot of the booths individually have great healthier options but at multiple festivals there is a dedicated plant based booth and that makes me happy! Everything at this booth will be plant based and is usually very tasty and instagram worthy. Flower and Garden festival’s food walk has been all plant based foods the past few years and I love that because it encourages people to not only try something new but to maybe make a little healthier option while eating at the festival. I can’t wait for this festival to start in March!
How About Snacks
I mean there are t-shirts about just being in Disney for the snacks, so are their healthy snack options? Of course there is! You can find fresh fruit in every park, fruit pops, Disney popcorn is actually dairy free and so is most fruit flavors of Dole Whip! So you have no shortage of healthy options when it comes to snacking in the parks. But like I said before, eating healthy as a lifestyle is all about balance. It’s ok to have that Mickey Premium Bar or Mickey Ice Cream Sandwich, have that special addition cupcake or seasonal treat if you want to! Obviously if you have a food allergy you should stay away from anything containing that item but otherwise, your on vacation!
Conclusion
To close, I’ll just say what I tell anyone I coach, 80/20! 80% of the time you eat great and focus on consuming real, colorful, Whole Foods. The other 20% of the time you eat what you want and don’t stress about it. You can’t maintain a healthy lifestyle if you’re constantly beating yourself up about what you eat or depriving yourself completely. The same goes for when you are on vacation. Don’t go crazy because you don’t want to end up feeling bad or being run down because you are only eating junk all day but you also want to eat the Mickey Premium Bars!
Disney does an amazing job of accommodating any and all dietary needs and offering healthy options at just about every dining location. You won’t have a hard time finding healthy options and they are always happy to alter anything you may want to suit your needs if they are able to do so. So don’t feel like you have to stress about eating healthy in the parks.
As always, thank you all so much for reading today and I hope this helps you eat great on your Disney vacation! If you are looking to plan your Disney vacation soon, let me know I am now a Disney Travel Planner with Wondrous Adventures! I can plan your trip and and make sure you get the best dining reservations with the best healthy options at no extra cost to you! Y’all are the best and I thank you so much for making my Thursdays the best day of the week! Have a magical day everybody!