Disney pushing healthy choices?

[GrumpyFan]

I've noticed that Disney has changed many of their menus to be have more healthy options, especially for kids. However, in some cases, they have completely removed the "less healthy" choices, like fries. I'm just curious what other people's thoughts are on this. Personally, I'm in favor of them encouraging the more healthy options, I think it's a good thing. However, I don't agree with them totally removing the "less healthy" options, it feels like their PUSHING their choices on me rather than giving me the option. Sometimes, I want to eat junk food, especially on vacation, and their removing the option makes it feel like less of a vacation.

So, what are your thoughts on this? Do you agree that they should offer both the healthy and non-healthy options, or do you think they should just offer the healthy options because that's what's best for everybody?

[ElenitaB]

They have not removed fries and soda from the kids' menus; you can still ask for them.

[GrumpyFan]

They have not removed fries and soda from the kids' menus; you can still ask for them.

I hope you're right. But, I read a trip report from someone this morning who went to Flametree at AK last week, and when they asked for fries they were told it was not an option.

[jonah'smom]

Fries are not an option for kids at Flame Tree BBQ. We ate there on our last trip in Dec 08, and we wound up using one of our snack credits to get a basket of onion rings to share for our family. Our DS had plenty to eat with his kids meal with hot dog & grapes and then sharing from our plates. I do think that fries are still an option at most other CS meals, just that Flame Tree was an exception to that rule. Someone will correct me if that is not still the case. And it could be that they are testing it there in hopes of trying it out in other CS locations.

But to answer your question, yes I think it's great that they are offering the healthier options, but ultimately it should be the guests' choice. I for one like the healthier options sometimes, but I enjoy the indulgent french fries as well!

[Meteora]

When we were there last winter there was "fine print" on the bottom of menu of the kids' meals saying that other items were available upon request. I believe the listed side for the meal my sister ordered was carrot sticks, which she can't eat because of an allergy. She asked for, and was given, fries with absolutely no hassle.

I would think the menu changes might actually be helpful to parents who would prefer their kids to eat healthier foods--it might be easier if the less healthy things aren't on the menu.

M guess is that Disney is just doing some sort of healthy eating initiative--it's such a huge topic with regards to children these days--and could refer to the new menu options as a significant change they've made to reflect it.

[JoDisney]

There was an option that you could purchase a french fry basket at Flame Tree for $3.49. I believe that is still available. Also, there is the cheese fry basket for a dollar more. Oops, my 1000th post is about junk food. Oh well, I love french fries!

[GrumpyFan]

There was an option that you could purchase a french fry basket at Flame Tree for $3.49. I believe that is still available. Also, there is the cheese fry basket for a dollar more. Oops, my 1000th post is about junk food. Oh well, I love french fries!

:congrats: JoDisney on your 1000th post!

What I really wanted to hear from people in this thread, was their opinion of Disney pushing healthy choices. Do you find yourself still wanting and/or choosing the un-healthy stuff while you're on vacation, or are you okay with this move by Disney?

[JoDisney]

I am okay with the healthy choices from Disney. However, I do want a hamburger and fries from Pecos Bills. I enjoy that very much with the "fixin's bar" and I do not feel guilty about those choices. Thanks about the 1000th post! :joy::cheer:

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . So, what are your thoughts on this? Do you agree that they should offer both the healthy and non-healthy options, or do you think they should just offer the healthy options because that's what's best for everybody? . . .

1) It is nice that WDW has "healthy choices".
2) But they should be an option, not a mandatory selection.
3) Healthy eating is fine, but people should vhave a choice for junk food.
4) Politically Correct should not have a mandatory place on the menu.

NOTE: WDW is hypocritical here. They push "healthy choice" on some menus, but then turn around and sell candy, cinnamon buns, ice cream bars, and sucrose soda. Either you-is-healthy-choice or you-isn't-healthy-choice. Nit when it is convenient or PC.

[sardanem]

I totally agree that it should be an option as to whether you want the healthy stuff or not. Unfortunately, the mac and cheese that was made with the wheat pasta(don't remember which buffet it was, we went to 6 of them) my 3 kids looked at it and almost gagged. The pizza with the wheat crust was just as bad. If it wasn't for the regular unhealthy chicken nuggets and fries, they would not have eaten all week. As for me, I can't stand the wheat buns for everything. I have Crohn's disease so I can not eat a lot of high fiber items and by the end of the week, I was so uncomfortably sick, even though half way through the trip I had stopped eating the buns. As soon as I got home again, I was fine. If some people want wheat buns, then great, but there are some of us out there that for taste and/or health reasons don't want them. Or thise that are on vacation and want to splurge a little, they should have that choice.

Lisa

[BrerGnat]

I really don't understand Disney's position on this at ALL.

First of all, I applaud their addition of healthy OPTIONS/ITEMS to the menus, especially the kids menus. Things like fruits, vegetables, wraps, salads, grilled chicken/fish, sandwiches, etc. Those are good things. Step in the right direction.

