Healthy choices at WDW Tips & Ideas thread

[perla75]

Inspired my my kids meal photos thread.

I know most people like to splurge and pretend that WDW food has no calories (it's that magical pixie dust!), but there must be a group of us out there who like to make healthy choices for the majority of the trip, with an occassional splurge here and there. Any healthy people out there??

Whether you choose healthy meals for weight loss, weight maintenance, diabetes, other health issues, or if you just prefer healthier foods: please list your favorite healthy meal choices at WDW-counter service and table service. Include choices at parks, resorts, DTD, anywhere on property. Also include any substitutions you made to the meal to make it healthy.

Thanks!!

 

[perla75]

I'll start:

Captain Cooks (CS @ Poly): I love the turkey club sandwich. It comes on multi-grain bread. I usually pull of the bacon. You can order steamed veggies as a side.

Tangierine Cafe (CS 2 Morocco/Epcot): Love the vegetarian platter. Comes with cous cous salad, hummus, and taboule

 

[katylady]

I'm usually one to throw caution to the wind while eating at WDW, but I'd like to break that habit. Any other suggestions would be great (and could you throw some willpower my way while you're at it?)!

 

[BriarRosie]

One of the easiest things to do is ask for the substitution for fries. It's either going to be carrot sticks or apple slices, depending on where you go. That alone will make an impact over the course of counter service dining.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Last time I was there, over by Space Mountain there was a fruit cart. I stocked up on a few pieces of fruit and enjoyed them throughout the day!

 

[BriarRosie]

Last time I was there, over by Space Mountain there was a fruit cart. I stocked up on a few pieces of fruit and enjoyed them throughout the day!

Oh good tip! All the parks have carts somewhere that sell various fruit and veggie snacks. I bought a carrot and celery snack at the Harambe village in Animal Kingdom, near the safari ride. Those carts have a decent selection of snacks.

 

[pumba]

We just returned last night from 8 days at Disney. We TRIED to eat right ....well I did......fruit, cut up and whole were in most food courts and also cut up veggies with ranch dressing... I ate a few salads and we did three buffets. I noticed at the buffet we had more choices of veggies and healthier choices. Our two grandkids had loads of fruit and cut up veggies. They loved the buffets and had brocolli most of those meals.
I didnt gain any weight and my sugars were stable. most of the exercising aka walking kept me in check. So I did go off the program alot. but managed to keep track of my health....

 

[barbeml]

We've learned that the healthiest thing at WDW is sharing! The portion sizes of almost everything are huge, so we save calories and money by sharing snacks and counter service meals.

We usually eat just two meals and one snack a day at WDW...learned this the hard way after suffering "Big Meal Fatigue" on our first trip (three ADRs a day, yikes!)

Some of our healthy faves:

Fruit & yogurt parfaits at most of the grab & go spots. Not too sweet.

Kona delight at the Kona Cafe: Not on the menu last visit, but they made one up for us anyway...fresh melon topped with a bit of raspberry yogurt, a sprinkle of granola and a drizzle of honey. We also had an excellent turkey club with turkey bacon on whole grain at Kona, and they offered a side salad instead of the chips.

Starring Rolls has an excellent roasted veggie sandwich.

And another thumbs of for the Tangierine Cafe for delicious and healthy choices.

 

[perla75]

I'm usually one to throw caution to the wind while eating at WDW, but I'd like to break that habit. Any other suggestions would be great (and could you throw some willpower my way while you're at it?)!

My willpower is my pants buttoning It's also the guilt of gaining when I get home. I plan to allow myself a few splurges on my next trip, but I like to eat healthy can I can.

 

[perla75]

One of the easiest things to do is ask for the substitution for fries. It's either going to be carrot sticks or apple slices, depending on where you go. That alone will make an impact over the course of counter service dining.

Great tip-thank you!!

I also like the sharing meals idea. Do they charge you extra for sharing a meal at TS restaurants? I was thinking we might order an appetizer salad & share an entree one night.

 

[tiggr33]

For medical reasons I need to watch carbs and sugars. One of my favorite hints is to get your burgers/chicken breast sandwiches from CS locations without the bun. I either eat it open face, or more likely I tend to put it on top of a salad. Some locations have better fixins bars then others, and I don't even need to order a salad. As they have lettuce and tomato on the fixins bar. By omitting carbs where I can, I can afford (blood sugar wise) to get an occasional sweet tea.

