Healthy eaters in WDW

[mandibc11]

fortunatly, we dont have any allergies or real special needs I just prefer to avoid processed and MSG as much as we can. All of my ADR are booked already so Ill be sure to ask when I go about what they use when in question. I can handle some MSG but if I am already dealing with lack of sleep(I dont sleep well on vacation) and heat then I throw in a processed bunch of meals Ill be in for a migraine for sure.

I get migraines all the time! And unfortunately, there are so many things with MSG in them, it would almost be impossible to rid yourself of all of it! When I went to Disney last year I was a vegan, and they do count that as a special diet. They marked it with Allergy. It really is easy just to get a chef to come out and talk to you though, no matter if you've told them you have a question about ingredients or not!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Contact the Special Diets department about the MSG. While no MSG gets added to ANY of the food at any of the CS or TS locations at WDW, there are a few foods that do already have MSG in them when purchased by Disney. I can't remember what at the moment besides the meatballs in the Polynesian Club Lounge. I think I may have read something about the hot dogs but I can't remember for sure because we don't eat hot dogs on vacation (if you're trying to eat healthy then that's not an issue anyway). There is naturally MSG in things like soy sauce and pineapple juice so obviously there's concern with places that are heavy on these if this type of MSG is an issue for you. My DH and DD13 only seem to have trouble with that block of MSG that looks like lard which gets artificially added to foods so we don't watch for the naturally occuring MSGs or MSG that isn't added separately. I don't know how the asian restaurants are at WDW regarding MSG because we have to avoid them due to allergies (a chef at Tokyo Dining emailed me to let me know that he feared for DD10's safety after going over her allergies so I cancelled our one and only attempt at an ADR at an asian restaurant). The asian restaurants are not owned by Disney so they do not necessarily follow the same rules as the places that are owned by Disney.

 

[jm106]

I honestly don't think it's all that hard to avoid. I mean, you seem smart... Obviously a double bacon cheeseburger isn't what you're looking for.

Um, OK, well thanks then. I got it, Ill figure it out.

Its nice to have suggestions and reviews of ppls favorites, that was the point of asking for favs and tips.

Thanks for the suggestions, I know to ask where I can, I appreciate the ideas. I go knowing i cant totally avoid MSG when out, that is fine. But things like adding spices to shrimp at Ohana, I will ask is it "spices" or is it a MSG concotion like so many places call spices. I can ask for plainer options as well.

 

[SDSorority]

I know there are a few healthy eaters here. I would love your tips and favs. We eat pretty healthy and I dont want to change that on vacation. I am happy to have some treats but overall, my body thanks me if I dont get too far from the norm.

Well, it depends on your definition of 'healthy'.

If you're looking strictly at calories, you can find some low-cal items on most every menu. Items made with sugar substitutes are all over the place, as are things like diet soda and frozen fruit pops. (ick.)

That said, if you're more of a 'whole food' type of person that stays away from the artificial colors, msg, sugar substitutes, etc. , you can still find items to eat, but you have to look for them. Stay away from the pre-packaged stuff, unless they're Divvies cookies . The "home made" items, for the most part, do not have msg and the like in them. If you email Special Diets at WDW they'll give you a list of allergen-free items that they have on property. Great resource.

We are a high-organic, meat-free family and we do just fine at WDW. Granted, we get a car and shop at Publix before we get down there to get massive amounts of fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. Though, the healthiest places we have found to eat have been: Sanaa, The Wave, Jiko, and the fresh fruit stands that are at every park. We HAVE to get a little more relaxed on vacation or we just go crazy. As long as I have my Raw power bars, chlorella tablets, chia seeds, Amazing Grass green powder, water, fruit/veggies/nuts, and flax crackers (which I bring all but the fresh stuff from home), I can do ok with salads, mixed vegetable dishes, lentil/bean/rice dishes, pasta dishes, etc. This may have been mentioned already, but check out allears.net or wdwinfo.com. There you can see what all of the different restaurants offer. There is a free app on Iphone with this information as well.

Good luck!


