Keto at Disney
My upcoming trip to Walt Disney World marks the first time I am attempting to visit the parks while on a ketogenic diet. I've visited on a modified keto diet before that allowed all fruits but bananas and whole grains, but strict keto is a whole different story. How will I ever navigate the labyrinth of sweets, sugary cocktails, and questionable sauces that is Disney World?
In this week's blog, I'm going to break down my plan for you, including all the things I learned from various other resources, and suggest some resources as well.
What is Keto?
Keto is short for a ketogenic diet. The goal of a ketogenic diet is to eliminate carbohydrates to the extent that rather than burn that "easy fuel", your body begins to burn fat. Therefore, a ketogenic diet usually includes avoiding all grains, all sugars, all starchy vegetables, and almost all fruits (except berries). My ketogenic diet is even more strict and is currently prohibiting certain artificial sweeteners, like aspartame.
You can eat the following things on keto: Meats (not breaded meats), cheeses, full fat dairy (watch out for milk or reduced fat dairy as it is higher in carbs), non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and most berries.
The General Dining Strategy
Because of Disney's insanely early ADR window, I had booked my table service dining before I know I would be on keto. I'm also traveling with someone who is not on keto, so our dining choices this time were not influenced by where it is easier to eat on keto. However, if you can choose where to eat, some good suggestions for Table Service are:
Steakhouses - like Shula's or Yachtsman. A steak is one of the most wonderful keto treats.
Seafood places - like Coral Reef or Flying Fish. Most of these will have a baked or grilled fish that is keto friendly
Even if not going to one of these, look at the latest menu ahead of time (available in the MyDisneyExperience app) and pick out some things you think could work. Many places will have a steak or at least a burger you can take off the bun. Some will have other grilled meats, charcuterie or cheese plates, or salads that can work. And even Tony's Town Square, known for it's pasta, will make your chicken alfredo over broccoli if you ask, which leads us to the next tip:
Ask for substitutions
Disney is incredibly accommodating to all kinds of dietary needs, and usually at a table service restaurant, they can make substitutions or modifications that will make the dish work for you. When browsing that menu, try to get an idea of what foods the kitchen has on hand that you can eat. For example, at Chef Art's Homecomin', they have a lovely pot roast dish but it comes with potatoes and a soup that might be starchy. However, browsing the menu, I see some other dishes come with broccolini. So when I eat there, I am going to ask to sub out the potatoes and soup for broccolini.
Also, if a meat comes with a sauce, or a salad comes with a dressing, ask for that on the side. Some of these sauces taste so good because they have sugar in them. And even gravy without sugar is likely to have corn starch or flour in it.
If you don't know if an item is keto friendly, ask.
Disney is accustomed to serving guests from all over the world and will all sorts of different dietary needs. If you don't know what's in a sauce, or if a meat is marinated, just ask. If your server doesn't know, they will find out. Sometimes the chef will come out to talk to you about your dietary preferences as well. Disney also has an allergy menu that lists every ingredient of every dish, so your server might bring this to you.
When it comes to Quick Service, the kitchens are smaller and may not have as many ingredients, so you may need to take more care about where or what you eat. We like to use mobile order when we can, and there are some customizations available on mobile order. For example, at Satuli Canteen, we know the coleslaw and boba that tops every dish both have sugar in them, but even via the app, you can customize the menu item, and ask for either no coleslaw or boba, or ask for these on the side.
We have, however, found there are limitations to what you can customize on the mobile order app. It allows you to omit or put some ingredients on the side, but it doesn't allow you to swap out sides for other sides in most cases. In those cases, you have to ask at the restaurant, which means mobile order might not be an option.
Again, quick service locations do offer an allergy binder that lists each ingredient in everything if you want to see, though we have heard that sometimes staff have trouble locating this binder or aren't even aware it exists. Therefore, I don't plan to go that far into detail when ordering. Instead, I'll follow these general principles:
Look for meal items like salads, grilled or baked meats, meat skewers, burgers (I can take the bun off and ask for no ketchup), or fajitas
Customize what I can on the app, such as asking for dressing or sauce on the side or omitted, omitting ingredients I'm not allowed to have like croutons or fruits
Look for snacks from the list below.