 

[disneygirlinnj]

Great tip-thank you!!

I also like the sharing meals idea. Do they charge you extra for sharing a meal at TS restaurants? I was thinking we might order an appetizer salad & share an entree one night.

I don't believe they do...but it might still be worth it to pay if they make you. I'd honestly rather pay a tad bit more then have mounds of food taunting me.

And barbeml...those are great choices...I'll have to ask if they can make the dessert again at kona for me!

 

[barbeml]

And barbeml...those are great choices...I'll have to ask if they can make the dessert again at kona for me!

The Kona Delight was actually a breakfast item, but I'm sure they could make it as a dessert.

 

[barbeml]

Kona Cafe Coconut Almond Chicken - coconut and almond (and a bit of panko crumbs I think because it stayed so crunchy even tho it was not fried) chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds. No starch...but an incredibly delicious and satisfying dinner. This was so good I had it two nights in a row last December. The chicken was drizzled with a sauce that reminded me of the awesome coconut curry chicken stew they serve at Boma.

I can't wait to have this again in December.

I'll keep thinking!

 

[food4me]

Kona Cafe Coconut Almond Chicken - coconut and almond (and a bit of panko crumbs I think because it stayed so crunchy even tho it was not fried) chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds. No starch...but an incredibly delicious and satisfying dinner. This was so good I had it two nights in a row last December. The chicken was drizzled with a sauce that reminded me of the awesome coconut curry chicken stew they serve at Boma.

I can't wait to have this again in December.

I'll keep thinking!

That sounds delicious! I will definitely have to try it.

I'm quite surprised at all the great ideas in this thread! I don't have any of my own to add (yet ) but I'm quite pleased that there is such a variety. I'm so used to being stuck with salads or plain grilled chicken for the one "healthy" option.

 

[perla75]

Kona Cafe Coconut Almond Chicken - coconut and almond (and a bit of panko crumbs I think because it stayed so crunchy even tho it was not fried) chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds. No starch...but an incredibly delicious and satisfying dinner. This was so good I had it two nights in a row last December. The chicken was drizzled with a sauce that reminded me of the awesome coconut curry chicken stew they serve at Boma.

I can't wait to have this again in December.

I'll keep thinking!

Wow, what a great choice-I might have to try this! I noticed it on the menus but passed it by because I figured it was deep fried.

If you order it sauce on the side, it might save a few more calories as well

 

[ptrbryant]

Thanks, perla75, for starting this thread! We had three big trips in the past 5 months (just 1 to WDW) and it's taking me forever to lose the ten lbs. I gained...haven't lost one yet. I realized that, for me, it's all about what I eat in restaurants---my at-home cooking is healthy and varied. This Sept., we've got another WDW trip planned---with Free Dining!

We always go to the Tangerine Cafe for CS meals...would love hearing more suggestions other than salads or plain grilled chicken.

Karla B.

 

[BriarRosie]

Great tip-thank you!!

I also like the sharing meals idea. Do they charge you extra for sharing a meal at TS restaurants? I was thinking we might order an appetizer salad & share an entree one night.

No, they don't charge for sharing. My meal at California Grill with friends last October was comprised of lots of sharing of sushi and flatbread (back when the oven wasn't broken lol) and other appetizers I ordered in place of an entree.

You can split an entree if you wish, and they'll accommodate you free of charge....so far.

 

[westcliffemom]

Most of the resorts have oatmeal for breakfast, I plan on having that w/sugar free syrup to start my day off right. Last time I asked, it was made with water not milk, so less calories.

My weakness is the bread! I love the French rolls @ Chef's, the Multigrain breadsticks @ Le Cellier, the Ciabatta @ Coral Reef, I could go on & on! I try to set a limit & not go over.

I also try to use the menus available online and decide what I'm going to have before I go.

All I know is when I throw caution to the wind and eat like normally I wouldn't, I feel sick. That keeps me from overindulging.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm in the "Disney food has no calories" camp, but I'm hopping on board to get some ideas on getting a fruit/veggie fix at Disney. I don't eat much meat or starch at home, so sometimes I have a bit of overload on all those meals where the veggies are pretty much just garnish!