It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Disney Parks guest in possession of a good appetite must be in want of a churro. (Or a Citrus Swirl. Or a Mickey premium bar. Pick your poison.)
Disney certainly doesn’t make it easy for those of us with an incurable sweet tooth. Every holiday, every festival and film release brings a new array of sugar-packed, carb-loaded snacks and treats to devour, from the decadent bourbon salted caramel chocolate cake at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival to the waistline-expanding bacon mac and cheese foot-long hot dog featured at Disneyland’s ongoing “Get Your Ears On” celebration.
As scrumptious as theme park fare can be, however, it’s not necessarily for everyone. When I planned a 10-day trip to Walt Disney World with my fiancé last December, I knew there would be times that we wanted to indulge in chocolate-covered gingerbread and rum-infused Dole Whips, but I also hoped that we could adhere to healthier eating patterns for the majority of our stay. It proved to be a much bigger challenge than I anticipated—due at least in part to our sudden fixation for Pandora’s cheeseburger pods—but one that, as with most aspects of vacation planning, was helped enormously by some advance preparation.
If, like us, you’re looking to dodge a daily diet of turkey legs and Mickey pretzels during your next Disney Parks vacation, here are a few tips that may make finding those healthy alternatives a bit easier.
1. Hydrate often.
Image: World’s Direction, Flickr (license)
This is a pretty obvious tip, but still one that I forget about every single time I go to the Disney Parks—that is, until lunchtime rolls around and I realize how irritable and lightheaded I feel. Staying properly hydrated isn’t just your best defense against the Florida humidity and California heat, but a good way to make sure you’re taking care of your body before you start loading up on beignets and burgers, too.
That’s not to say you can’t have your Starbucks while strolling down Main Street, U.S.A. or an Infinity Fizz Drink while taking in Pixar Pier, only that those are treats better enjoyed when you’re not dehydrated from a full day in the sun. And, if you forget to bring your own (empty) water bottle to the parks, you can request a free cup of ice water at any of the parks’ quick service dining locations.
In summary: Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Don’t wait until you’ve walked halfway across Epcot for your Frozen Ever After FASTPASS reservation. Definitely don’t wait until you start getting dizzy, feeling exhausted, or sweating buckets. Make hydration a goal at the start of your day, and you’ll feel better and be better-positioned to make healthier eating choices as the day unfolds.
2. Bring your own snacks.
Image: Disney
There are no two ways about it: If you are trying to find healthy dining options or adhere to a certain diet, bringing your own food to the parks is the easiest way to go. As of 2019, both Walt Disney World and the Disneyland Resort still allow guests to carry their own food items into the parks, just so long as those foods don’t come in a glass container or require microwaving.
Assuming that you fly into Anaheim or Orlando for your vacation, rather than making the trip by car, there are plenty of places to stock up on snacks and prepackaged meals before you head for the turnstiles. In Anaheim, you’ll find no shortage of mini-marts and grocery stores close to the main entrance on Harbor Boulevard; alternatively, you might try picking up a few snack boxes at Starbucks or to-go salads at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney.
If you’re planning on packing a lunch or two in Walt Disney World, on the other hand, you won’t find equally convenient options outside the resort unless you happen to have a rental car on-hand. That doesn’t mean you’re out of luck: In addition to a plethora of shops at Disney Springs, each Disney hotel offers an assortment of healthy (and unhealthy) snacks and pre-made meals that are perfect to throw in a backpack or stroller bag for the day. During our trip to Orlando, my fiancé and I made a habit of stocking up on the salads, sandwiches, and packaged fruits and veggies that were sold at the All-Star Resorts’ food courts, all of which came in handy for castle picnic lunches, late-night pick-me-ups, and Flight-of-Passage-queue munchies.
3. Find healthy options ahead of time.
Image: Disney
Look, spontaneous snacking is fun. As a child, I thought there was nothing more thrilling than taking a tumble down Splash Mountain; as an adult, I get that same rush of adrenaline every time one of my friends says, “Let’s go get a Dole Whip.” For all my attempts to resist temptation at the parks, there are definitely days when I get hungry and go for the first thing in my line of vision—be that a cream cheese pretzel or a Mickey-shaped bucket of popcorn.
Admittedly, there’s a much wider range of unhealthy foods than healthy foods to choose from at the parks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to limit yourself to a bland diet of salad and water. Healthy dishes range from veggie burgers, fresh seafood, and whole fruit to spring rolls, grilled vegetable skewers, gluten-free chicken-stuffed lettuce cups, and so much more. Disney California Adventure’s Lamplight Lounge, for instance, features a Ratatouille-inspired, well, ratatouille that is easily among the best entrées in the entire resort.
Even more important than planning healthy snacks and meals is planning for unhealthy snacks and meals. Although this strategy may feel counterintuitive, it can also help to pinpoint a few diet-breakers ahead of time so that a) you have something scrumptious to look forward to and b) you can reduce any FOMO you might otherwise feel while navigating the parks during Food and Wine Festival, Flower and Garden Festival, Get Your Ears On Celebration, Halloweentime, Christmastime… or a summertime stroll past the windows of the Candy Palace.
4. Discuss your options with the Disney chefs.
Image: Disney
Over the last few years, Disney has gotten better and better about accommodating food allergies and ingredient-specific intolerances. If you’ve visited any of the restaurant pages on their websites lately, you may even notice that some of these modified dishes are listed separately on the menus—hopefully, with the intent of sparing you the headache of having to ask for a specially-prepared dish when you arrive at the parks.
Even if you don’t have a particular food allergy or intolerance, you can still make requests to modify your order when you sit down at a table-service restaurant. Not only can you request to see the nutritional information for certain dishes (information that, while dependent on location, is not freely accessible online at this time), but you can ask to substitute steamed veggies for French fries, inquire about the availability of vegan Mickey waffles, or check if the chef can prepare your burger protein-style in order to fit a keto diet.
Granted, not every restaurant will be able to accommodate every request—particularly at quick-service locations or food stands—but as long as you do so graciously, it can’t hurt to check and see what alternatives are readily available. And for planning purposes, you can also avoid any unpleasant complications by making special dietary requests online before you head to the parks.
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Do you try to eat healthy on your trips to the Disney Parks? What tips and tricks have worked for you in the past?
