Ideas for healthy dining while in the World

[queenmum2]

Hello, folks -

I know there have been threads about healthy options at WDW. Mostly what I've found from the search are years-old threads.

DH is following the heart diet out of necessity, and I've been following it with him out of love. We've been to Walt Disney world many times and are having palpitations (no pun intended) when we think of cutting out our favorite meals at our favorite Disney restaurants. We'll be with our two kids (15 and 12).

This time, we'll be staying at a concierge level room, which is a new experience for us. I feel like we can get a fairly healthy start in the lounge before we head out for the day.

We have the following ADRs:

Be Our Guest - dinner (obviously we haven't eaten here before )
Coral Reef - lunch (we've never dined here, but feel like it might be a good fit for our new lifestyle)
Chef Mickey - dinner (this is a favorite - hoping we'll find some healthy alternatives)
Rose and Crown - dinner (again, a favorite restaurant)

Those are the only meals I've scheduled. I'm thinking that with the offerings in the Concierge Lounge, we'll have breakfasts covered and can nip in mid-day for snacks, or on our sit-down lunch day we can pop over to see what is offered in the evening. In the parks, I know that many CS places now offer some healthier fare.

Any ideas or suggestions for staying on our diets will be greatly appreciated. In the past, we've pretty much walked off the extra calories, so I'm not worried about weight gain so much; just trying to fit the meals in with our lifestyle, KWIM?

Thanks,

Tracie

 

[JimmyV]

I think that you are well on your way.

Here are some strategies that we have used.
(1.) Do NOT get any DDP.

(2.) Concierge lounge is the perfect place to start the day with fruit, fruit and more fruit.

(2.a) The Concierge level of a resort can really add up, cost wise. If this isn't in your budget, consider renting a car, even if only for the one day from the airport to a resort that has a rental car return. (Like the Dolphin). On the way from the airport, stop off at Publix and buy healthy breakfast and lunch items. This is where the diet really suffers, IMO. A one way, one day rental might cost you $40. Add in $60 of groceries, and you have spend $100 in order to secure plenty of healthy choices. This is less than a single day's upgrade to the Concierge level at most resorts.

(3.) Pack your own lunches, if you have followed (2a) above. If not, religiously stick to eating salads for lunch.

(4.) Go heavy on the seafood for dinner. Since you aren't on a DDP, you can go to bluezoo, Flying Fish, California Grill, Citrico's among others for some excellent low fat, low cholesterol seafood. And with the money you are saving from your breakfast and lunch stategies, the cost is bearable.

(5.) Try to avoid buffets. This becomes easier as kids get older.

 

[Sparkie]

These are a few of my favorites.

Ohana: Salad, steamed broccoli and snow peas, pot stickers, chicken wings, grilled chicken, steak, pork and shrimp. Not all heart healthy but some good choices.

Wolfgang Puck Express: I had the grilled salmon and there is also a half a roasted chicken dinner

Mama Melrose: I had the seared Ahi Tuna with a vegetable rissoto and it was topped with diced red and yellow bell peppers

Most places will have a chicken or fish entree and the creams and sauces can always be placed on the side.

Columbia Harbor House in the Magic Kingdom has a Salmon and broccoli dish and its counter service. Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom has a roasted chicken meal. Flame Tree BBQ has roasted chicken. If you are on the dining plan, I discovered that the counter service places will substitute a bottled water for the dessert. On the buffets you will have lots of salad and fruit options.

 

[queenmum2]

These are a few of my favorites.

Ohana: Salad, steamed broccoli and snow peas, pot stickers, chicken wings, grilled chicken, steak, pork and shrimp. Not all heart healthy but some good choices.

Wolfgang Puck Express: I had the grilled salmon and there is also a half a roasted chicken dinner

Mama Melrose: I had the seared Ahi Tuna with a vegetable rissoto and it was topped with diced red and yellow bell peppers

Most places will have a chicken or fish entree and the creams and sauces can always be placed on the side.

