Eating Heart Healthy at WDW

[RweTHEREyet]

My husband was just diagnosed with some heart issues and high blood pressure. We are used to eating pretty much what we want and that is changing rapidly. It won't hurt either of us to lose some weight on top of getting the blood pressure down.

So my question for those of you that are used to eating healthy at WDW is, where do you eat? I have never paid attention to items on the menu other than what I like.

Also, what healthy snacks do you carry around with you in the parks?

I am slowly getting educated about all this and need all the help I can get.

It's tough gettin older.

 

[liamsaunt]

You can find something healthy at most places. Are you looking for counter service or table service? Some ideas off the top of my head:

All the parks have fruit stands with fresh fruit, fruit cups, and yogurt. At MK iit is in Liberty Square, AK in Africa, MGM on the road to Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.

In MK, Columbia Harbor House has a grilled chicken, grapes, and cheese plate (it is on the kids menu but you could still order it)

At AK, there is grilled salmon and a vegetable sandwich at Tusker House

At Epcot, Sunshine Season Food Fair has an assortment of salads--just get the dressing on the side.

If you are doing adrs, you can tell the reservationist about his dietary restrictions, and the chef will work with you to come up with something he can eat.

I am sure others will have lots of good ideas.

 

[goofie4goofy]

I don't know what restaurants you plan on dining in. Most TS restaurants will accommodate you. We eat healthy and it may take a little more work at first it becomes second nature. In order to bring you blood pressure down the first thing to avoid is SODIUM (salt). What to avoid popcorn, fries, hot dogs, condiments such as pickles, turkey legs, chips well you get the idea.

The key is to fill your body with high water content natural foods, fiber/grains and lean protein. Breakfast egg white omlet (or egg beaters)with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, dry wheat or rye toast, and share a fruit plate. Use pepper ...no salt. Oatmeal is a geat option...pair this with a fruit plate and you have vitimans and fiber (which lowers BP and Cholesterol) or a Fiber cereal and skim milk, fruit, fat free yogurt. I have had all of these in any WDW restaurant. Just because it is not on the menu does not mean it cannot be done...they are always happy to accommodate.

Lunch..you can get a salad with grilled chicken, turkey, shrimp or fish most anywhere. Order the salad without cheese, sour cream, croutons (croutons are bread fried in fat...they look like little harmless cubes but are not) Get low fat dressing if they have or regular dressing on the side. Dip your fork into the dressing first then into the salad. You will get all the flavor of the dressing without all the fat and calories. You can also get a sandwich or a wrap...turkey or chicken...load up with veggies, use mustard no mayo. There is a place in liverty square that sells all kinds of fruit and I think they also have baked potato chips. You can also but an apple or banana or a fruit cup and have it as a snack. I have also found dole whips to be a great snack too. Do not get a twist of vanilla, just the plain pineapple (dairy free) and get a small and to make it feel like more get the pineapple spear with it.

Dinner can be tricky but not impossible, keep away from the places that serve family style or BBQ. Avoid anything that says fried, sauteed, crispy, smothered, creamed..
Start with an appetizer shrimp cocktail is great (also contrary to former belief...not high in cholesterol) try to avoid soups if you can they are very high in salt. Opt for another salad with dressing on the side. For your entree, look for grilled, steamed or broiled and ask for the food to be prepared with as littel fat as possible. If the entree comes with sauce, get it on the side so you can dip your fork into it. BEWARE the mashed potatoes....LOADED with butter. Ask for a plain baked potato (if it's large have half ) and do not put butter on it but put pepper or smear a little sour cream on it...not a blob. Try to eat fish, turkey (not legs), or chicken. Any good TS restaurant will accommodate your requests. Aslo I ahve found the CG and Citricos has items that are perfect as is..One of the best dishes at the CG is the halibut steamed in a banana leaf (excellent). Pasta is ok, but you have to watch the sauce...Marinara or pomodoro is best...BEWARE the bolonese, a la vodka, alfredo...all are filled with cream, fat and salt. Do not order any baked pasta, such as lasagna, again loaded with fat, salt and meat. Have a large salad with veggies and pasta with marinara. If you want a meatball, get it on the side and share. The bread basket is wasted calories...just turn it away. Instead have a glass of red wine (very good for the heart) and great conversation while looking over the menu...bread is not needed.