However, I cannot understand the logic behind forcing a wheat bun upon someone who chooses to eat a hot dog or hamburger or pizza (crust). It doesn't make sense. Give the patron a choice of bun/crust, but don't just FORCE a whole wheat bun on someone. I personally like wheat buns, but they are an acquired taste for sure, and I don't really like them on burgers and stuff.

The other thing that completely irks me is how they are removing all the "trans fats" from their menus, but then they are selling stuff LADEN with trans fats (prepackaged) in all their gift shops (namely, the Disney cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels, etc). Not to mention, all those yummy baked goods at the bakeries on property...I'm willing to bet a LOT of that stuff is made with shortening. They're still selling that stuff.

And, really, let's not try to be all high and mighty about being "healthy" when every time you turn around, there is an ice cream cart, a soda cart, a popcorn cart, cotton candy, frozen slushie drinks, pretzels with "cheeze" sauce, etc. Honestly.

It's a theme park. Theme park food is not known for being healthy.

Good for Disney for acknowledging that it is time to OFFER healthy OPTIONS at the restaurants. But, don't force it on anyone. Let it remain an OPTION. Especially where the kids are involved. I am hearing horror stories about what they are doing to the kids meals, and I already have super picky kids (with sensory issues) and we haven't even gone to WDW yet, but hearing that they've ultimately destroyed the mac and cheese, and won't even make a decent grilled cheese sandwich anymore, well...that just puts a huge damper on any plans to go there anytime soon. When you have an autistic child who essentially LIVES on mac and cheese, and you find out that Disney has decided to make "healthy low fat mac and cheese" that tastes like paste...well, that's not a recipe for a fun week of eating out.

Furthermore, we frequent DisneyLAND. So far, NONE of this "healthy" stuff has seemed to make its way over here, so DIsney's claim that this is a "company wide" thing is BULL!

[Natazu]

I don't eat healthy on vacation. I'm certainly not spending $70 a day for the dining plan to eat salads and grilled chicken. It's fine to offer healthy foods and there are even some healthy foods that are enjoyable. But the problem is, sugar and fat taste good. Cheese tastes good. Salt tastes good. How do you make them taste better? Why by coating them with batter and deep frying them in animal fat of course. You can modify existing high-calorie recipes to be healthy in many ways. Sadly, they stop being worth $37 and start tasting more like hospital food than hospitality food. It won't take long for the bean counters at Disney to notice.

[diz_girl]

1) It is nice that WDW has "healthy choices".
2) But they should be an option, not a mandatory selection.
3) Healthy eating is fine, but people should vhave a choice for junk food.
4) Politically Correct should not have a mandatory place on the menu.

It's funny that people are complaining that WDW is making healthy foods mandatory and unhealthy foods optional. By that logic, then it's OK that unhealthy foods were mandatory and the only place that they could find a vegetable at a QS restaurant was at Pecos Bill's fixins bar. Not everyone is in the vicinity of CHH or Sunshine Seasons when it's time to eat.
I remember trying to find something not fried and/or laden with sodium at a QS restaurant in DHS back in 2005 and I just gave up and settled on a PBJ with carrots and chocolate milk from the kids menu.

I can recall the posts on these same boards a year or two ago from people compaining that they were sick of burgers, deep fried foods (chicken nuggets, fries, etc.), and cardboard pizza, and were wanting something else for themselves and their children. I, for one, welcome the healthy options.

[ElenitaB]

I must say, I'm a bit surprised seeing healthy eating labeled as "politically correct." :confused:

As for wheat buns, etc., that's how we eat at home every single day. Since my DS was old enough to eat sliced bread, all he's eaten has been whole wheat bread. (Our grilled cheese sammies and PB&Js are made with w/w bread.) I understand that this may cause health issues for some people, and I'm sure that WDW will provide a white bread roll if requested (just as they accomodate special dietary requests).

Like Amanda, I'm glad to see that there are healther options available; I'd like to see them available for adults as well. That's one of my problems with the dining plan: I'd prefer a salad to a dessert (or am I the only one who finds it hard to get in my "5 a day" when at WDW).

[Meteora]

I tend to not worry about eating healthy food on vacation, but I have a lot of friends who are very health-conscious. That being said, if restaurants are serving dishes like mac and cheese without specifying that the pasta is whole wheat, I can see how that would become problematic. There are a lot of kids who don't like new and different foods, and if it isn't specified, the parents won't know to request regular pasta.

[biodtl]

I love that they offer the healthy choices. My DD ate a ton of carrot sticks (with blue cheese), and apples/grapes, etc. But we were also able to get fries every time we asked.

I think it should be your choice. Many people eat healthy all year and vacation is when they splurge.

[GrumpyFan]

It's funny that people are complaining that WDW is making healthy foods mandatory and unhealthy foods optional.


