If you weren’t sure about the obesity epidemic of America, visit a theme park like Disney for the day.
My husband and I were both shocked and saddened by the overall size of most of the patrons at 
Disney. It wasn’t just the random person here and there, it was the majority. Most of these parents had obese children, which made me so sad for them. It’s one thing to choose that for yourself, but when you are not giving your children a chance at health it is just a shame.
The food choices at theme parks is absolutely atrocious. All I saw were vendors selling fried foods, ice cream, popcorn, and candy. And the people were lined up around the building for it, anxiously awaiting their heart attack specials. I saw ONE man with a salad and I was shocked. (still not sure where he got that!)
My friend made fun of me for packing lunches/snacks each day but truthfully I could not stomach the other crap that was being served. I saved a ton of money, calories, and fat by packing homemade sandwiches, cheese sticks, pretzels, and nuts. We even had these Organic Mashups Squeezable Fruit
In fairness to Disney, I did see two fruit stands within the Magic Kingdom. They had yogurt and fresh fruit but basically no line whatsoever. Until the parks replace those fried food stands with fresh food stands, people are going to continue to choose the former.
It’s sad, but true. I think we might need Jamie Oliver to come over and revolutionize our theme park food?
(Jamie, I am available if you need a side kick. ) 
When you visit a theme park, do you bring your own food? If not, what food choices have you made?
photo credit: Bruna Ferrara
{ 15 comments }
I have to say I do a mix.
) and I indulge.
I tote food (usually protein to add to the carbcrap we are bound to partake of
I LOVE ME SOME FUNNEL CAKE—but that said I get out,errr, to theme parks once a year.
at most.
.-= MizFit´s last blog ..How I learned to love the gym (guest post). =-.
We bring our own snack foods: nuts, fruit, and bottled water with some drop ins. However, if we need to eat a big meal (lunch or dinner) at a theme park, I always watch what I eat – a grilled chicken sandwich or salad, something that will have the least amount of fat as possible. The food they offer is pretty ridiculous, but the healthier options are always so much more money too.
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We went to dinsey last year for the first time with my kids and we were just as shocked as you were at the size of way too many people there. So many of them in those scooters. We were very unprepared with food going in so we had to get food from the park.. We did find a place that served ham sandwiches on sour dough bread but that was about it….
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We brought our own snacks, and left Disney to go across the street to Mimi’s Cafe. It’s still a restaurant, but their food had way more healthy choices (and were much cheaper) than theme park food.
My daughter is 2, and I bring her own food everywhere. To restaurants, parks, parties, etc. Kids meals at regular restaurants bother me. They are pretty much the same as theme park food. Hot dog, hamburger, chicken fingers – always with french fries. Ugh! My daughter loves veggies, so I will be hauling green beans/peas/carrots with me for as long as I can.
We almost always bring our own food when going to parks or other adventures. The primary reason is financial ($8 for a crappy hamburger, are you kidding me!), but being able to control my child’s nutritional intake is also important. My partner travels a lot for work, and over the years I’ve tagged along a few times with our son for a mini-vacation. One help is to stay at a Residence Inn or other hotel with a full breakfast. They often have out whole wheat bread and peanut butter, so we can make sandwiches and grab a few pieces of fruit for that day’s lunch.
I would like to know about the mashups. Do you freeze them or just refrigerate them? Are they super sweet. They look like a great option for lunchboxes. My kids hate that the fruit gets warm or bruised in their lunchboxes (even with a cooler pacck). Thanks!
Adrienne
We went to Disney World last summer and have another trip planned for this summer. I was actually very pleased with their dining options at the resorts. Plenty of healthy options to go along with much of the not-so healthy options. My kids ate lots of grapes, melons, berries, carrots, etc. and of course had the ice cream treats too. At the parks, the choices did seem a bit less healthy, but there was usually at least one healthy option I could find.
I love to people watch and will definitely be checking out the weights when I’m there.
.-= TB–Milwaukee´s last blog ..Rummage Sale =-.
We were at Magic Kingdom in December. I was actually surprised to see healthy items at the quick eating venues. I was able to select carrots and apples at a stand at every park. Of course, I was the one doing the choosing, not her. But I’m glad we had choices and we could make the choices for healthy items to eat so we could indulge where it really mattered.
Love your blog so much.
.-= Lynn Weddle´s last blog ..Say what? Another installment of toddler pronounciation =-.
I didn’t know they let you bring in your own food at theme parks!? Giiirl, you know I would’ve if I had known
You know I love me some carnival food too 
But I don’t buy a lot of junk for the house, so maybe that makes up for it, tee hee.
Jamie
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We did a lot of bottled water and I had special k bars packed for snacks. I usually do a luna bar for breakfast anyway and I don’t change that on vacation. My kids just don’t eat a lot so one ice cream was pretty much enough for them as a treat. We ate in restaurants that had salad and fruit, etc.
.-= Flossip´s last blog ..Flossip Flo-Town Favorites =-.
Jamie Oliver is my new favorite person! Great post.. Never really thought about the theme parks before.
.-= Shannon´s last blog ..Fiberlicous Tips =-.
When we were at Disneyland last December I was pleasantly surprised by all the healthy choice – several fruit stands with apples as big as a baby’s head, kids meals with pasta, low fat milk and fruit, and even a salad for me for dinner. You can find good choices if you look for them. Unfortunately, most people don’t and want fried food, ice cream and crap, crap, crap.
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We went to Disneyland twice this past year and I was actually impressed by the healthy food options (you do have to LOOK for them, but they’re there).
We had fresh fruit, yogurt, and granola for breakfast on most mornings. And salads for lunch (and they were pretty tasty salads too).
That being said, I also noticed that there were A LOT of overweight people there – both employees and park hoppers. Perhaps Disney needs to start an internal health/wellness program first…there’s nothing as powerful as leading by example.
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I do agree that you’ll see a lot of obese people at theme parks and a lot of very unhealthy food. However, we visit Disney every year and there are lots of healthy options too. You already mentioned the fruit stands that are in every park (in multiple locations). Every counter service restaurant has a salad or a veggie wrap/sandwich option. Many have grilled chicken. The table service restaurants have a wide variety of foods and all of them will gladly make substitutions. The buffets always have lean protein options and fruits and veggies. Although the unhealthy food is more noticable, I really think you can make very healthy choices at Disney. Most people just don’t want to.
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