I recently had the opportunity to take my family to Epcot
for the day. I decided to eat quick service to save some time, and also because we are on a budget. It struck me that some the “healthy”
foods there were really no better than foods we commonly accept as
unhealthy. When looking at “healthy” options
such as the turkey sandwich served with melted cheese and bacon, you probably
not doing much better than just going with a hamburger.
I did notice that the menu at the Electric Umbrella seems to
have changed a bit. Disney bills this restaurant
as follows: “Eat beneath colorful canopies at this food court featuring
mushroom swiss cheeseburgers, meatball subs, vegetable flatbread, chicken
caesar salad, chicken breast nuggets, desserts and soft drinks.” I’ve mentioned the Caesar salad before- I
would expect that the calorie count and especially the fat count is very
high. The vegetable flatbread would be
better minus the cheese, but all things considered it’s probably the best
choice on the menu.
My opinion is that quick services restaurants are great if
one of the two following conditions apply: 1) you are in a hurry, or 2) you don’t
want so spend a lot of money. I have
some options for both of these conditions that will result in a much healthier
meal.
Whether you are in a hurry or if you want to save, consider
just getting a Diet Coke or bottled water to hold you over along with some fruit. There are three fruit stands in the Magic
Kingdom: on Main Street, in Liberty Square and in Mickey's Toontown Fair. Hollywood Studios
has Anaheim Produce on Sunset Blvd. Epcot fruit is available on the lower level
of The Land in Future World and at the Outpost between China and Germany in
World Showcase. Animal Kingdom offers fruit at Harambe Market in Africa, just
outside Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Another
money saving tip is to just eat a big healthy breakfast before entering the
park. For my family, we usually eat a
snack as we are making the drive from Tampa and finish up before entering the
parking lot, and we always bring plenty of half frozen water bottles and fresh fruit with us.
As I have mentioned before, I am Executive Director for Wellspring
Camps, the leading weight loss camp organization in the world. For most people, much of the excess fat
consumed every day comes from preparing foods in unhealthy ways. So at
Wellspring summer camps, campers learn
how to cook, order, and identify food that is nutritious, delicious, and
low in fat. Campers learn that they can eat food that is familiar and full of
flavor-such as pizza, chicken nuggets, and brownies-and still become effective
long-term weight controllers. Daily
menus include three delicious meals and two healthy snacks and have been
developed by registered dietitians using beloved low-fat
recipes. No typical "diet food" here for the simple reason that
we can't expect campers to change their lifestyle permanently unless the food
we're serving is at least as appealing as the food they're used to eating.
A typical day of controlled foods will include 1,200
calories, 10 g of fat, 50 g of protein, and 30 g of fiber. Unlimited access to
uncontrolled foods will add to these totals - often significantly. At
Wellspring, there is no caloric goal. If campers are hungry, they will have as
much uncontrolled food as they like, until they are satisfied. All we ask is
that they self-monitor
everything, so that it can be processed and discussed with their Behavioral
Coach.
Wellspring allows campers to significantly cut calories and
reduce fat without feeling deprived. Last summer we had exactly zero complaints
about hunger, which is consistent with our research demonstrating that campers
are not reporting any significant hunger. This is due to the fact that the
low-fat diet at Wellspring programs is so satisfying, and also because we allow
campers an unlimited amount of "uncontrolled" foods, such as soups,
fresh fruit and salad, as well as items such as fat-free yogurts, fat-free tuna
salad, fat-free egg salad, and fat-free cottage cheese.
If you are interested in getting your child on a health path
in life by enrolling them in a Wellspring summer camp, please give us a call at 855-247-3378.