Surprisingly, I've found Disney does better in the snack category than the quick service meal category as far as keto-friendly offerings right out of the box. Here are a few:
No sugar-added strawberry frozen bars at ice cream carts
Strawberry/ whole berry cups
Babybel cheese (ubiquitous throughout the resort due to a sponsorship deal - yay!)
Fruit and cheese plates
Cheese boards or charcuterie platters
No-sugar added ice cream (only available at some locations such as the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor)
Recommended Quick Service Locations
Pro tip: Flame Tree BBQ has one of the best outdoor seating areas around, and you might have up close encounters with wildlife!
I would argue that you can probably find something keto-friendly at most quick service locations. Burgers and hot dogs are always easy enough if you just remove them from the bun and put no ketchup. The sides can be a little tricker, but you can often ask for a substitution of a small side salad if available, ask for no side, or just get it as is and ignore the side.
However, some places offer more options than others, so these are listed here.
Pecos Bill's (Magic Kingdom) - There are lots of options that can be made keto friendly here with some simple substitutions.
Salads (omit or pick out the corn, ask for dressing on the side)
Fajita platters (don't eat the tortillas and ask for extra guacamole or sour cream)
Burgers (remove it from the bun)
Sunshine Seasons (EPCOT) - There is a rotisserie station here. There are also several fresh snacks.
Any of the rotisserie meats (Often these come with sides, so ask for any keto friendly vegetables or just no sides)
Fruit and cheese plate
Cup of strawberries
Satuli Canteen (Animal Kingdom) - This place is all about customizable bowls. Just be careful, the coleslaw and popping boba both contain sugar.
Customize a bowl (any meat, ask for the creamy herb dressing, ask for coleslaw and boba on the side, and choose a base that works - If no bases listed work, go to the location and ask if they can put your bowl on top of greens rather than one of the listed bases)
Flame Tree BBQ (Animal Kingdom) - Obviously the barbecue sauce is right out, but the meat is delicious enough on its own.
Any grilled meat such as the half rotisserie chicken, grilled ribs (no sauce), or pulled pork (ask for sauce on the side or no sauce and ask for a keto friendly side or no sides. The coleslaw again is not keto friendly, sadly)
Harambe Market
Any of the meat bowls (ask for no rice, or just eat around it)
ABC Commissary (Disney's Hollywood Studios)
Mediterranean Salad with Chicken (ask for the hummus on the side if you can, or just eat around it)
Docking Bay 7 (Disney's Hollywood Studios)
Roasted Endorian Chicken Salad (ask for the citrus-pomegranate dressing on the side or no dressing)
Ronto Roasters
Either wrap, just remove it from the bun and eat only the insides
This place sometimes sells jerky which is a good snack (check the ingredients for hidden sugars)
Resort Dining
The same general rules mentioned above apply, but there are two additional things we'd like to point out about resorts:
Most resorts have a small grocery section in their gift shop. DVC resorts have expanded offerings in this section, and usually there is a refrigerator in your room. Some rooms will even have a cooktop and cooking utensils, so consider whether you want to purchase some eggs to make breakfast, cheese for snacking, half & half for your coffee, etc.
We need to talk coffee. While this doesn't apply solely to resorts, I find I'm often getting my morning coffee here. If your resort has a Joffrey's or something similar, stick with coffees, ice coffees, lattes, or cappuccinos, but ask for cream (if they have it) or half & half in your coffee. Do not let them put milk in there as it's high in carbs! Some Joffrey's locations will have sugar free syrups, though not always. If they do, you can add some of this if you like a sweet coffee. I plan to try the Joffrey's Nitro coffee with cream or half & half and maybe a sugar free syrup if they have it.
Drinking Around the World
This is one area where it's pretty easy to run into trouble at Walt Disney World as most drinks use sugary mixers or syrups to achieve that wonderful taste. If you want to imbibe, look for the following:
Full bars. At a full bar such as the ones you can find at your resort lounge, you can ask for drinks off the menu, such as a rum and diet coke, a gin and seltzer water, or a whiskey and diet sprite.
Red wine. The dryer the better.
Other Keto Items
Sugar free chocolates can be found at Goofy's Candy Company and some other candy locations.