Columbia Harbor House in the Magic Kingdom has a Salmon and broccoli dish and its counter service. Cosmic Rays at Magic Kingdom has a roasted chicken meal. Flame Tree BBQ has roasted chicken. If you are on the dining plan, I discovered that the counter service places will substitute a bottled water for the dessert. On the buffets you will have lots of salad and fruit options.

Have you tried the salmon at CHH? Last time we went there, I remember everything (except the tuna salad) was fried. It is nice that they offer the salmon now. The Seared Ahi sounds DELISH!

Thanks for the responses so far!

Tracie

 

[ArmyWife3-4]

When we've stayed CS, the breakfast options are great! Oatmeal, cereal, fruit, etc. It's not easy (especially for me...) but stay away from the sweet treats and other yummy goodies! I also recall the snacks in the afternoon to offer nice fruit and veggie options as well!

Personally, I find eating a filling, healthy breakfast to be the best way to stave off cravings later in the day. Staying CS should definitely help with this!

On the DDP, I also like to swap out the dessert at the CS locations for fruit or veggies instead. Honestly, I find that most of the CS location desserts aren't that spectacular, and I'd rather save my calories for later, more yummy things!

Another thing I'd suggest is making sure you don't deprive yourself completely! Treating yourself once in awhile will help keep you on track later. You are on vacation after all, just don't overindulge. I find that planning my meals for the day helps me look forward to a special treat later in the day.

 

[Sparkie]

I havent tried the salmon at CHH. But the pictures that I have seen here on the DIS it appears to be grilled.

Now the salmon at WPE was DELICIOUS and the tuna at Mama's was also DELICIOUS. I also looked up the description on all ears and the tuna was topped with red and yellow tomato and not bellpepper. Of all the meals that we had over 10 days the above 2 were most memorable.

 

[queenmum2]

When we've stayed CS, the breakfast options are great! Oatmeal, cereal, fruit, etc. It's not easy (especially for me...) but stay away from the sweet treats and other yummy goodies! I also recall the snacks in the afternoon to offer nice fruit and veggie options as well!

Personally, I find eating a filling, healthy breakfast to be the best way to stave off cravings later in the day. Staying CS should definitely help with this!

On the DDP, I also like to swap out the dessert at the CS locations for fruit or veggies instead. Honestly, I find that most of the CS location desserts aren't that spectacular, and I'd rather save my calories for later, more yummy things!

Another thing I'd suggest is making sure you don't deprive yourself completely! Treating yourself once in awhile will help keep you on track later. You are on vacation after all, just don't overindulge. I find that planning my meals for the day helps me look forward to a special treat later in the day.

Thanks for the input! I agree that a good, filling breakfast does help tremendously. My DH and I were always fairly healthy eaters to start with; but found, after his heart "episode" in February, that we could definitely do better. I'm just nervous b/c we are used to certain "treats" in Disney: big breakfast buffets, burgers & shakes at Sci-Fi, etc. I'm hoping that having the "treat" of the Club Lounge might help us change our mindset about eating at WDW.

Tracie

 

[queenmum2]

I havent tried the salmon at CHH. But the pictures that I have seen here on the DIS it appears to be grilled.

Now the salmon at WPE was DELICIOUS and the tuna at Mama's was also DELICIOUS. I also looked up the description on all ears and the tuna was topped with red and yellow tomato and not bellpepper. Of all the meals that we had over 10 days the above 2 were most memorable.

Seriously, that tuna sounds heavenly!!! Might have to change out CM (which I probably should anyway) for MM.

Tracie

 

[kddisney502]

We get groceries delivered so that we can eat breakfast in our room. That way we don't have to find something healthy for one meal a day and it starts us off on the right track. We usually get things like fruit, cereal, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs, v8 juice. It also helps if a craving strikes at night. I'm not sure how much of this would be covered by CL.

