Amusement parks are not exactly the flag bearers of healthy eating. But, going on vacation to Disney World doesn’t have to turn into a diet misadventure. You won’t have to dig into 1,000-calorie burgers the whole time you’re there. The folks at Disney have done a great job making it easy to eat healthy at Disney World. Add this to all the walking you’ll be doing, and you might just come home a few pounds lighter!
From quick service restaurants to snack carts and even table service and fine dining venues, there are tons of healthy food options at Disney World. Plant-based options, fresh fruit smoothies, light and flavorful salads, and low-calorie desserts, Disney World has it all.
Keep reading to see where you can find the best healthy foods in Disney World. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how many healthy options there are. And at the end of your trip, you’ll be happy and proud that you ate good, nutritious food and didn’t throw smart eating out of the window on your Disney vacation.
Healthy Eating at Magic Kingdom Park
Be Our Guest Restaurant
The amazing dining experience at the Beast’s castle is one that you won’t forget in a hurry. And this unique/themed dining venue has some of the healthiest food options in Disney World. Take breakfast, for example – scrambled egg whites and roasted tomatoes are a protein-packed way to make a delicious start to your day. Healthy options on the lunch menu include a mixed greens salad as the appetizer and pan-seared sea scallops with fennel, apple, and consommé with seasonal risotto on the entrée menu. There’s also an allergy-friendly grilled center-cut filet mignon served with seasonal vegetables. And for vegetarians, a flavorful quinoa salad that’s packed with fiber and comes with colorful vegetables like roasted bell peppers, beets, green beans, tomatoes, and olives.
Liberty Square Market
Skip the greasy, deep-fried snacks that not only rack up the calorie count but also slow you down. Head over to Liberty Square Market at Magic Kingdom for a choice of healthy snacks at Disney World. There are whole fruit and apple slices on sale here and a turkey leg if you’re looking for something more substantial. Also on the menu are healthy (ish) options like Babybel snack cheese and Dannon Greek yogurt for a quick pick-me-up mid-afternoon snack.
Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
Take creamy feta cheese, kalamata olives, banana peppers, and tomato relish and toss them together with a vinaigrette dressing and you’ve got yourself the Greek salad at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café. Salads are the best way to eat healthy at Disney World – they’re filling and packed with nutrients. Need something a little more? There’s a plant-based “Impossible Burger” that comes topped with tomato and lettuce (skip the French fries and you’ll stay on track!).
Prince Eric’s Village Market
When your energy starts to fizzle out and it’s time for a quick munch, pop over to Prince Eric’s Village Market, a quaint little food stand that offers some nice and healthy food choices at Disney World, such as fresh fruit (grapes) and roasted turkey legs.
Columbia Harbour House
The Harbour Salad features mixed greens, apples, onions, and shredded cheddar dressed with an apple cider vinaigrette. Also on the menu at Columbia Harbour House is a grilled salmon served with green beans (go easy on the rice). The Lighthouse Sandwich is a plant-based option with hummus on toasted multigrain bread served with a broccoli and tomato slaw (skip the fries).
Eating Healthy at Epcot
Sunshine Seasons (Future World)
Dig into a delicious and healthy selection of fresh, flavorful food at Sunshine Seasons. This dining location offers up some of the healthiest food choices at Disney World, including wood-grilled entrées. The Power Salad featuring quinoa, oak-fired chicken, and almonds with a honey vinaigrette is a sure winner. We also love the jackfruit gyro with tzatziki, which is a great plant-based option. On the snack menu, there’s assorted whole fruit as well as carrot sticks, broccoli, and tomatoes served with hummus.
Teppan Edo (Japan Pavilion)
Celebrating a special occasion on your Disney vacation? Want to enjoy a romantic night on the town? The sophisticated environs of Teppan Edo at Epcot’s Japan Pavilion will allow you to do all that and still eat healthy at Disney World. Start with Edamame (chilled young soybean pods) and then choose from a selection of authentic sushi dishes featuring lean proteins and seafood. Among the entrées, we recommend Hotate if you’re watching the calories – it’s a garden salad with udon noodles, cold water ocean scallops, and vegetables served with steamed white rice. There’s also a similar dish featuring salmon (fresh Scottish filet serviced with a delicious yuzu sauce).
