Will Disney give "nutritional values" on its foods?

[o0quirkygirl0o]

See, this is why I love living in Canada. Even the independent restaurants all up and down our street have nutritional information. Sometimes you will be shocked at the calories in a certain food. There's no sure way to know if a soup is made with skim milk or heavy cream on sight and taste alone, and the caloric difference between the two is pretty astounding.

 

[BuddyThomas]

If nutritional info is not posted, I just assume the nutritional content = Fatty Fatty Bomballatty. Which is what I might be after I eat it.

Seriously, it helps a lot here in NYC where restaurants have to include it. Some innocuous looking chicken dish will end up having 2,000 calories with tons and tons of salt and fat.

It would be nice for Disney to do it, but don't hold your breath.

 

[justcruisin]

Nevermind the salt and worry about the sugar. The more I learn about modern food the problem lies in sugar (and it's derivatives).

A bunch of real butter is better than some margarine and HFCS.

(IMO)

Ask how many ingredients are in the food you are eating. Ask if it's homemade. Does the list of ingredients read like a chemistry course or something like your grandmother would have used?

 

[BuddyThomas]

Great advice!

 

[kandb]

It is very hard to tell what ingredients (fattening or not) go into making a food item. If you are not the chef, it's hard to know what's really in the dish. It would just be nice to have the information, even if it was just on the website and was available to people who "want" to see it.

 

[kddisney502]

The lunch at Be Our Guest is the only restaurant I have seen that is offering nutritional information. I hope they expand that. The link is below. You can select "show detail" next to the item or scroll done to see the entire nutritional chart.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/magic-kingdom/be-our-guest-restaurant/menus/lunch/

At least after seeing this I know that the only thing I could order would be the potato leek soup or the tuna salad.

They have information for BOG dinner too. I personally hope they do continue to provide information for other restaurants (no matter how bad it is). But I'm not going to hold my breath. There are some websites that have estimated the data for certain items. Of course it's just an estimate, but it might help. I've found some just by doing google searches.

 

[agavegirl1]

I use my "MyFitnessPal" App on my iphone to guestimate what I'm getting based on the chain restaurant options listed. I can substitute a steak from "Outback Steak House" for a steak in WDW or find similar offerings for other entree's. The App gives fats (broken down), sodium, protein, carbs, sugars and fiber content.

And...it's free. There are other Apps out there as well.

ETA: You can also research the menu items using similar substitutions before leaving (using Disney menus).

 

[mousefan73]

I would love to see nutritional signs at the buffets. ALONG with a picture showing what a single serving is per item. I would love to seepeople reactions.
Maybe it would change the way we eat.


Maybe this would also lower the amount of food waste at buffets. It angers me seeing people loading plates, eating half, getting another and then stacking the half full plates like the leaning tower of Pisa!!!

And people wonder why some people can't stand character buffets.

 

[shortchef]

Even if they don't offer the nutritional information, you can still make wise choices based on knowledge of food. For example, I will order salmon at a restaurant over a steak because I know it's healthier. Many of the CS restaurants offer some type of healthier option. For example, Columbia Harbor House offers a humus, broccoli slaw, and tomato sandwich on whole grain. I know that's far healthier than the fried fish basket with fries that they also serve. You can also get carrot sticks, grapes, apple slices, etc. instead of the fries at many of the CS places. I know that's not a perfect way of choosing what you eat, but you can still make wise choices.

If it helps, you can go to allears.net and look at their menus beforehand. it will give you an idea of what the various restaurants serve so that you can choose a place that offers healthier options.

The problem is that this isn't actually the case! While a piece of salmon is technically healthier than a piece of beef, you do not have the story until the meals are prepared. Often times, a main dish salad is higher in fat, sodium, and/or calories than a burger at a fast food restaurant. This is why the nutritional info is critical .... and prob my biggest complaint with Disney. Since their stats are less than stellar, they aren't going to publish the info until they have to.

 

[maxiesmom]

Nevermind the salt and worry about the sugar. The more I learn about modern food the problem lies in sugar (and it's derivatives).

If you are worried about heart health, that goes against everything your heart specialists will tell you. Unfortunately I know this as my dad recently had a heart attack, and is going in for a procedure next week.

Sure you need to eat healthier, but salt is the big bad.

As far as Disney knowing what is in their food, sure they have a general idea. But as far as being able to tell you exactly what is in each serving, nope. It is impossible to do that as cuts of meat are never exactly the same size, as pats of butter are never exact. It has been found that even the restaurants that tell you food content are way off in their listings. They are guidelines at best.

As another poster pointed out, if you think about it you can usually guess what items are the better choices. Also, you can always ask for a sauce to be left off, or for your fries to be salt free.

 

[disneybliss2]

The problem is that this isn't actually the case! While a piece of salmon is technically healthier than a piece of beef, you do not have the story until the meals are prepared. Often times, a main dish salad is higher in fat, sodium, and/or calories than a burger at a fast food restaurant. This is why the nutritional info is critical .... and prob my biggest complaint with Disney. Since their stats are less than stellar, they aren't going to publish the info until they have to.

Sure, it would be better to have the nutritional information, but in the meantime while it's not offered at WDW, you can still make wiser choices. If I'm concerned about my caloric intake, I'm not going to order a salad laden with cheese, croutons, and ranch dressing. Instead, I'll opt for a salad that has veggies, fruit, and a lean protein without dressing. I understand that at times people will falsely assume that a salad is a better option, as often it is, but if it's loaded full of cheese, dressing, and bread then you're offsetting the benefits of eating it. But that's where I think it's just as important for people to educate themselves as to what is healthy to eat and what is not so that in cases such as being at WDW (and many other places) where nutritional information is not offered, they can still make wiser choices.

I understand everyone's take on why the nutrition information is important, but at the end of the day, I don't see it happening any time soon so I think it's important that I educate myself on what is healthy to eat and not. I can make the best informed decision based on my knowledge of food and make adjustments if I feel necessary (requesting sauces to be on the side, etc.). Plus, I've heard that the chefs at WDW are very accommodating if you have a particular need.