Dairy free fun treats and anorexia recovery

[Lesmiz25]

My family and I are going to Disney World towards the end of August. I am in recovery for anorexia and I am working to achieve weight restoration. My first question is if people really do gain weight at Disney. Part of me, the anorexia voice, is terrified about eating the sweet treats and delicious food and putting on massive amounts of weight. The more logical side is seeing this as a good opportunity to be exposed to some fear foods, try new things, and gain a little bit of weight.
My second question is what are some fun dairy free foods I should try while I am there. I am allergic to dairy so unfortunately that does take off some of the treats, but I was curious if there was anything specific I should make a goal to eat. I already know that I am going to try and get dairy free mickey waffles, a mickey pretzel, and some dole whip. I was also curious if anyone had any ideas of how to celebrate my recovery while I am there. Is there maybe anything I could do while I am getting the food or any other ideas. I am not really sure what answers I am looking for so I really am open to any advice at all relating to dairy free and anorexia. Thank you in advance.

 

[wasnotafan]

Best wishes on your recovery and have a great trip. I wish I could offer tips on dairy free, but all my favorites have butter, cream, etc. Disney is used to visitors with allergies so I am sure there are some good resources on here that list them I just am not sure where to tell you to look. Maybe Disney Dinning? As far as gaining weight it will be an issue of how many calories you take in relative to what you burn. I have never gained weight there and we have done the dining plan, with lots of high calorie food, but the amount of waking and swimming we did I burned it all off.

 

[Wild4Walt]

First, congratulations on your steps towards a healthy you.

The most I've ever gained on a 7 days trip was about 3 pounds. We walk so much during the day that if I don't go nuts with the super sweet stuff I can keep the weight gain at bay.

There are lots of balanced snacks there now so I'd also recommend taking a look at the menus and seeing what appeals to you.

 

[Esmeralda91]

Congratulations on beginning your recovery, and I wish you continued health! Claims of gaining weight are often exaggerated, so I really wouldn’t worry about weight. I would worry about making sure to taste all of the treats you want! https://www.glutenfreedairyfreewdw.com/ is a good resource for the available dairy free options. You already mentioned Dole Whip- there are so many flavors now to try, Both in Adventureland and at the Polynesian! I’m a fan of all of the frozen juice drinks, since they’re so refreshing in the heat. Epcot is great for snacking around the world as a family. My family likes to get a snack to share at 4-5 countries, so everyone gets a bite of each one without feeling too full. Animal Kingdom has the best variety of lighter, healthy food. Magic Kingdom has the most sweet treats, and honestly right now there isn’t too much at Hollywood Studios right now in terms of fun snacks, although there will be once Galaxy’s Edge opens. Enjoy your trip, and all of the new tastes you’ll get to experience!

 

[Sjm9911]

Wow, just being able to talk about it is big! I wouldent worry about pounds, you will loose more walking aroung the parks. Eat what you want, and stay focused on the goal.

 

[MikeWDW35]

You should try to get reservations at Ohana’s. They serve Shrimp, Steak, Chicken, Chow Main and Dumplings. Or just try the ‘OHANA BREAD PUDDING, you can get at the Tambu Lounge. The Tacos at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto are good too.

 

[PleasejointheFarque]

Hi there,

Dairy free items at Disney are numerous and increasing every year. I also am dairy free and have found that a lot of places have yummy options for us. Just ask at each location, you will be pleasantly surprised.

And the best of luck with your recovery

 

[SG131]

Congrats on your work toward recovery.

I wouldn’t worry about gaining weight. Especially since you’re not used to indulging in treats, the bigger issue may be making sure you eat enough to balance out all the walking. Even taking full advantage of all the snacks on the dining plan with all the walking I didn’t really gain anything. You will definitely need to up your calorie intake to compensate to make sure you don’t lose weight.

 

[Christine]

Weight gain happens to those of us that generally gorge ourselves on food. I've been to WDW several times. Sometimes gained no weight, sometimes 2 lbs, the highest might have been 5 pounds, and in 2012, I lost 5 lbs! On that trip, I decided to "eat like a normal person" and not be a glutton. I did a ton of walking/jogging through the park (this was when you had to go from attraction to attraction to get fast passes), and I limited myself to one dessert a day that I shared! Based on your recovery, something tells me that you won't be showing up to Disney eating like a glutton!

As far as dairy free, as other said, you'll have to ask (you already know about the certain Dole Whip flavors). My daughter is going there with us in November and she will be trying to do Vegan. I've read that vegan food will now be marked with a green "V" on menu items. I realize you don't need to worry about vegan as a whole, but it will help with the dairy issue.

You might also want to subscribe to the Disney Food Blog You Tube video channel. The videos do a great job of just showing the food and what it's like and if what they are showing is dairy free or vegan, the narrarator (AJ) will make note of that. They are usually showing the most decadent, new stuff out there so it's not often that it suits a dietary restriction, but you can get a sense for something. The DFB also has a webbased food blog and you can search dairy free within it and it will come up with blogs that touched on dairy free.

 

[Starwind]

With the dairy allergy, make sure you note it on any advanced dining reservations. When you arrive at a table service reservations, ask and make sure they have the allergy noted. Then note it to the server and ask to speak with a chef to place your order. WIth the chef you will discuss your options for safe food.

For quick service, let the cashier know you have a dairy allergy. They will likely hand you an allergy menu. You have two options here. If you feel comfortable, and with a single allergy, you can order from the allergy menu. However, you can also ask to "speak with an allergy trained cast member to place your allergy order". I have life threatening (anaphylaxsis) food allergies so I insist on speaking with the allergy trained cast member. Also, speaking with the allergy trained cast member may present you with more options than the allergy menu.

