This is an entry for “Disney Check” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief.
For more tips on eating well at Disneyland, keep reading after the “Disney Check” definition.
Certain meals offered at Disneyland Resort dining locations are marked with a “Disney Check.” This designation means those meals have met nutrition standards set by Disney for healthier options. For a meal to get a “Mickey Check” it must meet Disney’s “nutrition guideline criteria.” The nutrition guidelines promote complete meals made up of nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains while limiting saturated fat, sugars and salt. You can find these Disney Check meals in designated categories on dining menus. They are also sometimes marked with a symbol that looks like a checkmark in a Mickey-head silhouette.
Thank you for reading this entry in our Disneyland 101 Glossary on the term Disney Check. For help planning your Disneyland visit, please see our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. And for more extensive advice on eating healthy during your Disneyland visit, keep reading.
More on Eating Well at Disneyland Resort
Recently a neighbor was explaining to me that she was hesitant to go to Disneyland because the food would be boring and not very nutritious. I understand this concern. For anyone who is trying to maintain healthy eating habits, a visit to a theme park can seem like an obstacle. Plus, no one wants to pay a premium for food that they are not going to enjoy.
Fortunately, I think the assumption that Disneyland only has corn dogs and greasy hamburgers is totally outdated, and really never quite accurate in the first place. We think Disneyland actually has some fantastic food and a surprisingly great variety of offerings. Whether you are looking for food that is diabetic-friendly, gluten-free, plant-based or just generally conducive to the way you like to eat, you should be able to find it at Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park and the Disneyland Resort Hotels. And there are still plenty of corn dogs and hamburgers for those who want them.
Food is Not THAT Expensive
The other good news is that we have found the price of Disneyland food to be reasonable when compared with other tourist destinations. If you have ever purchased food at a professional sporting event or in an airport, Disneyland prices will probably look pretty fair to you too. Of course, it is still going to cost more than making your own food at home or purchasing items from the grocery store, and that is why we still suggest bringing at least some of your own food: Why You Should Bring Your Own Food to Disneyland. Still, for the quality of much of Disneyland’s food paired with the novelty of the setting, we you should be able to find something that is right for you for the right price. In service of that goal, here are our tips for eating healthy at Disneyland.
Our Top Tips for Eating Healthy at Disneyland
Preview the menus for Disney restaurants.
It really does make me sad that so many of us spend a good portion of our time at Disneyland on our phones, and I miss the days of spontaneity at Disney parks. However, when it comes to eating healthy at Disneyland, your mobile device or computer can be a helpful tool. Disney posts detailed menus for all of its restaurants on the Disneyland website and in the Disneyland app.
We suggest previewing these menus before you visit Disneyland and scouting out which food items would be best for you and your nutrition requirements. If you have a common dietary restriction, sometimes Disney even has categories in its menus dedicated to that particular diet. You are more likely to find these categories at table service restaurants, but some quick service restaurants have them too.
Make the Most of Mobile Ordering… Or Not
In most cases we suggest using mobile ordering when you are dining at a quick service. It can save you a lot of time, and we find it helpful for making careful choices about food. When we mobile order—perhaps while waiting in a long line for Space Mountain—we are not feeling rushed, because we are not holding-up the line at the restaurant itself, and we can carefully look through the food items and pick something nutritious our kids are going to eat.
Furthermore, we can easily compare different restaurant menus without having to physically walk between them. Sometimes, we even order from multiple neighboring restaurants at once so everyone can get what works best for them. (Check-out San Fransokyo Square in our 5 Best Places to Eat at Disneyland Resort Parks.)
On the other hand, sometimes eating well requires a conversation. If you have particular dietary restrictions, we suggest speaking to cast members at the restaurants and adding the requirements to any reservations you make. Cast members can help you understand what is in each dish, point you towards ones that fit your diet and possibly modify dishes for you. This is something they do all the time! Disney specifically advises you to speak to a cast member if you are trying to avoid particular allergens. Disney also has a webpage dedicated to “Special Diet Requests” here. On that page, Disney also states:
If you or anyone in your party has 4 or more allergy requests, requires pureed meals or adheres to a medically-restrictive diet (such as very low protein), email the Special Diets team in advance to ask for a Special Diets Request Form.
You Can Bring Your Own Food to Disneyland
Remember—as we often tout on this website—you can bring your own food to Disneyland. We find this to be a helpful way to ensure we meet certain nutrition goals while saving money. We like to carry nutritious food in our backpacks and then save our vacation budget for splurging on certain treats that may or may not be healthy choices, like Dole Whips.
You can find things like whole apples or oranges for sale around Disneyland, but we feel it is waste to pay theme-park prices for something we can easily bring with us. There is nothing particularly magical about a Disney banana, so just carry one with you. Plus, you will probably be more likely to eat it if you are not bothered by the price. We have a whole article about bringing food to Disneyland here: Why You Should Bring Your Own Food to Disneyland. We have another one about bringing a reusable water bottle here: Can I Bring Water Into Disneyland?
Some of Our Favorite Vegetable Forward Dishes at Disneyland
Finally, here are a few of our favorite dishes at Disneyland that do a good job featuring vegetables and making them taste great. Whether these fit your particular dietary requirements is of course up to you to determine, but here are some of our top choices when we are looking for foods to give us healthy energy:
- I keep going back for the Felucian Kefta Garden Spread at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo, a quick service restaurant in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
- Disney has a delicious fresh poke bowl at various restaurants including Tangaroa Terrace Tropical Bar and Grill at Disneyland Hotel and GCH Craftsman Grill at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. At the later, we were able to switch the sushi rice out for mixed greens.
- Soba Noodle Salad at Aunt Cass Cafe in San Fransokyo Square comes with or without shrimp. Again, we particularly like dining with a group in San Fransokyo Square because mobile ordering makes it easy to grab items from a number of restaurants at once (and Flo’s V8 Cafe is just around the bend).
- 7 Greens Gumbo at Tiana’s Palace in New Orleans Square is a veggie-heavy choice in a beautiful location. You can get this with our without meat.
- Brussles Caesar is an inventive plant-based dish at Lamplight Lounge at Pixar Pier, and we suggest checking the menu for seasonal salads.
Thanks for reading this post on eating well at Disneyland, for even more on our Disney dining strategies, check-out How to Save Money & Eat Well with Disneyland Dining Tips. Thanks again for reading!