Dessert does not have to be a no-no. Sorbet is a great choice or if you want to splurge (once a day is good share a dessert. Also watch your cappucino...ask for fat free milk.

If you drink sugared soft drinks...stop!

Alternatives are water, and light lemonade and sugar free Iced tea. Drink lots of water. It fills you and keeps you hydratred and flushes the salt out of your system.Bottled Pelligrino water with lemon and lime is great with dinner, it helps you digest.

Just think of this: Avoid porcessed foods which contain salt (lots of it) Drink water or non sugared soft drinks. Think fiber, whole grains (which grab on to cholesterol and remove it from your body) High water content foods: fruits and veggies and lean protein...try to avoid red meat of all kinds and keep it as a treat. I do not cook red meat of any kind at home, but when we want it we go out for a steak dinner..maybe every 6 weeks or so.

Well it's a start...it's very painless. You will feel better almost instantly. Don't worry about portions just yet, but this is what your plate should look like. Half the plate should be veggies, one quarter lean protein and the other quarter, good carbs... the unprocessed kind.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Oh my goodness, Goofy, I am gonna starve if I do all this with hubby. My weakness is bread and butter and popcorn and so on. This will be very hard for me, but I sure want to be supportive.

The cardiologist says we should eat 6 meals a day and no more than what you can hold in your hand. That is kind of hard to put into practice.

Thanks for all the guidelines. I have printed out and plan to share the info with hubby.

 

[heathpack]

I too have dietary restrictions and we did find some really good healthy meals while I was down at the world late Sept 2005.

At Kona Cafe, I had the Pan Asian Pasta-- lots of vegetables, chicken and udon (whole wheat) noodles. This was quite good. I am not sure what the sauce was comprised of, or if it contained saturated fat.

At Rose and Crown, I had the Curried Vegetables with Grilled Chicken. This was excellent. Again, not sure what was in the sauce.

At Liberty Tree Tavern (lunch), I had the Amber Waves of Grain, which was sauteed vegetables served over quinoa (a whole grain), served with an herb coulis. Also excellent. I think the herb coulis was basil in olive oil, but you'd have to ask.

Tusker House is a counter service lunch that serves excellent roast chicken, which would be excellent even without the skin, I'll bet.

I had two really good pork tenderloin meals-- one at Cinderella's Royal Table for lunch and one at California Grill for dinner. Pork Tenderloin has the about the same amount of saturated fat as chicken breast meat, I believe.

Boma also had some excellent choices-- lots of beans, grains, and vegetables.

Turkey Sandwiches and Chicken Wraps are fairly common entrees at counter service restaurants, and grapes seem to be found frequently (and they actually are good and fresh!).

And for snacks, there are fruit stands. If you feel like a frozen treat, frozen chocolate covered bananas are a nice alternative to ice cream. There are also a few nut stands scattered about-- yes nuts are high in fat, but its the kind that's good for your heart.

All in all, the Disney's food can have its healthy aspects. And from what I hear, the restaurants are great about accomodating requests made in advance.

Enjoy!

H

PS If you are interested in a good summary of the nutritional "facts" as they are currently understood, I would recommend the book Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter Willet. This book is more about eating for general good health, but heart disease is discussed as well.

 

[goofie4goofy]

Yes that is absolutely how you should eat...6 meals a day. Since most non-starchy veggies are very low calories and mostly water, you can fill up on those..hence the 1/2 plate = veggie.

It's very easy after a while...1 serving of protein should be the same size as a deck of cards. A portion of pasta = 1 cup cooked or the size of an ice cream scoop. protein and carbs make up the bulk of your calories, so that is why filling up on veggies and 3 -4 servings of fruit per day is important. I have found having an apple or two a day before a meal helps with your appetit. It's just subsituting healthy foods for the bad ones.


Salt is the most important thing to cut from your diet. It will raise your blood pressure. It is very easy to do without. Also I have a cooking tip for you Lemon juice in cooking actually fakes out your taste buds into thinking it is salt. When I make tomato sauce I never add salt, but squeeze 1/2 lemon into it...and it tastes salty. After a short time, you will not miss salt at all....

I used to work for Jenny Craig as a counselor....I know lots of tricks