Spice Road Table (World Showcase)
Enjoy the flavors of the Mediterranean (considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world) at the picturesque Spice Road Table restaurant with waterfront views. On the small plates menu are two of our favorite healthy eating options at Disney World – Dolmas, which are grape leaves stuffed with herbed rice and marinated olives, seasoned with charred lemons – and the Pomegranate-Chili Crispy Cauliflower served with a red pepper Aleppo sauce – both are plant-based and suitable for vegetarians.
Tangierine Café (World Showcase)
If you’ve ever tried falafel pita and grilled kebabs, you know that the flavors of traditional Moroccan cuisine are finger-licking good. If you want to stick to your plan of eating healthy at Disney World, pick the grilled kebabs served with lightly spiced couscous, a tomato onion salad, and garlic aioli (stick with the lemon garlic chicken and ask them to hold the lamb and beef tenderloin if you want to avoid red meats). Also on the menu is stone-baked Moroccan bread served with hummus, zhoug dips, and zaalouk, and there’s fresh orange juice to wash it all down.
Eating Healthy at Animal Kingdom
Satu’li Canteen
When you plan to eat healthy at Disney World, don’t forget to hydrate. Our pick is the refreshingly delicious Pandoran Sunrise at Satu’li Canteen in Animal Kingdom. This exotic blend of tropical fruits is served on ice in a Na’vi flute cup. On the healthy food menu here is the Bao Buns Steamed Pods Cheeseburger with the crunchy goodness of vegetables. For seafood lovers, there’s a shrimp served with a chili-garlic sauce. And if you want to eat lean proteins, the chopped wood-grilled chicken bowl will be right up your alley.
Harambe Fruit Market
Take your pick from a range of fresh fruits, including bananas, apples, oranges, and more. Or try some grilled corn on the cob with exotic African spices (also available without the spices). Filling up on fruit is one of the easiest ways to eat healthy at Disney World. Fresh fruit not only satiates your hunger but also packs a big nutrient punch.
Tamu Tamu Refreshments
Eating healthy at Disney World doesn’t mean you can’t eat anything sweet at all. The desserts-only menu at Tamu Tamu in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park features exotic treats like the Simba Sunset, a dole whip with watermelon, strawberry, and pineapple flavors. At just 90 calories, this is one of the best ways to satisfy your sweet tooth without making a dent in your diet plans.
Yak and Yeti Local Foods Café
One of the healthiest breakfasts at Disney World is the egg white English muffin entrée at Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom, featuring egg whites and tomatoes on a toasted English muffin (skip the American cheese and hash brown bites to make it really healthy). Also on the menu is a fresh fruit salad and a low-fat yogurt parfait served with a strawberry compote and granola. For lunch, we suggest the honey chicken featuring tempura chicken, snap peas, and carrots served with a honey sauce on white rice.
Eating Healthy at Hollywood Studios
ABC Commissary
The international fare at this Hollywood Studios eatery is both delicious and healthy. The Mediterranean salad (with or without chicken) in a great example of healthy eating options at Disney World. A generous serving of marinated chicken (or not) comes with mixed greens and protein-packed feta cheese along with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and kalamata olives, accompanied by hummus and a grilled flatbread – we promise it will fill you up without driving up your calorie count for the day. The California Burger here is another great healthy choice – a farm-fresh plant-based burger patty drizzled with mustard and served with balsamic glazed peppers – comes with a choice of side.
Anaheim Produce
Assorted fresh fruits provide that much needed energy boost while you’re on the go at Hollywood Studios. This healthy food cart features a refreshing assortment of snacks and treats that will not puncture your diet plans.
Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo
The Felucian Kefta and Hummus Garden Spread will allow you to eat healthy at Disney World without feeling like you’re missing out on good food. This dish consists of plant-based meatballs served with herbed hummus and a fresh tomato cucumber relish with pita bread. For meat lovers, there’s the roasted Endorian chicken salad consisting of marinated chicken served with grapes, tomatoes, cucumber, shaved onion, and mixed greens with a fresh citrusy pomegranate vinaigrette and finished with a spiced yogurt drizzle. Ticks all the boxes – healthy, filling, and delicious. Want to encourage your kids to eat healthy at Disney World too? The Takodana Veggie Dippers on the kid’s menu here are a perfect way to do it.
