“Instead of fun versus good for you; it should be fun AND good for you.”
At our last trip to Walt Disney World, I saw a noticeable difference in the amount of healthy eating choices at the restaurants.  One of the speakers at the Social Media Moms Celebration spoke to us about the priority Disney has put on addressing the problem of childhood obesity. The cute, fun symbol you see above is called a “Mickey Check” and when you see it next to a menu item it means the choice meets Disney Nutrition Guidelines that limit calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar. But what about taste? The first thing I tried that had a Mickey Check was the turkey sandwich. My daughter wanted something on the adult menu and since I’m always on what I call my, “weight loss journey”, I was more than happy to trade my dining plan credit for hers. The turkey sandwich was delicious. Rosie ended up tasting it and wanting to switch back!
Have you heard about the new “Be Our Guest” restaurant? It’s part of the New Fantasyland and the Beauty and the Beast sections. I was lucky to be able to have lunch there during our stay. I say lucky because it’s one of the most popular eating choices. Reservations at dinner are as difficult to make as Cinderella’s Castle, and the lines for lunch can be long. But when we got off the plane and went to the Magical Express for the transfer to Walt Disney World, we were given a card to get a guaranteed reservation for lunch at “Be Our Guest”! Sweet! More about “Be Our Guest” later, but I almost applauded when my daughter ordered the kids meatloaf meal and look at how healthy this is! Yay, for Disney to give kids that choice!
I remember a few years back when it was difficult to find fresh fruits and vegetables anywhere outside of the higher-end restaurants. Things have changed! At “Be Our Guest” I was given a choice between french fries or fresh green beans with my sandwich!
We had the dining plan and there were always two sides included with the kids meal. Options included carrots and grapes. Awesome!
The First Lady, Michelle Obama said, “Disney is changing the way it does business, so kids can live healthier lives.”
In addition to the Mickey Check, Disney has also added healthy eating cues to their television programming. We’ve noticed it especially in the show “Good Luck, Charlie”. The family has a bowl of fruit in their kitchen, the dad lost weight and his oldest son is always encouraging him to exercise, and many more healthy living choices!   The combination of Disney, healthy eating and exercise make for the “Magic of Healthy Living”!
“We are proud of the impact we’ve had over thelast six years. The emotional connection kidshave to our characters and stories gives us aunique opportunity to continue to inspire andencourage them to lead healthier lives.â€â€“ Disney Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger
hi kelly, i think disney is trying to take parents heart by giving facts that their foods are healthy ,not only children will be allowed to eat more but adults will love it too.