Is Disney contributing to childhood obesity?

[anniemae]

Yeah, I wish the "kid" age was a bit higher for the kids meals. My kids don't eat a ton and we are never super hungry at Disney because of the heat.

 

[married2mm]

And to answer your question-
Childhood obesity could be from a disease,a treatment or indeed over eating.

If the latter-I would say it's predominantly the parents/caring adult in charge who needs to accept responsibility.
I'm not a child-however I have various health issues &disabilities
I'm overweight/obese and disney is the only place I can lose weight.
Go figure!

 

[SpoonfulofSugar]

I don't know that I would say they're contributing to childhood obesity, but I do think it's crazy to call a 10 year old an adult. We stopped getting the dining plan years ago, we prefer to just order what we want which may be a salad and appetizer instead of an entree, prefer an ice cream walking around the park to dessert with out meal, etc..

Agreed, we haven't gotten the dining plan in awhile because of this. But it irked me that my son was refused the kids meal at 50's Prime Time, we overheard a server tell a group of teenage girls that wanted to order kids meals that only those under 12 are 'allowed' to order a kids meal after that its off adult menu only...so they could order just a salad, share or just dessert

 

[ELSA711]

I think you have to take a step back and realize to that calling a 10+ year old an adult is about a multitude of things including ticket pricing, just like any other theme park. Hershey Park, Dorney Park, etc. Even movie theaters
It's about setting that standard for vacationing/entertainment. Just my observation
It's not just about forcing them to eat an adult meal

 

[married2mm]

A child portion is available for adults at the vast majority of restaurants.

 

[Disneylover99]

Disney is contributing to adult obesity.
My kids know when to stop eating. Me? Not so much. I eat my meal, then theirs.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Your post seems more about wanting the option to choose from the kids menu than about health or obesity. I'm have never felt that the options aimed at kids are really healthier. There is usually a healthy option, but choosing fish and veggies off the adult menu is probably a better health choice than the kid's menu mac and cheese.

As for the adult vs. children question, when we were on the dining plan, I answered with the dining plan we were using for DD because that is really what they are looking for: "2 adults, 1 child, but she will be using adult credits." That would also keep you from having to say that a child is an adult.

Disney can't really win on this one. I "aged" DD when she was 8 so that she had more menu options. The menus are better now, but there was no way I was feeding her nuggets, mac and cheese, and pizza for 2 weeks while we ate real food.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, let's blame Disney for overweight kids. Makes sense to me. They could put whatever food they want in front of my kids, it's my responsibility as their parent to help control what they're eating. They offer plenty of decently healthy food choices. It's WDW, I absolutely let me kids eat some junk there, we're on vacation. But at the same time, I can and do control what goes into their mouth.

Maybe it's insensitive, but I have a hard time understanding these types of discussions. Childhood obesity (and adult obesity, which often go hand in hand) is a major problem in our country. Instead of looking elsewhere to blame restaurants and such, maybe it starts with a simple choice of what we put in our own mouths or let our kids put in theirs. Sorry, but my wife and I are very into nutrition and this stuff just irks me.

 

[EdmondD]

No opinion here (TL;DR, as noted elsewhere) but I find it funny that the person who is upset about unhealthy/too much food has a user name related to sugar consumption.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Lazy parents who would rather let their kids eat whatever they want instead if monitoring their food choicss are contributing to childhood obesity. It is not Disney's responsibility to parent each kid and make sure they eat healthy. They already make an effort by designating Mickey Check meals on the menu. For kids who must eat off the adult menu, there are plenty of healthy options. And their is nothing that says they have to eat everything on their plate.

 

[Jaime4004]

Most restaurants we go to have the kids menu as 10 and under so it's not unique to Disney (except that 9 is their magic cut off). It does drive me crazy, because I agree, they are still kids after age 10 and many are not going to eat an adult portion. That being said, my 12 and 11 yr old always order from the kids menu, they are not big eaters. I haven't encountered any problems with it so far, maybe I will as they get older. But if they weren't allowed to ordered whatever they wanted, i'd just leave and find a restaurant where they could. Generally we are asked "how many kids menus?" when we go out to eat, never the kids' ages.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Agreed, we haven't gotten the dining plan in awhile because of this. But it irked me that my son was refused the kids meal at 50's Prime Time, we overheard a server tell a group of teenage girls that wanted to order kids meals that only those under 12 are 'allowed' to order a kids meal after that its off adult menu only...so they could order just a salad, share or just dessert

That's unfortunate, a lot of the restaurants do allow it.

 

[starsweeper]

I don't think Disney is contributing to obesity. Most American restaurants have huge portion sizes but no one forces you to finish it. I'm overweight and modifying my diet and exercise to lose weight, but I never could finish a full adult meal at most restaurants (WDW and others), it's just too much food.

We've never used the dining plan. It's more food than we typically eat, especially in the heat which tends to dull our appetites. We have freedom to order kid or adult meals for everyone, and we can split meals to save on costs. My 9yo son still likes kids meals at most restaurants, but 9yo daughter has more adventurous tastes and likes some adult meals, so she would be upset at having just the kid options to eat.

 

[Klayfish]

If Disney portions are too big for your child, here's a simple solution...don't let them eat it all.

