Is There Such A Thing As Healthy Eating At WDW?

[real mad hatter]

Ok folks,silly ole me again.After reading excellent comments from our Master Yoda on my thread " is that it " Is there a restaurant at WDW that you think provides a good standard of healthy cuisine.Yeh,we all enjoy a burger & fries and fully loaded dogs.But looking towards TS restaurant for this answer.At Cali Grill this year,I tried my first ever taste of sushi and loved it( its got to be healthy surely ) so where would you go for a healthy meal at WDW?

 

[J_Carioca]

Morocco at Epcot has pretty healthy food. I haven't tried the sit down, but the quick-service is good. The vegetarian platter has taboule, hummus, and other stuff that is decently healthy.

At Columbia Harbour House last week I had the harvest salad, which normally comes with grilled chicken. They let me replace it with salmon. Not health food per se, but certainly not junk food.

Even burgers can be made healthier if you top them with lots of tomatoes, lettuce, etc... like you can do at Pecos Bill, Cosmic Ray's, etc...

 

[s&k'smom]

At Peco's Bill last year I had a veggie burger and since PB has the best fixing's bar I was able to load it up with all sorts of veggies, it was delish. Got to agree with Morocco having healthier meals, I love hummus and couscous so I was in heaven. Don't get me wrong I had my Mickey ice cream bar every day but still kept up a pretty healthy diet. Do french fries count as a vegetable?

 

[stlbobby]

The Wave in the Contemporary emphasizes fresh, local, sustainable, and healthy offerings. Most of the table service venues will have something lighter and healthier, although you have to be careful with salads as they can end up being worse than a burger when they are piled with dressings and cheeses. At many of the food courts you can find things like fresh fruit or yogurt parfaits. There are healthy options all over WDW. It's really about making the right choices.

 

[ddbowdoin]

no... lol

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Absolutely!
While there are healthy options offered on all TS & CS menus (though having to use a little restraint not to go for the burger and fries can be hard) I have found these places do healthy the best:

MK - Liberty Tree Tavern & Plaza Restaurant (TS)
Columbia Harbour House (CS)
Liberty Square Market & Sleepy Hollow (Snacks)

Epcot - Garden Grill, Restaurant Marrakesh, Teppan Edo, Tokyo Dining (TS)
Katsura Grill, Sunshine Seasons, Tangierine Cafe (TS)


DHS - Backlot Express & Starring Rolls (TS)
Anaheim Produce (Snacks)

DAK - Tamu Tamu (CS)
Harambe Fruit Market (Snacks)

DTD - Fulton's Crab House & Wolfgang Puck Cafe (TS)
Earl of Sandwich & Pollo Campero (CS)

Resorts - blue Zoo, California Grill, Flying Fish Cafe, Kimono's, Kona Cafe, Sanaa, the Wave (TS)
Fresh Market, Kona Island, Mara, Pepper Market (CS)

 

[Sloan]

You already mentioned / tried one of the best bets for healthy options - California Grill - stlbobby is also right-on about the Wave.

In addition to those, Boma and Jiko both have a lot of healthy (and excellent) options. You can check a sample menu on this site: http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/jiko...2012-jiko---the-cooking-place-dinner-menu.htm As I'm sure you know, Boma is buffet, and there are many healthy choices. I've not tried Saana yet, but I've heard good reports, and the menu there looks to have some healthy options too. http://www.wdwmagic.com/dining/sanaa/menus/27may2011-sanaa-dinner-menu.htm

Since you mentioned you liked you first experience with sushi, I will say that Tokyo Dining is pretty good, with healthy options other than sushi too. My most recent meal there was quite good.

Citricos has a good mix of offerings on the menu - and while not all of them would qualify as 'light' - most are pretty healthy, since Chef Ponticelli seems pretty Mediterranean influenced ...

While these would be my first thoughts for someone looking for 'healthy' dining at the World, there are many others with very healthy menu options - for those who have the self-discipline to order the healthy choices ...

 

[rufio]

I don't honestly know. I am such a healthy eater at home that I show no restraint at WDW.

 

[crispy]

As someone who struggles with my weight and who is trying to maintain a 100 pound loss, here are some of the things that I do to try to stay on track at WDW. As my WW leader says - you can have anything you want, you just can't have it all at once!

It can be hard to eat healthy at WDW because there are so many wonderful, not-so-healthy things surrounding you (I'm looking at you Starring Rolls Bakery and Karamel Kuche!) so my way of dealing with it is to try and make good choices and to mitigate the damage when I want something that's not healthy. The portions sizes are pretty huge so I have had to make the decision to either split the meal with someone else, order a kid's size portion, or be willing to throw part of it away. For example, if I really want a burger, I will either order a kid's size or just cut it in half and eat part of it. For dessert, we either share or else I take a few bites and toss the rest. I also try to order lighter fare like seafood and fresh vegetables, but if I really want a steak, I usually just cut it in half since the portions are so big (DH usually eats the other half!)

In almost every counter service restaurant, you can get apples, carrots, or grapes instead of fries so I try to choose those. If I order a salad, I get the dressing on the side and don't add things like croutons because they are empty calories. Many of the CS places offer whole fruit or fruit cups in lieu of sweets for dessert. There is a lot of little things I try to do to make what I eat healthier while still trying to enjoy my dining experiences.

