Recently, my family and I took a trip to the magical world of Disney for Spring break. This included four days of all day walking, riding rides, hunting down characters, dancing through Mainstreet, catching monorails, and just having a blast. All of this left no time for cooking, which meant quick and easy meals/snacks throughout the day. Here are some ways I ate healthy and saved money while enjoying being on vacation at the most magical place in the world...
1. Find a grocery store, and stock up
The first thing I did when arriving at the hotel, was find the closest grocery store, and went to buy snacks and foods to last the week. I had never been to a Publix before, so I was pretty excited to go to one.
2. Eat a filling breakfast:
Each morning before we left for the day, I would make a big bowl of oatmeal with oats, almond milk, two bananas, pumpkin, and cinnamon. Then I would drink a mug of coffee to keep me going. Oatmeal is a perfect breakfast option to start a long day of magical adventures, because it keeps you full from the fiber in the oatmeal, and the carbs from the bananas gives you energy. Also, eating a big breakfast before you leave rather than eating inside the parks is a great way to save money.
3. PACK YOUR OWN FOOD (my number 1 tip!)
Not knowing what the parks would have for food options, or how much money they would be, I made sure to pack snacks to last me all day. Mostly I packed things that would fit in my small bag and be easy to eat while walking and standing around. It is so important to pack your own food, because that way you'll always have it, and you'll know exactly what it is you're going to be eating. If you keep your hunger at bay by munching on your snacks all day it will keep you from getting super hungry and binging on not so good for you foods in the park. Also, Disney World's food options are pretty expensive, and so you'll definitely be saving money by bringing your own food.
Here are some snacks I brought:
GMO free corn cakes from Real Foods, Kale & Spinach Chips, natural almonds, natural walnuts, and vegan edamame chips from Trader Joes.
Dried fruit, packs of raisins, dates, and apricots. Dried fruits are AMAZING snacks because they are small, delicious, and are more calorie dense and have lots of sugars/carbs for quick energy.
Fruit puree is also a great source of calories/carbs and it is so easy to eat while walking/waiting in lines, etc. Some people may call it baby food, but I call it a perfect snack. Look for the fruit AND veggie options, to get even more nutrients.
Fruits that are easy/clean to eat are also perfect for snacks, I brought apples and cuties.
Vegetables are also great, especially frozen peas, because they have protein and fiber, also they are easy to eat. I also had carrots and broccoli packed as well, but never got a photo.
All my snacks ready to go in my bag....
Fits perfectly...
4. Look for fresh food options
There were several food options in the parks that were definitely healthy, and great food choices. In Epcot, there were great food choices in all the countries, including steamed vegetables and rice in Japan and even hummus and vegetables in Morocco! Also it was pretty easy to find fresh fruit, and even potatoes/corn throughout Magic Kingdom. Look for the words 'steamed' and 'baked' rather than 'fried' or 'breaded' and be cautious of all the frozen treats. Stick with smoothies (Tomorrowland had a great smoothie place) or juices with ice instead of sorbets, ice cream, etc.
5. Bring a water bottle
Even in March, Orlando was pretty hot and with walking so much it was pretty easy to get dehydrated, so save money on expensive bottled water, or drinks at Disney and bring your own water bottle, and just refill it with water when you're thirsty. I also found that it was pretty easy to get a cup of ice for free at most restaurants. Staying hydrated will keep your hunger at bay, and keep you from getting exhausted.
6. Coffee
If you need a pick me up in the middle of day, get some coffee. But stick to simple black coffee, or even a shot of espresso! There were tons of cafes in the park that sold coffee, it was rather expensive, but definitely worth it if you need a little boost of energy. Black coffee has no calories, and won't give you as much of a "crash" than a sugary coffee drink will. Also, black coffee is always much cheaper than the sugar filled coffee drinks.
So those are my tips for eating healthy at Disney, or at any type of theme park. The key to eating healthy is
bringing your own food, so you're not tempted by all the high calorie, high fat, high sugar options that are in the parks. By having your own food you won't be as likely to spend money on the park's foods that may not be as good for you.
