My family and I just got back from a trip to Disney World and Legoland in Florida. While it would have been easier to just eat whatever food was convenient, it really wasn’t that difficult to eat healthier. I won’t say I wasn’t tempted by some of the fried dough smells, but honestly, it really wasn’t that big of a thing. I did have some treats that I planned ahead about having (Epcot, I’m looking at you) and I did eat some more calories and carbs than I normally do, but all in all I feel pretty good about it. Certainly I have discovered that I really do prefer foods that feel good in my body, and I just don’t want to be hyped on sugar and processed foods all day anymore.

We drove to Orlando from North Carolina, which is about 10 hours of driving, 12-ish with stops, etc. The driving was a haul, but a reward for that is that we were not limited to carry-on luggage, as we would have if we had flown. So, I could stock the car with healthy snacks. Before we left, I packed up mandarin oranges, nuts, apples, and skinny pop popcorn. No reason for gas station snacks.

Driving also helped in that we had a car in Orlando. This meant that we could make a trip to the local grocery store and get more food if we wanted. At the grocery store there, we got water bottles, protein bars, and some additional kid snacks. However, if you aren’t going to have a car, there are grocery delivery services that will deliver to your resort, which is a good option to consider if you are in that situation.

Another helpful thing is that Disney has all of their restaurants on their My Disney experience website, along with menus for each place, making it easy to map out the different options available and come up with a game plan.

A little about how my meals went down (Of course, you can check out all the pics on my Instagram as well):

For breakfast, two mornings were in the hotel room (more affordable too!) – of food I brought. One morning it was eating at the resort’s quick service food court where I was able to get a made-to-order omelet with veggies, meat and cheese with some potato. During the travel days, it was an Egg McMuffin at McDonalds when leaving. And, on the way down, breakfast was an omelet, potatoes, sausage, and some peanut butter at our included breakfast at the hotel. Not too bad.

For lunch, it was a mixed bag. At Legoland, we had lunch at a buffet salad and pizza place in the park. I was able to have a big salad, which I supplemented with small slices of pizza. During one day at Disney we decided to just snack through the day with food I brought. Then, after getting too hungry, I did buy a plain hot dog, which I ate with no bun. In Epcot, I shared some barbacoa tacos with beans and rice and a few tortilla chips with my husband. I also indulged in half a school-bread in Norway, and a chocolate mousse in France. Travel days included a grilled chicken sandwich from Zaxby’s leaving, and a lettuce wrap sub from Jimmy Johns on the way down.

For dinner, it was all restaurants. I reviewed menus ahead of time and I just tried to choose healthier options where I could. Meals included fish tacos with slaw, salmon with veggies, pork chop with green beans and sweet potato, and on the last night I went for brisket with corn and slaw.

And there were also snacks of fruits, nuts, popcorn, the kids’ graham crackers, and some jerky.

It wasn’t a model of eating, but you know what? I call it a win. There were fries, popcorn, and Mickey ice cream bars (have you seen the nutrition on those?!) at every corner. But, I feel like I generally did well to get in fruit, veggies, good protein, and save the sweet treats for the more special items.

Have you navigated the theme parks and come through eating healthy? What are your tips?