 

[RonAnnArbor]

I think that depends on what you mean by healthy eating -- you can find healthy options everywhere in WDW, and every sit-down restaurant always has at least one or two low-fat/"healthy" meals ---
But for others (like me for example on a low-carb diet) I can find great low-carb options absolutely everywhere -- and at the sit-down restaurants, they can doctor just about any meal to fit the low-carb profile -- you just tell them as you are ordering -- most restaurants even send their chef out to explain the substitutions he/she will make.

To say that WDW has no healthy options is just plain old wrong. But it does take some thinking about the meals, especially at counter-service food stands. Even there, if doing low-fat, you can choose things like the chicken wrap, not the burger and fries.

 

[real mad hatter]

no... lol

Come on,think positive.

 

[blackthidot]

Check out @WDWFigment page www.disneytouristblog.com he touches on healthier options all around Disney World.

 

[Dad 2 M & M]

What would be the point in that?!

I imagine most of the TS joints would have salad that would work....many QS such as Columbia Harbour House has healthy choices.

 

[luv]

If by healthy, you mean low fat, low sodium, low-carb and average calories...not really.

If you are on special diets for cancer or whatever, they will work with you and help you find stuff to eat. But it is going to be a bit of a chore. Disney is not the healthiest place on the planet, that's for certain.

If you're on a special diet, it will be MUCH easier to get a room with a full kitchen and prepare your own stuff. You'll probably like the taste of the food better, too. Those of us who eat healthy food tend to prepare it to our own tastes in more creative ways, lol.

Good luck!!

 

[real mad hatter]

If by healthy, you mean low fat, low sodium, low-carb and average calories...not really.

If you are on special diets for cancer or whatever, they will work with you and help you find stuff to eat. But it is going to be a bit of a chore. Disney is not the healthiest place on the planet, that's for certain.

If you're on a special diet, it will be MUCH easier to get a room with a full kitchen and prepare your own stuff. You'll probably like the taste of the food better, too. Those of us who eat healthy food tend to prepare it to our own tastes in more creative ways, lol.

Good luck!!

. Eh! good luck.Hold the phone,it's only a question,no way am gonna eat healthily at WDW.Ive been on a diet looking forward to putting on these calories.

 

[coachwnh]

when im on vacation, i dont look for healthy!!!!! i want stress free living and great food!!!!!

 

[Disneydreamer23]

I lost 62 pounds dieted for 7 months then went to Disney for 8 days and guess what i ate EVERY THING i ate so much food it was sick but it was AMAZING I thought hey I am on vacation right? when I got back home I weighed my self and i only gained 1 pound you walk so much just enjoy your self!

 

[mickey&me]

Define what you are currently meaning by "healthy." Low-calorie, low-carb, low-fat, low-sodium, vegan, what? Personally, I believe that eating a balanced diet (all in moderation) is about as healthy as you can get. So by my definition, there are plenty of healthy options at WDW. It depends more on the individual doing the ordering than on the offerings. Burgers, fries, and hotdogs abound because they're cheap, easy to prepare, and in high demand. But by no means are those your only choices, even in counter-service-only locations. As the parent of child with type 1 diabetes mellitus, I was able to find plenty of low-fat, low-carb options for my son to eat and still have the occasional burger or hot dog as well.

 

[Hulacat]

As someone who struggles with my weight and who is trying to maintain a 100 pound loss, here are some of the things that I do to try to stay on track at WDW. As my WW leader says - you can have anything you want, you just can't have it all at once!

It can be hard to eat healthy at WDW because there are so many wonderful, not-so-healthy things surrounding you (I'm looking at you Starring Rolls Bakery and Karamel Kuche!) so my way of dealing with it is to try and make good choices and to mitigate the damage when I want something that's not healthy. The portions sizes are pretty huge so I have had to make the decision to either split the meal with someone else, order a kid's size portion, or be willing to throw part of it away. For example, if I really want a burger, I will either order a kid's size or just cut it in half and eat part of it. For dessert, we either share or else I take a few bites and toss the rest. I also try to order lighter fare like seafood and fresh vegetables, but if I really want a steak, I usually just cut it in half since the portions are so big (DH usually eats the other half!)

In almost every counter service restaurant, you can get apples, carrots, or grapes instead of fries so I try to choose those. If I order a salad, I get the dressing on the side and don't add things like croutons because they are empty calories. Many of the CS places offer whole fruit or fruit cups in lieu of sweets for dessert. There is a lot of little things I try to do to make what I eat healthier while still trying to enjoy my dining experiences.

Woohoo Crispy! I've lost 64.2 (and keeping it off) with WW. Our WW leader talks about the food carts having fruit available- this is a great way to stave off the "oh, it's not time for my dinner yet but that (insert high calorie item here) looks yummy" moments.
I second the kid's burgers- and my DH is a big guy, but he says that the kid's burgers with grapes & a teensy fry on the side is more than enough food.
I like to teriyaki chicken at the Japanese TS- and it's a nice spot to chill out at if you take your meal outside to the garden area tables.

 

[Semantje]

I totally understand that you want to pay attention to healthy eating. We want to enjoy all that WDW has to offer and for us that includes a lot of food! I planned to loss a few pounds before i go so i can take care of that amount of food. I know myself very well and i do know i won't mind extra calories when on vacation. I'm not a burger and fry person but those pasta's with cream sauce and chocolat dessert will not be any better.