 

[Princesca]

nstead of looking elsewhere to blame restaurants and such, maybe it starts with a simple choice of what we put in our own mouths or let our kids put in theirs. Sorry, but my wife and I are very into nutrition and this stuff just irks me.

I agree, to a point. Parents are responsible for teaching their kids restraint and healthy choices, but restaurants should also be held to account once in awhile, particularly when their practices are subtle or insidious. Adding sugar, for example, to breading, so you get the addictive combination of fat and sugar that makes food irresistible, or marketing directly to kids. Honestly, I feel sometimes that if we don't allow Joe the Camel to advertise cigs to kids, we shouldn't allow Ronald McDonald either.

 

[loves to dive]

Since you weren't on the dining plan you should have been able to order off the kid's menu in just about every establishment at WDW, I'm a full grown adult and do it 80% of the time and not just at QS. As far as 50s Prime Time, there are very few healthy options on the menu to start with and I'm pretty sure you could have ordered some veggies ala carte and your son just eaten what he wanted out of the mac and cheese. Is it a waste? Maybe, but I'm a firm believer of if you paid for it how much you do or don't eat isn't anyone else's business. I never, ever, never, ever, ever eat everything on my plate and quite often when I'm done it looks like I haven't eaten anything at all. I don't eat a lot but enjoy a good meal so if I only eat two bites, so be it. You can't blame anyone except parents and their kids for childhood obesity unless as another poster said there is a medical condition involved. No one, not Disney, not McDonald's not any other fast food place is responsible for what parents choose to buy and let their kids eat. There is such a word as no, it's not always easy but you can tell your kid no you can't eat that hamburger or super size it and yes, you need to put down the remote control and get outside and run and play. Possibly you were just venting because you don't want your kids to be considered adults because the thought of them growing up is sad. I doubt you could go to many restaurants outside of Disney and order a child's meal for a pre-teen/teenager other than fast food.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

WDW is not the paragon of healthy eating establishments. Disney is also not responsible for the amount of food people place in their mouths while dining at the resort. If a server insists that your 11-year old order an adult portion (which I've never heard of, BTW), ask for an extra plate and place the portion you don't want him to eat on it. You could also order a salad as an appetizer or ask if you could purchase the kids' salad or veggie appetizer to go along with the mac and cheese.

Making 10 year olds Disney adults for tickets and dining is a money grab, plain and simple. It is what it is, but you can certainly do some research, read menus, and make healthy choices from the options given.

I'm sorry, I'm not very sympathetic. If you purchased the DDP, you are very limited as to how you can order in the restaurants and you knew going in, even if paying OOP, what the age restrictions are. You also have access to all menus. Other than the caesar salad options (with dressing on the side!), there is nothing at 50's Prime Time which would fall under the "healthy" category.

If I were you, I would not purchase DDP, and would do a little more menu research before making your ADR's. We are a big fruit and veggie family and I do not purchase the DDP because we need flexibility in our ordering at WDW restaurants. We are always mixing and matching from the kids and adult menus for our DS so that he gets a balanced meal and he is limited to one treat per day while there. I actually think WDW has done a good job at introducing more healthy options in the kiosks around the parks. We can now find whole and cut fruit in the parks, whole almonds in AK, etc. Yes, lots of kiosks, in EP especially, with pastries and donuts bigger than my head, but, again, WDW is not forcing us to eat them.

Is Disney contributing to the obesity epidemic? Absolutely not. Make smart choices when ordering for you and your children and control the portions yourself!

 

[Magpie]

My son hit six feet tall just before he turned 10 years old. The children's menu was not enough. Feeding him was an adventure!

His big sister, on the other hand, was a light, picky eater, who'd still - as a 20yo - be perfectly happy with children's sized portions.

Different people have different nutritional needs.

Most restaurants let children under 10 order from the "kids menu" for a significant discount, so what we used to do was have the girl order whatever her brother wanted from the adult menu, while her brother ordered whatever she wanted (usually chicken nuggets) from the children's menu. We saved money and both kids were happy.

Disney may provide food for purchase, but what and how much a young person eats is up to the parent. Disney is not "contributing to childhood obesity". And my husband and I have considered the Dining plan several times, but we always come to the conclusion that it's entirely too much food for us, so not worth the money we'd spend on it (or even the room discount we'd be giving up for it). We've learned by hard experience that we can really only manage one sit down meal a day. Beyond that, we're eating quick service salads and sharing portions. There is absolutely nothing preventing a parent of an 11 or 12 year old from doing the same.

 

[MichiganScott]

I don't think so. In fact, I think Disney is a perfect yardstick of "nothing to excess," which parents can use to teach their kids about gluttony (of many kinds), and how it's ok to splurge and live life every now and then, but not to use as a model for normality. If the kids come home and are eating mickey bars & dole whips every day, and having desserts with every meal, that's the parent's fault.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

There is no end to what responsibilities some will shift onto... well... anyone/anything but themselves, I guess. Talk about giving Disney WAY too much power.

We've ordered off the adult menu since the kids were about 9... probably actually much younger... maybe 7. They were bored with the kids' menu options.

There are healthy options on every Disney menu -- adult and child. Choose them.