*****EDIT***** and I see that most of what I said had already been said. Bah. I do have to say, I feel the safest eating out at WDW. They can accommodate ANY special diet (almost). They do a great job.

 

[SDSorority]

http://anniessimplelife.blogspot.com/2010/10/disney-world.html

Here's a blog I did about our most recent trip to WDW. Disregard what DH ate... if he didn't get ESPN Nachos he would have COMPLAINED COMPLAINED COMPLAINED.

 

[DVCconvert]

I miss the Flight of Lard at Tubbie's buffeteria

 

[JennyDrake]

One thing I know is that WDW does not use MSG (but it would still not hurt to confirm). Also, bear in mind that not all restaurants on WDW are WDW owned and run, so ask at each place. A friend of mine is very allergic to msg and she was told in advance that WDW did not use msg. Still, she asked at each place.
You have gotten very good suggestions! I also do not eat processed foodas, btu I am simply a Hard Core Foodie and Food Snob. SUnshine Seasons, Yakatori house, Tangerine Cafe, TUSKER HOUSE (L&D), Wave, Kouzzina (I liked but many don't). Not a lot of options at DHS and I would not count on H&V; IMHO food quality there has plummented. All breakfast buffets will have plenty of fruit. I have not seen fresh eggs used at WDW, but you could ask. Due to food safety issues no non-pasteurized eggs on buffets.
Grab and go selections at food courts also include fresh fruit and udually whole grain muffins as well.

 

[vinotinto]

I also make a point to eat healthy and my definition of healthy is the same as yours - unprocessed, whole foods - lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins. I limit deep fried, but otherwise do not restrict fat per se, and if I feel like eating some fried calamari, I go ahead and do it. Lunch or dinner at TS restaurants were easy. The Wave, Coral Reef, Kouzzina, Cali Grill, HBD, Sanaa were all healthy. I had fish as my entree at all of those and they all came with veggies. I also had the whole fried fish at Narccoossee and it was very tasty, definitely worth going for. Surprisingly Tutto Italia was also a good choice. The antipasto platter included artichokes, olives, fresh mozzarella, cured meats, cannellini beans. I had a salmon as my main entree with olives and artichokes.

Asian-inspired places were a a little tougher to navigate. Salmon at Yak and Yeti was good- it wasn't fried, it was served with nice veggies and brown rice. The tuna appie was good - seared and served with an asian slaw, but the green beans were totally deep fried. Ohana wasn't particularly healthy. The potstickers looked very processed (did not look homemade, but I could be wrong), the dressing for the salad and the dipping sauces seemed to me like they would have quite a bit of sugar and sodium. Noodles did not look particularly nutritious. My noodles at Kona seemed healthier - at least they had shrimp and came loaded with veggies.

50's PT wasn't particularly healthy for main entrees. I had the squash agnolotti and it was OK, but the seafood salad appie was great - very fresh and lean. It's comfort food and given what it is, it was fine. Another comfort food place - LTT was also just OK. I had the veggie pot pie. The veggie filling was OK. DH had the pot roast. It actually looked pretty good, albeit a huge portion.

At breakfast I stayed away from things like bagels (no 100% whole grain option anywhere in WDW), but breakfast buffets usually had an omelete option, fresh fruit, and ham. Some even had some veggies. Tusker House even had quinoa.

Snacks were pretty tough - too many refined carb options. As far as I could tell, nothing baked in WDW was truly whole grain. Fruit cups were easily found and they were the best snack. I hear there are carts that sell nuts, but I never came across one when we were looking for a snack. We had lots of cappuccinos as a snack, water, and yes, even some cashew patties and ice cream.

If you are trying to eat healthy, you definitely can in WDW!

 

[jm106]

I have some great ideas.
We have Tusker House for breakfast
Boma dinner
Ohana, Ill ask about sauces and seasonings
Hollywood and Vine breakfast, Ill deal with it, I see nothing good about tis place but until they come up with a special "boy" character meal I will suffer through it.
Whispering canyon cafe (dh selection)
San Angel
I am making some notes for CS places.
And I have dessert party booked, because Sometimes I have to live it up