Most places have healthy options, but some can be hit or miss when it comes to taste. Take a look at the menus for your ADR's and have a plan going in on what you will order (and any omissions/substitutions). That will make it harder for you to vary from the healthy option when you get there. You can also look ahead to see if the healthy option actually tastes good (check reviews or ask on the boards).

For CS, also take a look at menus at each park and find at least one place that will be easier for you to eat at. I agree that CHH is probably your best bet for CS at MK. For EP, sunshine seasons has many choices, so you should be able to find something here. For HS, I really liked the southwest salad at backlot express. The sandwhiches are good there too. For AK, I've heard that the turkey sandwich at flame tree is really good. But I love vegy sub at restaurantosaurus, just sub apple slices for the fries.

 

[queenmum2]

Kddisney - thanks for your suggestions. Exactly what I want to hear is first-hand experience from healthy eaters. I'll definitely look out for the veggie sub in AK!

Tracie

 

[amberpi]

Try the vegetarian platter at Tangerine Cafe for a great CS meal, I do it with extra tabboleh and hummus and its yummy. Also, try non-fried seafood any place you can get it and non-fried sushi. If I didn't like those darn slushies so much, I'd be fine in WDW

 

[DeborahA]

Sunshine Seasons--near Soarin--has so many healthy options. We love the roasted veggie sandwich. It is a flatbread with hummus and lots of roasted vegetables. It is large enough to share--we add a fruit salad and it really is filling. I second the veggie platter at Tangierine Cafe. Very good.

 

[cigar95]

One options I've found extremely helpful at the sit-down places is to talk to a chef before every meal and tell them about my cardiac diet. They can adjust how certain dishes are prepared, and more than once I have had chefs offer to make me something that wasn't on the menu at all. I had almost an entire dinner at Boma that was hand-prepared by a chef who enjoyed being creative! It might have been even better than the stuff on the buffet, which is hard to believe.

 

[kddisney502]

One options I've found extremely helpful at the sit-down places is to talk to a chef before every meal and tell them about my cardiac diet. They can adjust how certain dishes are prepared, and more than once I have had chefs offer to make me something that wasn't on the menu at all. I had almost an entire dinner at Boma that was hand-prepared by a chef who enjoyed being creative! It might have been even better than the stuff on the buffet, which is hard to believe.

That's a very good point. If you on a specific diet (low salt, low fat, cardiac, etc), be sure to add this information to your ADR's. Also remind the restaurant when you arrive. That way the chef will know to come out and talk to you about any of the dishes and questions you may have.

For CS meals, they have a big book that will list of the ingredients for each dish which can be helpful for food allergies. I'm not sure how detailed this book is for calories/fat/salt. But someone may know over on the disabilities board.

 

[vinotinto]

I don't know if staying concierge is a good idea if you are trying to follow a healthy diet. I've looked into it, and the offerings seemed high sugar, high carb and low in high quality protein, low in grain/complex carbs, and low in good fats (i.e., regular oatmeal, cereal, pastries, juice, etc). I would nix that and spend the money on DxDP or just pay out of pocket, and make sure that every morning you start your day with a high quality protein and a whole, complex carbt. For other offerings at the Concierge Clubs at Disney, there's an emphasis on lots of empty calories - candy, crackers, etc., and the 'hot offerings' in the evening are not cooked-to-order so they cannot be modified. So, again, I would choose to eat where they can cook-to-order your food.

Of your ADRs, I like Coral Reef a lot. The fish with beans and greens is great (again, tell them to take it easy on the salt). Some of my fave places not yet on your list, but with some healthy options are Sanaa, Kouzzina, Cali Grill, Flying Fish, and The Wave.

Regardless of what ADRs you make, I would note the dietary restrictions on your reservation. For example, if you are on a low-sodium diet, I would definitely note that. I've had some delicious and otherwise fairly healthy meals, but I can tell they've been a little heavy-handed with the salt.