Healthy Eating options for Adults at Disney World
Walt Disney World is famous for many things – one of them being its FOOD. They really work hard on creating unique and delicious dining experiences for all of their guests, and in my opinion, they do a great job of it!
I don’t know about you, but I tend to eat pretty healthy at home – lots of vegetables and fruits, and not a lot of fried food. Luckily, Disney understands this and offers a lot of both the amazing-but-not-good-for-you stuff, as well as many healthier options.
Almost all quick service dining locations have some kind of healthier alternatives, for example, most have some kind of salad/grilled chicken sandwich/veggie burger option (so if you’re in a hurry, you’re not stuck with just burgers and fries or pizzas as options) One thing I have noticed is that portion size at counter/quick service locations is pretty generous, so much so that a sandwich or ‘personal pizza’ could easily be split between two adults, so keep that in mind too, as that could potentially save you some money as well (…which leaves more money to spend on souvenirs!).
As for snacks, there are many carts/bakeries/shops etc that offer fresh fruit as well as other healthier options for snacking mixed in with the bad for you (but still delicious) items, like no sugar added frozen fruit bars, fruit cups, and the line of Chip and Dale’s snacks (packaged nuts, pretzels, dried fruits, etc)
Buffets/all you can eat meals are common at Walt Disney World, and I know I personally love them, it allows me to try a wide variety of foods while making me feel like I am getting my money’s worth. Unfortunately, a lot of people share my thoughts on this and tend to overeat-by a LOT-in these situations. My advice in that situation would be to fill half of your plate with green vegetables or salad before you even look at any other parts of the buffet (and when I say salad I mean the raw veggies and lettuce kind, not the macaroni salad and 1 cucumber drenched in ranch dressing kind). Sure, the veggies might not be the biggest bang for your buck, but if you fill up on those, you are much better off (trust me!)
Table Service restaurants can be a little trickier as far as healthy eating, but many restaurants have options such as baked fish or chicken, and there’s always salad/vegetable side options available.
Some of the more noteworthy healthy options at WDW include:
- Sunshine Seasons at Epcot: a food court style quick service eatery fresh salads and soups (made from vegetables grown right there at Epcot’s The Land!), stir fried veggies and noodles, and rotisserie chicken. The best part is it’s all prepared super fresh right in front of you, so you can tell they really are using the best, freshest ingredients possible
- The Wave at the Contemporary Resort: A casual restaurant offering, according to Disney, “American-style cooking blended with world flavors, healthful fresh menu selections and trendy cocktails”. Sounds right up my alley, with items on the menu like pan seared sea scallops, oven roasted chicken, and no sugar added chocolate mint mousse, you can feed your appetite and still stay on your diet
- Tusker House in Animal Kingdom Lodge: a buffet offering both African and American fare, and many lighter options such as a large selection of salads including Green Bean and Onion salad, Tandoori Tofu, Salmon Filet, and a delicious Marrakesh Couscous with roasted vegetables. Of the buffets, it is definitely one of the healthier options out there
- Cosmic Ray’s in the Magic Kingdom: a counter service restaurant offering rotisserie chicken meals, Turkey and Vegetable sandwiches, and a delicious Greek salad. Cosmic Ray’s is pretty big with a decent selection, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding something healthy here.
Do some planning before your trip and check out WDW restaurant menus to see what you might like and what healthy options are out there
On a side note, should your dietary needs extend beyond just keeping your waistline small, you should visit Disney’s Special Dietary Requests page, which will help you figure out what to do if you require a special menu (ie gluten free, sugar free, etc)
No matter what your dietary needs/wants/whims, you will find that Disney has you covered. Oh, and if all else fails, there is always the Mickey Ice Cream Bar!
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Great article. I prefer to eat healthy too so this is helpful to me for my next visit.