I wanted to do a Eat More Plants Challenge Update while I was at Disney World. Really, I did. But then Disney happened. Sometimes I have to just live life with my family and not worry too much if I get behind on blog work. I hope you’ll forgive the delay.
While I thought about the Eat More Plants Challenge when deciding what to eat, it wasn’t the foremost thing on my mind. I will give you a quick recap on eating, and then a few pictures and words about the trip.
Here’s the truth. I’m concerned about what my family eats. I care about it and obviously I spend a lot of time and energy making sure we all eat well. But I’m not so obsessed that I want to pour over everything we ate on our vacation. Maybe that makes me a bad healthy living blogger. Or a good one? I guess I’ll let you decide.
So the question is: Can you eat healthy at Disney World? The answer depends on your definition of healthy. Questions I basically had to forget about for the week:
Is this organic?
Is this GMO?
Where did this meat come from?
Are these refined grains?
How is this sweetened?
What kind of oil are they using?
If I tried to eat the way we eat at home at Disney, it would have made for a stressful week. Not worth it. Instead, I tried to make the best choices I could each day with the options I had and allow for some vacation indulgences (like juice once a day for the kids and DESSERT for everyone!).
The waiter asked what we were celebrating the night we got to go out while Nana and Poppy kept the kids, and we said, “Date Night” so this is how they decorated the dessert. Cute, except it wasn’t very good. Isn’t that a bummer? You indulge and then the chocolate cake is dry and lacks flavor. UGH.
If you overlook all the questions above, you can eat somewhat healthy at Disney World. There was a hummus and vegetable sandwich I had one day for lunch that was really good. I had a few different salads–some healthier than others. I tried to focus on eating a decent amount of vegetables everyday. The kids were able to get fruits and vegetables for their side items, which was good. Their main dishes were mostly Uncrustables (hello, High Fructose Corn Syrup), macaroni and cheese, and chicken nuggets. Standard kid food. 
Could I have eaten healthier at Disney? Yes, I definitely could have. But I think I found a good balance between making healthy choices and relaxing and enjoying vacation.
Although, I’m not sure if when you’re a parent you can call Disney World “vacation.” What do you think? It’s a blast, but so exhausting. I wore my Garmin Vivoactive (<—-LOVE!!) and kept track of our walking. We averaged 7-9 miles a day!
Here’s Tim and I on the first day we arrived. 
We thought this trip would be Luke’s turn to experience Disney as last time he wasn’t even 2 yet. It turns out, even at 4, Disney didn’t agree with Luke. It started on the airplane when he was afraid of the plane (he hasn’t flown since that last trip, either). From there, he was afraid of almost everything. Anything remotely dark or loud. Most rides. Characters? He hid under the table. Bless his heart. This picture probably shows him at his happiest. 
Most of the time, he looked more like this:
I should mention that midweek he got sick, which certainly didn’t help his disposition. He had a fever and no energy or appetite. Thankfully we had Nana to stay with him at the hotel for a few days to help him recover. On one of our bus rides a little boy threw up and we overheard two more conversations about sick family members back at hotel rooms. What is it about Disney? Sickness everywhere.
Meghan, on the other hand, adored every minute. We let her get her face painted three times. She was in her glory. 
I wasn’t sure if at 7 she’d still like meeting characters, but she did. She wanted to see them all, getting hugs and autographs.
I have to share some ride faces because they’re the best!
Despite the look of pure terror on her face, Meghan does love rides.
By the end of the week, Luke was feeling better and in better spirits. Unfortunately, it was time to go home.
It was a great week in Disney World, even though it wasn’t the Happiest Place on Earth for Luke.
If you’re following along the Happy Healthy Mama Healthy Year Challenge, make sure you stop by tomorrow night as I’m announcing the March Challenge!
Leave a Reply