It's not really a complaint about the healthy food choices, as much as it's them making them mandatory and NOT having optional unhealthy choices. If given the choice between healthy and not, I will usually try to choose healthy, and I appreciate that Disney is providing more healthy choices for my family and I. However, sometimes, I want to splurge on the unhealthy options just because they taste good, and I'm on vacation. After all, if you can't splurge a little on vacation, then what's the point of going.

[dnickels]

Is it really becoming that hard to find something fried or loaded with calories at Disney? I'm in the parks quite a bit (but I rarely eat there) and I feel like I'm never more than a few hundred feet away from somewhere I can get french fries or ice cream or any number of other guilty pleasures. Plus as others have mentioned, you can usually request things like fries or chicken nuggets even when they're not on the menu.

Of course I'm also happily childfree so I don't have to worry about "but this isn't like the kind mom makes." :thumbsup:

[JPL]

I don't mind them offering helathy choices but not in the hypocritical way Disney is doing it. I mean they are Healthy Healthy Healthy and then expand the McDonald's Menu at the Fry carts after pretty much pronouncing the franchise as the Devil and not promotiong their movies with Happy Meal Toys to spare our children from having to eat the evil McDonald's food. I have come to realize 2 thing when it comes to Disney and "Being Healthy" Or their other big catch phrase "Green" it's nothing more than a publicity stunt or a cover for cutting costs so I take it all with a grain of salt. I seriously don't believe they actually care if I am eating healthy or not if they did they wouldn't sell the 900 calorie Cookie.

[BrerGnat]

I don't mind them offering helathy choices but not in the hypocritical way Disney is doing it... I have come to realize 2 thing when it comes to Disney and "Being Healthy" Or their other big catch phrase "Green" it's nothing more than a publicity stunt or a cover for cutting costs so I take it all with a grain of salt. I seriously don't believe they actually care if I am eating healthy or not if they did they wouldn't sell the 900 calorie Cookie.

BINGO!

That is exactly how I feel about it.

They have actually PULLED all the McD's locations OUT of the parks in California entirely, including the fry carts. But, that doesn't make ANY sense, considering what they're doing over in FL. And, they haven't modified the menus at ALL in CA, which doesn't make sense, considering what they're doing in FL. The company's decisions do not jive with what they are "preaching", which leads me to believe it is just all about $$$, and has NOTHING at all to do with being more health conscious.

[GrumpyFan]

They have actually PULLED all the McD's locations OUT of the parks in California entirely, including the fry carts. But, that doesn't make ANY sense, considering what they're doing over in FL. And, they haven't modified the menus at ALL in CA, which doesn't make sense, considering what they're doing in FL. The company's decisions do not jive with what they are "preaching", which leads me to believe it is just all about $$$, and has NOTHING at all to do with being more health conscious.

I'm sure somebody will correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I believe DLR and WDW have separate individual contracts with McDonalds, and each dictates the specifics of that contract. So, while DL may be in the process of removing McDonalds from that park, it's most likely due to a contract issue, or just a change in direction as they (DL management) have chosen.

I think you're right to an extent about it being about $$$. But, I think too that there might be a litte more to it. I'm sure they have had some customer demand for more healthy choices, the marketplace itself has changed to that direction in the last year or so. And, as such, they have just responded in kind by offering the healthier choices. Again, I don't have issue with the healthy choices being offered, I think it's great and they should do this. But, I want to have the choice to make that decision for myself, without feeling like I'm being made to eat my veggies by my Mom.

[diz_girl]

I'm not sure about cost savings being a motivating factor for the healthy choices in menu options. When restaurants and cafeterias switch to healthier menus, food waste tends to decrease, which might provide cost savings. However, this would probably just offset the increased expense of providing the healthy food.

In most parts of the country, healthy food is actually more expensive than unhealthy food. Unhealthy foods frequently contain ingredients that are stripped of their nutrients. That's why obesity is generally more prevalent in poor areas, they can't afford the healthy stuff. White flour, high fructose corn syrup, trans fats and msg are cheap ingredients. Not everyone can pay $2.19 for a box of Barilla Plus pasta, rather than $.79 for the regular box.

Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy my ice cream and chocolate as much as the next person. When I eat unhealthy food, I don't feel that great afterwards, so I'd much rather eat healthy when I'm on vacation than not. I'd rather have small hit of ice cream after a healthy dinner than eat a meal that is high in fat and has a lot of sodium. But everyone is different and at least WDW gives you the option of requesting the unheathy choice.

[Disney_Barbie]

I def feel it should be a matter of choice. I never eat french fries & stuff like that and now actually get sick from eating them. I'm glad that disney has given me the optoin of carrots/grapes so that I can eat them, but same goes vise versa, you should have the option to eat how you like, and the diversity that disney offers is much appreciated, especially since many of us use ME and are a captive audience on disney property. I'm glad that I can find many kinds of food on property.

However, as others have stated, I don't feel that they are forcing healthy eating, as other's have stated fries and sodas are available w/ most of the kids meals still, you just have to ask.