Minnie's Bake Shop makes gluten and sugar free chocolate chip cookies that can be found in many gift shops
Some gift shops carry Krave jerky
And since you've made it this far, I have to offer the following:
A PSA About Turkey Legs
Some keto sites suggest turkey legs as the ideal keto meal/snack at Walt Disney World. They can be found in pretty much every park. Just follow the smell of smoked turkey.
BUT, and this is a big but, those turkey legs are brined in a solution that contains brown sugar. Which means these might be an option if you are doing "dirty keto" but then again, is "dirty keto" really keto? The sugar brine puts these right out in my book, so if you do indulge, indulge with caution. Just because something is meat doesn't always mean it's keto. When in doubt, ask!
Hydration and Sodium
Many of us on keto know that water and sodium are key. Our bodies need more water and more electrolytes to process fats for fuel. Increase that amount if you are exercising or out in the heat. Walking up to 10 miles a day in the Florida sun at Disney certainly qualifies as both of those things, so do not neglect water or sodium!
While zero sugar electrolyte drinks can fit the bill, some use artificial sweeteners which are a no-no on my version of keto. Even a Powerade Zero has been known to spike my blood sugar. The only thing I can safely drink that qualifies as a sports drink so far is Vitamin Water Zero and even that has some hidden carbs.
This is why I'm bringing some drink mix so I can add my own to water. I like LMNT brand sodium drinks. They are VERY salty, but they do the trick, and when I drink the citrus salt one, it tastes like a margarita. These are a little expensive, but they're what I've found so far that I like and that have no hidden carbs.
For less expense, you can also simply grab some extra salt packets when you do a quick service meal and keep these with you. When you start feeling a little tired, headachy, or light-headed, gulp your salt and some water.
Find Support
There are LOTS of other people who need to avoid sugars at Walt Disney World. You can find some great resources and support if you look for it.
DisneyFoodBlog - This site has a section on dietary restrictions and you can find tips especially for those who are diabetic. Be aware these tips will differ from keto tips, but are similar enough that they can help.
Allears - This is another site we recommend where a group of members decided to keep a running list of things they learned about having diabetes while at Disney. Again, diabetes is not the same as keto, but the dietary restrictions can be similar so it's worth a read.
Facebook groups - Just search groups for "disney keto" and you will find there are plenty of groups on social media that you can join to get tips.
Be Prepared!
Finally, there's no better way to be keto ready than to "excuse proof" your vacation. For me, that means bringing some keto snacks so just in case I'm at my resort and everything but the ice cream shop is closed, or if I'm in the park but far away from Pecos Bill or some Babybel cheese, I have something that can ease those hunger pangs and tide me over. You can bring any keto snacks you like, but here's what I have selected:
Dang! Bars - These are vegetarian, keto, and made with clean ingredients. My flavor of choice is lemon matcha.
IQ Bars - Same as above, just a different ingredient set. While Dang! bars are coconut focused, these are almond flour focused. (You can do any other keto friendly protein bar you like. I can't stomach whey protein for some reason, so I stick with the two I've listed.)
BHU Keto Cookie Dough Truffles - These come in a variety of flavors. They make a decent fat bomb, but do come in at 5-6 grams of carbs for EACH chocolate, so stick to just one at a time. Also, this WILL melt, so keep it in your carry-on or a cool place.
Lily's Chocolate bars - These are fantastic if everyone is having dessert and you feel left out. Lilly's Chocolate bars are sugar free. You can usually have several squares and stay within your carb limit (I eat about 4 squares of the bar at a time). Same melting warning as the above item.
Roam sticks - Any keto friendly jerky will do, but not all jerkies are made keto-friendly. Watch for hidden sugars, and avoid teriyaki flavor in general. If it's sweet, it's probably not keto BUT Roam sticks do make a sweet flavor where the only sugar is a tiny amount of pineapple (pineapple pork flavor) where the carbs are quite negligible.
Parm crisps - Or any cheese snack like moon cheese, or just cheese bars.
That's a lot of information, but it's everything I could find as I prepared to head to Disney while on Keto! I hope it helps those of you also doing this diet. At first, I was afraid of missing out on all the wonderful treats, but between my snacks and things I can find at quick service places, I feel pretty good that I'm still going to have an amazing time.
Have you done keto at Disney? Any other tips you want to share? Head on over to our Facebook page where you can find a link to each post and see new posts when they are published every week! Until next time...
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