So what does "Bite Into A Healthy Lifestyle" mean to me? I definitely can relate to this theme, especially since going vegan last Spring. I've wanted to talk about the difference I've found between "dieting" and "living" for quite a while, so the fact that this is the theme for this year's National Nutrition Month worked out perfectly!
When I first started looking into veganism, I saw it portrayed as a lifestyle, not a diet. I strongly dislike the word "diet" because I think it's a very negative word, and is used to describe something short term, something that isn't meant to last forever. It isn't used in a way that describes why you eat how you eat, who/what is impacted by what you eat, or even in a passionate way, to me that is called a "lifestyle." Becoming vegan made me realize that veganism isn't a diet, it's truly a way of life. It's how someone lives, vegans choose what they eat rather than following a certain set of rules even if they don't want to. It's not that I can't eat cheese or milk based ice cream, it's that I choose not to. This is why I like to refer to veganism as a "lifestyle" rather than a "diet."
I think when you make healthy eating a lifestyle, and put passion in it going back to old habits and foods is much more difficult. When you make eating purposeful and have a true meaning behind it, it becomes a part of your life and something that becomes personal. Your diet (or as I like to call it, your lifestyle) should be personal, fit your life, and represent what's important to you.
Finding veganism was about a four year process for me. It slowly became not just the food I ate, but it is now a reflection of myself and a representation of the type of nutrition I promote and believe in. When becoming vegetarian back in high school, I did it just to test my self-discipline and see if I could do it. Slowly, I began to fall in love with how I was eating and what I was eating and it began to become a huge part of my life. I began to cook more, eat less processed foods, research nutrition, and ultimately it helped me decide I wanted to study nutrition in college. I made this a lifestyle, not just a diet, I put passion in the way I was eating and also living. After lots of my own research and experiences, I decided to go vegan in the Spring of 2014. This was a huge step for me, and I quickly saw how it effected my lifestyle. Becoming vegan, for me, helped me to revamp the way I live as well as my thoughts and feelings on the food I choose to eat.
Soon after becoming vegan I found that I felt a lot happier, and became passionate about protecting the animals that are being abused every day just for human consumption and pleasure. This is how veganism became a lifestyle for me, although this doesn't have to be true for everyone, it was for me. I found that once I eliminated animal products, my body was filled with positive energy. I genuinely felt like my body was no longer filled with negative, pain, fear, and hatred but instead love and happiness. As "hippy dippy" as that sounds, it is so true. I almost immediately began to feel better, in my mind, body, and soul. I soon saw that the way I was eating in the past was full of hatred and abuse, seeing and feeling how veganism was full of love and peace helped me stay with this lifestyle. I found a passion to protect, love, and care for all animals; not just cats and dogs, but cows, pigs, chickens, horses, birds, fish every animal deserves love and respect. So that's how veganism became more than a diet for me, but a lifestyle.
Making the food you eat a lifestyle, and changing your diet from just a diet to a way of life will help you put passion into your own health and maintain it. Diets are usually difficult for people to maintain because they are viewed as rules, regulations, limitations, elimination, and are thought to only last for a little while before returning to however you were eating before. A lifestyle is formed to fit you, it is made to last for a long time and become a part of you. This should be how people eat, and live, not through short-term diet plans that don't actually provide you with a change in anything other than the foods you are putting in (or not putting in) your mouth. Changing your lifestyle is way more effective than just your diet. Making the food you eat, and your personal health goals a lifestyle can potentially last the rest of your life rather than just a few months.
When someone tells me they are thinking about going vegetarian or vegan, I always ask them why, this helps them create a motive and passion to remain on this type of living. I think this is how everyone should begin a healthy lifestyle, with a specific motivation that they can keep looking to that will help them remain positive and passionate. The foods you eat should fit you, your goals and your passions. Taking a "bite into a health lifestyle" is an effective way to live out your "diet" and make it part of your entire life. Let's stop dieting to eat healthier, and instead start living a healthy lifestyle!
