Balancing Your Diet at Disneyland
Megan Kline3/21/19What is vacation without food? When planning a vacation, where and what to eat always play a big role in the itinerary and a trip to Disneyland is no exception! Disneyland is full of amazing dining locations from the parks to the resorts, and everything in between. I was able to attend training at Disneyland for work, and while I was excited to try new things, I was also nervous since this was my first time visiting the parks since making some drastic lifestyle changes. I now have a diet that is low carb and low sugar, and I only eat to fuel my body, not to indulge. I knew it could to be a challenge!
I am here to say it is possible to eat a low carb/ low sugar diet while in a Disney park. Let’s start with our first stop right on Main Street USA. I had to visit Carnation Café for the nostalgia of Walt himself. I ended up ordering Walt’s Fried Chicken and splitting it with another travel concierge I was dining with. I only ate the chicken, a few bites of mashed potatoes, and the veggies, skipping the roll and butter. Splitting a meal with someone else is a great way to enjoy some Disney classics while cutting the calories and price in half!
Next place we stopped was Storyteller’s Café located in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. This is normally a large buffet style meal, but we were served family style for our meeting which allowed us to sample many of the restaurants usual offerings. The starter was the cilantro corn chowder which was probably one of THE BEST things I ate the whole time in California. I love cilantro in anything and this chowder did not disappoint. I did chose the salmon wedge salad because it was the healthiest option on the menu. I was not that impressed and decided to finish the chowder instead. I would love to go back for the character breakfast with my family and experience more of what this cozy dining location has to offer.Okay, now for my favorite quick service location on property! Tangaroa Terrace is located in the Disneyland Hotel and has a beautiful terrace overlooking the gorgeous pool. I stumbled upon it after leaving my hotel room on a hunt for food and I am so glad I did. I ordered the Poke’ bowl and ate everything pictured minus the rice. The tuna was so fresh and the flavors complimented each other so well.
After a busy day in the parks, we headed over to Downtown Disney’s Tortilla Jo’s for an afternoon pick me up. They have amazing table side guacamole and their margaritas do not disappoint. Although you are technically dining on Disney property Tortilla Jo’s does not take Disney gift cards as a form of payment.
Once I had time to rest in my hotel room and freshen up for dinner we headed straight to Disney’s California Adventure Park. There we dined at the Carthay Circle Restaurant. This is the definitely one of the finest dining establishments on property. Dinner was a three course meal which was way too much for me, but I was able to give my dessert to another agent and focused on my salad and entrée. I ordered the Pan Seared Hapu which was very fresh and full of flavor. We were seated in a large room with beautiful décor and it really felt like we were in California during the 20’s. My favorite part of the whole experience was posing with Goofy right in front of the restaurant as we waited for our large party to be seated.Here are some tips I learned about Disneyland along with some other snack favorites. Disneyland and DAC also offer plenty of healthy snacks such as fruit cups, veggies and hummus, and salads galore. I chose very healthy options at meals, so I allowed myself to splurge on some snacks I had heard were “not to be missed” at Dinseyland!If you want a churro or corn dog, you have to get one INSIDE the parks. Not the carts in Downtown Disney you see on your way in and out. I did indulge a corn dog because I had heard so many great things about them and life is all about moderation, which includes the occasional splurge. The corn dog from Corn Dog Castle located on Pixar Pier were everything everyone said they would be! I would highly recommend one.The Mickey beignets from the Mint Julep stand our heavenly, and yes I did finish the whole thing. Skip the mint julep though because that is 100% sugar. Sprinkles cupcakes in Downtown Disney has the best cupcakes on the planet! They are truly amazing and I recommend getting one on your way home for the night, the vanilla cake and vanilla buttercream and did not disappoint!I am so glad I was able to attend this meeting at Disneyland, and to see that there were plenty of healthy options available. I loved the restaurants we experienced, and all the fantastic snacks were totally worth it! No matter where you choose to eat in Disneyland, you can’t go wrong!