Was Disney Food always such a sodium-fest?

theSurlyMermaid

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I’m here now and have had a few meals. One at Garden Grill and one at Liberty Tree and all I can say is I hope it gets better. I can taste maybe a little food around the salt but some of it is so salty I can’t even finish it.

I know it’s true of most restaurants but it just tastes so obvious here. I’m here till the 23rd. Thank goodness we are making breakfast in our villa.
 
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I guess it depends on what you are ordering. Had breakfast at the Garden Grill in October and didn't notice it was over salty. And the only thing I typically add salt to at home is potatoes. Had a burger at the Liberty Tree so didn't notice any crazy salt on that either. Is it a medical problem where you may want to ask to talk to the chef?

You can always order things like fries to be made with no salt.
 
I’m here now and Gabe had a few meals. One at Garden Grill and one at Liberty Tree and all I can say is I hope it gets better. I can taste maybe a little food around the salt but some of it is so salty I can’t even finish it.

I know it’s true of most restaurants but it just tastes so obvious here. I’m here till the 23rd. Thank goodness we are making breakfast in our villa.
Everything there is filled with salt. Everything. Just flush your system with water.
 
We found most of our food to be terribly salty on our last trip as well. We typically eat a very healthy diet, with very little eating out and the Disney food was a shock to our systems on this trip.
 

We found most of our food to be terribly salty on our last trip as well. We typically eat a very healthy diet, with very little eating out and the Disney food was a shock to our systems on this trip.

This is us. We rarely eat out and eat healthy at home. When at Disney I tend to just eat what I want. The mashed potatoes at Garden Grill were so salty I couldn’t even finish them. We’ve always loved Garden Grill too. It’s not like I got sick or anything but it makes me laugh that we’re all fighting for ADRs at these places. I also had the misfortune of tasting my daughters chicken noodle soup at Liberty Tree Tavern. Good grief, what a salt lick.

I’m looking forward to Tiffins today but I’m trying to temper expectations.
 
Yes. It is crazy. Even when I am very careful about what I eat I ALWAYS come home bloated and about 10 pounds heavier because of all the salt. It takes 2 or 3 days before I am back at my normal weight because of the water retention. We don't ever salt our food and I decrease or delete the amount of salt in recipes so we might just be extremely sensitive to the salt in the food at WDW though. I end up drinking about twice as much water as I usually do when I'm there because I am so thirsty because of the salt.

On a side note, my DH and I are always shocked by the number of people we see ADDING more salt to their meals at WDW. So I imagine a lot of it is that we just aren't used to that much salt so it's a shock to us.
 
Wow, it’s a shock to me to hear that anyone would salt their food extra! You’ve just given me my first OMG moment of the day!
 
We eat very little salt at home (I don’t add it to any food I cook) and find that WDW restaurant food is about as salty as the food at any major chain.
 
I think it MIGHT have something to do with the region, AND the fact that there's lot of processed factory food going on. I also noticed the absolute salt overload at quite a few places. Pecos Bill's fajita meat was completely inedible, imho.

I was very surprised at Flame Tree's spare ribs. I was prepared for them to have caked on salty rub, or to be brined beyond recognition, but they were fantastic.
You have to choose wisely, and modify things where you can. Some ppl love salty stuff all day long, others don't - adjust accordingly where you can, and if you are salt averse, you should already know the main culprits, soups, sauces, uncontrolled salt on fries, processed meats, brined meats, etc. I grew up in a lower sodium home, and I can only handle so much salt before food starts being a chore to choke down. I do realize that is not the norm for most people, however. I say enjoy the salty food while you can. Sometimes I wish I could. I had to throw most of my fajita platter at Pecos away. Judging from this thread, however, maybe someone should...

I'll start a thread!!!
 
I have always found WDW food to be incredibly salty. We have given CA Grill 4 tries, and I have never been able to eat my entree there, I find it inedible it is so salty.
 
We eat very little salt at home (I don’t add it to any food I cook) and find that WDW restaurant food is about as salty as the food at any major chain.

I do agree with this but I don’t usually eat at chains. Can’t remember the last one I ate at. That’s why this is such a shock to the system.
 
Weird
At Disney I sweat so much I actually crave weird things I don’t normally do like French fries, soda, burgers, etc.
I think my body needs the salt!
Either way, we typically eat at via Napoli, trattoria al forno, flying fish, yachtsman, etc.
Have not found the food overly salty yet.
 
I hope you were letting the venues know of the problem.


We had an experience at pizzafari where my aunt’s pizza tasted like a container of salt had been poured into it. I had the same pizza, tried hers, and mine wasn’t like that. We returned hers because we knew it wasn’t right.

Same thing happened with my cousin’s burger in Tomorrowland.
 
I think it honestly comes down to what you are used to eating before you come to the park. If you ask my mom, she would add salt to the fries. My dad essentially did not want to eat the entire trip and hated everything that was not a salad.

When I was eating healthier a few years ago, I found that I did not enjoy the food much, and stuck with child menu options the entire trip. But now that I have relaxed a significant amount on my eating habits, I did not find the food to be offensive at all. I guess now I am a little more used to fast food and chain restaurants, and WDW options usually align with that. While you may be eating at Disney's best restaurants, remember that you are still in an amusement park!
 
It’s not like I expect the food to be like what I eat at home, but I usually just go crazy with whatever I want down here, knowing it’s not good for me but figuring I’m on vacation so who cares. I’m not used to not enjoying it because it’s too salty. I did mention it to the servers but there wasn’t a special problem with the food, I don’t think. I just think I notice the sodium more. It’s not super hot here either so it’s not like I’m craving extra saltiness at the moment either.

I didn’t even get to try Tiffins. My son has a stomach bug and barfed all over the first aid at Animal Kingdom so they let us cancel the reservation without charge. It’s been a banner vacation so far, let me tell you.
 
I've never really noticed it that much at Disney World, but I always feel the sodium bloat after I eat at most chain restaurants at home (Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, and Applebees are the worst for me). But when I eat at Disney I mostly tend to stick with grilled meats/veggies, salads and kids meals. I avoid french fries and burgers at WDW because I just don't like them there.
 
I’m here now and have had a few meals. One at Garden Grill and one at Liberty Tree and all I can say is I hope it gets better. I can taste maybe a little food around the salt but some of it is so salty I can’t even finish it.

I know it’s true of most restaurants but it just tastes so obvious here. I’m here till the 23rd. Thank goodness we are making breakfast in our villa.

Just there and didn't notice any restaurants that had overly salted food. Know that some people are more aware of 'salt' in food than others. I read that salt is added to give more flavor - just like in processed foods you buy in the grocery - soups, boxed dinners, etc.
 


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