Food Allergies: sit-down vs. buffet / For those who care to 'dish' about WDW dishes..

[kimmar067]

add breakfastosaurus to the list of places you can go. we had a nice breakfast there last week (for me, that translates to a spinach omelet, steamed broccoli and carrots, and fresh fruit). the chef told me they use a generic vegetable oil but that he'd get some olive oil for me from another place. also, in addition to a whole apple and pear, they brought in slices of watermelon for me, since i can't eat the cantaloupe or honey dew that they usually serve. (another guest came up to me to ask where i'd found it, since his wife wanted some. too.) Felt good to be able to eat in a restaurant, although i should have waited longer before going on the primeval whirl!

but, usually when DD ate at a counter service place, i just watched, or pulled out an orgran bar or dipped some veggies or taro chips into some homemade black bean hummus that i'd brought into the parks in a small softsided cooler. never had any problems bringing food in, but if anyone had questioned it, i knew i could tell them the name of the person i'd spoke with at the executive chef's office for MK awhile back who told me it would be ok to bring food in because of my special needs.

dj

....you!! By the feedback that I have been getting, it seems that WDW is THE place to be if you have a food allergy/sensitivity! i am just sooo glad that I won't have to canel my ressies for O'Hana's after all!!

(PS - any thoughts on Tangiers, the rest. in Morocco??)

 

[Talking Hands]

I do not have to avoid wheat but am diabetic so have to avoid food prepared with a large amount of sugar. I also cannot have anything prepared with nutrasweet. Disney has always been very helpful and cooperative with one exception. At Mama Melrose, a waiter brought me a diabetic cheesecake which he told me was nutrasweet free. I asked to see the ingredient list because I knew from past trips that Disney's diabetic cheesecake contains nutrasweet. I was informed that the box had been tossed by the waiter and he couldn't provide an ingredient list. I decided not to take the chance and refused it.
Now the chef at Boma not only showed me all the dishes not prepared with sugar in large amounnts but prepared me a meal of the same dishes soup, entree, sides and dessert all made with Splenda. Since I had spoke to them in advance, they were able to do this. He told me it was his first opportunity to try this product because although he had been asked before I, it was the first time that he had been given advance notice. Seems that with advance notice the chefs are more than happy to accommodate special needs.

 

[kimmar067]

....just curious ~ what is the difference between Nutrasweet and Splenda that you can have one and not the other??

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Nutrasweet is all artificial while Splenda is actually sugar which has been processed to remove part of it chemically.

 

[Talking Hands]

Thanks for the technical explaination. I have severe reactions to Nutrasweet so cannot use it at all. No reaction from Splenda so I can use that.

 

[kimmar067]

Nutrasweet is all artificial while Splenda is actually sugar which has been processed to remove part of it chemically.

. . . the '411' ! Learn sum'pin' ev'ry day.... !

 

[Ambassador]

Is there a distinction between wheat allergy, gluten intolerance and celiac?

 

[kimmar067]

...disease is called Celiac, or celiac sprue. It is an extreme allergic reaction to the ingestion of gluten, the protein found in wheat grains, but is also present in almost all grains, including barley, rye, oat, semolina, durham, and graham. Apparently, neither rice nor corn contain gluten, which is a key thickening agent and many food products. Therefore, Celiac sufferers must COMPLETELY abstain from, not only the typical items that come to mind, such as breakfast cereals, wheat/semolina pasta, [traditional]pizza, and baked goods [breads, pies, cakes, cookies, donuts, etc....]but also many processed foods like MOST soups, gravies [that come in packets], salad dressings, many deli items, condiments like soy sauce, frozen breaded items, and the list goes on and on. My DH was taking multi-vitamins that had gluten in them, so he had to find ones that are gluten-free!

 

[welovedis]

I agree that with advance notice the chefs can do more for you during your visit. Last year I traveled to WDW with my family and had some other local friends who were there are the same time. We wanted to have a nice dinner in Epcot but they wanted to go to Teppanyaki and for someone with a severe egg allergy, hibachi is usually a no-no.

I called to make some other PSs and when I mentioned my hesitation they had me connected to a chef faster than I could say. He listened to my limitations, asked questions and assured me that they would provide me with a meal I would enjoy.

We got there and after being seated a chef came out to speak with me, he told me what they had planned and made sure it was ok with me. I had a delicious meal, cooked on the grill which was cleaned before cooking mine and no reaction afterward. That was the first time I'd been able to have hibachi food since I got diagnosed with food allergies and EG and was thrilled!

GL with your planning!

 

[misslauri]

My DH and some friends of mine went to WDW together, and between the four of us, someone is allergic to everything! Naturally, we were concerned when we made PS's, but we found all the chefs to be more than accomodating. My personal fave was Marakesh, where the chef managed to balance each of our allergies and make us each something different, but still wonderfully exotic and distinctly Moroccan.

 

[kimmar067]

Yup, THAT'S it! (Tangiers - silly me! ) What did you think of the food? How expenseive IS it?? I've heard that many of the dishes are prepared with couscous, which also is a grain that contains gluten!!