Healthy eating has become a popular issue for theme parks, as parks announce plans to eliminate trans fats from their menus, and to offer other healthier dining options, especially for kids.
A Bloomberg report last year blasted the Magic Kingdom for its oversized, fat-laden fare. But Cabrera and dietitian Linda M. Gigliotti, from UC Irvine, found a reassuring number of healthy options this month at Disneyland.
"Sometimes the problem when you get into a controlled environment is that you're really stuck with what they have there," says Gigliotti. "I thought given the environment that it is, that they did have a good range of choices. There were vegetarian items; there were some low-fat items."She especially liked the vending carts loaded with items like freshly cut fruit, trail mixes, and water, and felt they were as accessible as the carts selling popcorn or ice cream bars.
Are you looking for better food options at your favorite theme park? What have you found?
You don't want tofu and salad? Fine. But I don't want to visit a park that offers me nothing but fat-fried meat and bread. If you are entitled to your favorites, why shouldn't I be entitled to mine, too?
I think it's great that parks are recognizing that some people care about the quality of the food they eat on a vacation day, and that those people do not equate "special" with "more calories and fat," as the theme park industry appeared to believe in the past. I love walking into chef-driven restaurants like ones at SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Legoland and Universal Orlando (and even a few at Walt Disney World) and finding a great, tasty and healthy meal.
Redd Rocket's Pizza Port, Disneyland
Catal Restaurant, Downtown Disney Anaheim
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen, Downtown Disney Anaheim
Sports Cafe, Legoland
Shipwreck Reef Cafe, SeaWorld San Diego
Mythos Restaurant, Universal's Islands of Adventure
Again, I think the bigger issue is that the portions are too big. I do not think it takes too much intelligence to realize that theme park hamburgers and pizza are not good of you! Fish is also another dish you can't go wrong with in the health department (unliess its fried). I liked the Shark Reef Cafe at Seaworld Orlando. That was pretty tasty! Emerils is pretty good too, especially with portions though it will cost you. His dishes are also very tasty which helps with the less food!
I really liked the DCA pizza kitchen. We split a slice of BBQ Chicken and a pizza salad. Great combo and much better then expected. I have friends that rave about Napa Rose, but I was not that impressed with the experience.
I really think that you can get health conscious food at any Theme Park; it is just a matter of going for it. It is always much simpler to grab a Churro and a Coke then to hunt out good food.
Of course, that's my personal preference. That's me knowing my own body and how it will react to what I feed it. Others may have different experiences, but I for one am thrilled to see more healthy options available everywhere I go. Hopefully this will be a long tern trend and not just a fad.
Thats a start!
I is especially good in Animal Kingdom by Kilmanjaro Safari. It just seems to fit in with the theming!
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Tusker House-AK (Real Chicken!)
Sunshine Food Fair-EPCOT (Decient Salads!)
Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe-MK(makes some good wraps)
Most of World Showcase (its just a matter of portion size)
It honestly is a matter of looking around for your dining options.
I think it all depends on what you are expecting for food. Since my family and I have gone there so many times, we really are not into the hamburgers or pizza which I realize is their biggest sellers. It puts the parks into a bit of a condtrum because even though people want to eat better, the most fatening foods are still the most popular foods. Just look at McDonalds which have some pretty good grilled chicken sandwiches, but Big Macs are as popular as ever.
I really never saw Disney World selling THAT bad of food. Granted, all the pizza and burgers would be fatening, but it offers so much more along with Universal and Busch. I think the bigger issue is portion control. Too much of a good thing can be fatening!