WDW for the HEALTH CONSCIOUS?

[joecavalier]

Hey all - I was hoping to get some advice on dining/lunch/cafe locations in the WDW area that serve a healthier fare. My DGF and I are very health conscious and prefer to 'snack' most of the day with one 'main meal' sometime during midday.

SNACKS usually include fresh fruits, whole grain muffins, granola, yogurt, power bars, protein shakes and %100 juices... and MAIN MEALS usually include grilled chicken, turkey wraps, long grain rice, wheat pastas, steamed veggies, etc.

I think you get the picture.

I'm not saying we won't splurge once in awhile, but i would like to know if there are places we can count on to visit at least a few times a week that will give us more nutritional value than greasy fries and battered chicken strips.

Oh, if there is a yogurt smoothie place in the area, that would be AWESOME!!!

 

[jwfla422]

The Wave at the CR has a lot of great healthy choices if you want to do a regular meal there. I usually seek out the salads at many of the restaurants but sometimes they are few and far between. Surprisingly though, I had a great salad at LTT (called the Colony Salad). I do make a lot of requests, like dressings and sauces on the side, cheese on the side (or not at all). I ask for veggies to be steamed with no butter, etc. "Most" sit-downs can do this, but you might want to avoid the "all you can eat" and "buffet" restaurants.

Your best bet is to check out the menus on allears.net prior to your trip to help you plan out your best strategies.

I can tell you though, you may want to pack lots of your own snacks. I brought my own nut mix to the parks to munch on as there's not a lot of healthy choices when it comes to snacks at the park. (there are a "few" but if you're not into what they are, then you'll be out of luck). Pack the powerbars and protein shake mix.

 

[CindeBella]

Breakfasts are typically easiest as you can order fruit, etc. Fresh at the Swan/Dolphin and Kouzzina offer good choices.
As far as lunch/dinner, I would look at the menus on allears.net and this list is great also.
http://www.squidoo.com/WDWhealthyfood

I'm very health conscious as well and I can tell you it's difficult but not impossible.

 

[joecavalier]

Hey CindeBella/jwfla422 - this is GREAT advice, THANK YOU!!

Man, I love DISboards!! (<------ this has got to be the greatest emoticon of all time, LOL)

 

[Safari Queen]

We've found fresh fruit -- whole and salads -- and salads at all the parks, both in restaurants and at stands for a snack. The resort stores and bakeries (at Boardwalk and all the parks) have whole grain options, including sandwiches. I don't think you'll find Power Bars, so you might want to pack those.

 

[Tarzan&Cinderella]

nonfat yogurt smoothies at KRNR The Rock Station at Hollywood Studios!

 

[Buckalew11]

I think there are a lot more healthy choices than there used to be. I eat a lot of salads while at WDW. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. But do pack your bars.

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

In my experience I think it depends on what you define as "healthy". Most breakfast places serve a yogurt parfait with yogurt, fresh fruit and granola, very tasty - but not low calorie or low fat. It's made with regular yogurt.

Most places also sell granola bars, sorbets, whole grain muffins, etc....but like the yogurt, just cause it says whole grain - doesn't mean it's healthy.

As far as options...you'll find plenty in WDW. If you are looking for low cal, or low fat or complex carbohydrates...you'll have to dig a little deeper. I will say though, the CM's at all food places are very knowledgeable and will give you an ingredient list whenever possible.

 

[daisygirl902]

Breakfasts are typically easiest as you can order fruit, etc. Fresh at the Swan/Dolphin and Kouzzina offer good choices.
As far as lunch/dinner, I would look at the menus on allears.net and this list is great also.
http://www.squidoo.com/WDWhealthyfood

I'm very health conscious as well and I can tell you it's difficult but not impossible.

Although that site has some good suggestions...it lists the smoked Turkey Leg as a "healthy option" - lol....from what I read elsewhere a Disney Smoked Turkey Leg has approximatly 1200 calories (I have read one article that said 975 and another that said 1300....so just a guess).

 

[crisi]

I agree its about defining healthy.

There are a lot of choices at Disney for mainstream food, check out the menus. Each park has at least one fruit stand for snacks. We pack our own granola bars (I like Clif, my husband likes Powerbars).

If you are looking for organic, that's pretty much impossible. If you want vegan, its a struggle (but not impossible). But if by healthy you mean "I want a salad and some veggies" - that's easy.

 

[vinotinto]

I do agree with PP's suggestion of The Wave. We had dinner there on our prior trip an we're planning on returning for lunch. They did seem to make a good effort at incorporating whole grains, low sugars, and lots of veggies. Another place we enjoyed was Kouzzina. I had the whole fish. It was lovely. It came in a bed of steamed veggies in a light broth. Perfectly cooked.

The biggest challenge are snacks. Fresh fruit can be found easily, but if you need something more substantial - like whole grain and protein without added sugars, well, I could not find much. But maybe I wasn't looking hard enough? Would love to get suggestions for healthy snacks besides fruit.

 

[joecavalier]

I agree its about defining healthy.

There are a lot of choices at Disney for mainstream food, check out the menus. Each park has at least one fruit stand for snacks. We pack our own granola bars (I like Clif, my husband likes Powerbars).

If you are looking for organic, that's pretty much impossible. If you want vegan, its a struggle (but not impossible). But if by healthy you mean "I want a salad and some veggies" - that's easy.

I will definitely be bagging some Cliff and Detour Bars (the absolute BEST!!) And maybe some powdered Powerade Zero to mix up in a bottle water... it's nice that we will have access to to free water, being able to constantly hydrate is a HUGE PLUS.

Again, we are more 'conscious' of our eating habits than we are diet fanatics. I dont mind the calories because we will burn A LOT while we are there. And I know I will be diving into a dole whip or two (never had one but I hear they are THE BOMB).

Thanks so much, these are all great suggestions... keep em coming!!

 

[anotherdisneygal]

We have no problem finding healthy snacks in any of the parks except the Magic Kingdom. For some reason - and it might just be because we turn into 10 year olds there - we always end up eating lots of junk there - but at Epcot & AK & DHS there are lots of stands/qs counters with fruit and healthier options.

 

[FigNewton]

nonfat yogurt smoothies at KRNR The Rock Station at Hollywood Studios!

Nonfat yogurt smoothies... SO rock and roll!

 

[CindeBella]

Although that site has some good suggestions...it lists the smoked Turkey Leg as a "healthy option" - lol....from what I read elsewhere a Disney Smoked Turkey Leg has approximatly 1200 calories (I have read one article that said 975 and another that said 1300....so just a guess).

I read that and laughed. However, with anything else, take what you can from the list and know that it may not be 100% accurate. It does list some good suggestions...

 

[joecavalier]

nonfat yogurt smoothies at KRNR The Rock Station at Hollywood Studios!

REALLY???? ME!!! ME!!!! ME!!!!

 

[KTSMOM]

We just returned from a 5 day at WDW. My DH and I did our best to eat as healthy as possible. It actually was not that hard to do. We found that there were a lot of healthy choices for meals especially in the sit down restaurants. Most of the counter services offered a veggie dish, or a chicken dish that could be made healthy. I second the suggestion of Sunshine Seasons when you are in Epcot. They had some great choices. We found a great veggie wrap at Cosmic Rays in MK. At Animal Kingdom, Flame Tree BBQ had a really good salad with grilled BBQ ck. We didn't eat at Hollywood Studios so I couldn't suggest anything there. You should check out all ears net for the menus to get a good idea. I can tell you that the food was good, so enjoy it!

 

[Mamu]

All the Disney Restaurants now offer healthy choices.