Ronto Roasters
This exotic meat stall in Disney’s Hollywood Studios has something that’s ideal for vegetarians and folks who’re counting calories – the Zuchii Wrap features grilled zucchini served with a delicious garlic tahini sauce and chickpea onion slaw, garnished with fresh cilantro, and wrapped in pita bread. Another great plant-based option is the Andoan Fruit with Muja Sauce with sticks of melon, pineapple, cucumber, jicama, and dragon fruit, doused with a tangy tamarind sauce and garnished with peppercorn ash – yummy!
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
The Sci-Fi Wedge Salad features crispy iceberg lettuce, red onions, grape tomatoes, and blue cheese crumbles dressed with a balsamic glaze and blue cheese dressing. Also on the menu is an oven-roasted Turkey sandwich with herb-roasted Turkey on fresh-baked multigrain croissant with vine-ripened marinated tomatoes and lettuce with a cilantro avocado aioli. The Flying Saucer Impossible Burger is a plant-based option served with grilled portobello mushroom, lettuce, tomato, cashew mozzarella, and a garlic tomato aioli.
General Tips on How to Eat Healthy at Disney World
Order an entrée without the sides
The best way to eliminate the temptation to graze on French fries is to not have them on your tray at all. Tell the cashier you want only the sandwich minus the sides. An added plus is you’ll save a few bucks.
Choose healthy sides
Just 10 sticks of French fries pack more than 100 calories. Skip these greasy diet-busters and go for a salad, fruit, corn, carrot sticks, or broccoli instead.
Pick sugar-free desserts
If you don’t want to skip dessert altogether, many table service restaurants cater to guests who want to eat healthy at Disney World. Look for low-fat and sugar-free options on the dessert menu. Think sorbets instead of ice creams and yogurt parfaits instead of cupcakes, for instance.
Fill up on fresh fruits and veggies
Every Disney theme park has stands that sell fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s just a question of making healthy choices. When you fill up on these low-calorie snacks at Disney World, you’re less likely to throw caution to the wind and indulge in a calorie-bomb.
Eat a healthy breakfast
Breakfast is one of the easiest mealtimes to eat healthy at Disney World. You can fuel up with lean proteins and egg whites, fresh fruit, and sugar-free juices. It should keep you going for several hours before you start wanting a snack.
Order healthy meals for your kids
Don’t forget to include your kids in your plans to eat healthy at Disney World. The Mickey Check meals include grapes, carrot sticks, apple slices, and yogurt. Pick bottled water instead of sodas and your kids are good to go.
Ask for the dressing on the side
While you may think you’re eating healthy at Disney World by choosing salads, keep in mind that many of the pre-mixed dressings can be quite calorie-heavy. Ask for the dressing on the side and hold back when dousing your salad with it. Now, your salad will have reached peak healthy-ness.
Choose lean proteins
As long as they aren’t fried, lean proteins like fish and chicken are healthier options than red meats.
Avoid buffets
When you pay a fixed price for a meal, there’s a tendency to overstuff yourself to get your money’s worth. If you must eat at buffets at Disney World, steer clear of the fried fare and load up on salads and other healthy options.
Split your entrée
Sick of eating salads and other healthy foods at Disney World? It’s okay to indulge once in a while. You are on vacation, after all. A great way to keep a check on the calories is to split an entrée with someone in your group. That way you get the satisfaction of eating something really delicious while keeping the portion size in control.
Bring your own snacks
If looking for healthy snacks and treats at Disney World feels like a chore (this blog should help!), then it may be easier to bring your own snacks. Pick up healthy bagged snacks from the nearest supermarket or grocery store and bring them to the theme parks with you. You’ll save time and money too and have access to healthy eating options whenever hunger strikes.
Disney has made it easy for guests to stay healthy while on vacation. There are lots of ways to eat healthy at Disney World. Thanks for reading and we hope you’ll be successful in sticking to your diet while enjoying the fantastic, magical world of Disney.