The primary challenge with a dairy allergy is that dairy is in so many things, including things you may not think it is in -- I have read so many ingredients and wondered WHY dairy is hiding in something. Baked goods will be a particular challenge, so desserts will be limited. All those yummy cupcakes you see ? They have dairy. That said, DIsney is also good at having some alternatives. For example, at Tony's I wanted spaghetti and meatballs. The normal meatballs had a milk ingredient in them [that pesky hidden dairy], but the chef explained they had turkey meatballs that were dairy-free, so I got those. Also part of why you speak with the chef

Now if you DO want something like cupcakes, with only a dairy allergy you do have a couple options -- Erin McKennas at Disney Springs, and some other locations will carry some of their treats. Also at Contempo Cafe at Contemporary resort they make an allergy-friendly cupcake - you have to ask for it because they keep them in the kitchen. At Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge they have a really nice allergy-friendly "cornbread" that uses Namaste cake mix as its base. So there are some options.

A note about the Dole Whips. The fruit Dole Whips, by ingredient, are dairy-free. They are actually free of all top 8 allergens, though they contain a coconut ingredient. The problem for dairy comes in the preparation and dispensing. At most Disney [and for that mother, other] locations that have Dole Whip, the location also has vanilla soft serve. Vanilla soft serve [usually] has a milk ingredient. There is a risk that the Dole Ship could get cross contact from the vanilla during its preparation [to prepare dole ship, the package of powder is put into a large container and nearly 2 gallons of water added and it is mixed by hand, then the liquid mixture is poured into the top of the dispensing machine]. Are the buckets and stirrers shared ? Do the employees wash hands ? Many potentials sources of cross contact. The other issue is during dispensing. Many of the machines have both vanilla and fruit Dole Whip in them. This allows the machine to dispense [separate nozzles] vanilla OR pineapple OR a swirl of both. But there is a risk in these shared machines of cross contact when the liquid is being put in in the first place, or from the nozzles coming out if employees are not careful about what touches the nozzle. Some of the machines are dedicated to JUST the fruit flavour. Some people are willing to accept these risks, others are not. You will have to make that choice. The last time I asked at Pineapple Lanai at the Polynesian, the CM there told me that they were instructed to state that the entire location was contaminated with dairy. YMMV.

BTW, if you really want Pineapple Dole Whip. You can buy the mix yourself and make it at home !! I bought a package from the manufacturer ( http://www.precisionfoods.com/Foodservice/brands/Dole-Soft-Serve ) and then mix it up at home using my Cuisinart electric ice cream maker. If you want instructions, let me know I find this the best, safest way to get Dole Whip

SW

 

[isabellea]

@Starwind I’m sure many of us with a dairy allergy would love those instructions!

OP, you can have a dairy-free milkshake at a few locations. I got one to go at the Tune-in lounge in DHS. Sorbet is also safe but not sherbet and popcorn, including the amazing maple popcorn in Canada at EPCOT is DF.

Good luck with your recovery and I hope this trip helps you re-discover food.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

They have gourmet flavored cotton candy that they make fresh in front of you at Goofy's candy company in Disney Springs, they also have Goofy's Glaciers there in a ton of flavors. Pinnochio's and a few other places make pizza and flatbreads with dairy free cheese.

 

[holden]

I eat pretty much like I do at home when I’m in Disney. I usually lose a few pounds on a Disney trip. Walking 20,000 steps a day burns calories. I wouldn’t be concerned about gaining weight. Be sure to drink plenty of water, preferably with electrolytes (SmartWater) .

I wish you all the best in your recovery.

 

[Starwind]

@Starwind I’m sure many of us with a dairy allergy would love those instructions!

Enjoy !

How to Make Dole Whip At Home:

Buy Dole Whip powder by the bag. You can buy it "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" at https://www.amazon.com/Dole-Soft-Serve-Pineapple-Pound/dp/B01666JBFG/?th=1 [check the seller as there are other sellers]. They have the other fruit flavours, and they have multi-packs.

Short instructions for the full bag [full instructions on bag]:
The full bag is 4.4 lb (2.0 kg) of powder.
Put the contents of the full bag into the mixing container. Add water upto the 2 gallon mark. Mix. Pour into Soft serve machine. Prepare and dispense.

However you don't have a big enough ice cream maker at home for the entire bag

I have a Cuisinart ICE-20 Automatic 1-1/2-Quart Ice Cream Maker ( see at Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-ICE-20-Automatic-2-Quart-Cream/dp/B00000JGRT ) That I bought over 15 years ago. It still works great. Cuisinart doesn't make that model anymore, but they have a newer model. This size is perfect for making Dole Whip at home !

These instructions work for this size ice cream maker. If you have a smaller one it will probably make too much.

Basic math:
2 gallon = 8 US liquid quarts
4.4. lb = 2.0 kg

To make at home you are going to use 1/8 th of the mix each time:
Making 1 quart liquid (powder + water upto 1 quart line) uses 1/8 of the mix
2.0 kg / 8 = 0.250 kg = 250 g of powder

Tools you need

- kitchen scale that can measure in grams
- 1 bag of Dole Whip in your choice of fruit flavour (bags are 4.4 lb or 2.0 kg of powder)
- liquid measuring bowl with 1 quart marking (recommended: 2 quart measure with 1 quart marking so don't make a mess when mixing; e.g. https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-81605L11-Batter-Bowl/dp/B0000VLMVU )
- ice cream maker - at least 1.5 quart size
- spatula / mixing spoon
- wisk
- container with lid to freeze Dole Whip in

Instructions

Prepare ice cream machine - pre-freeze etc.

1. Tare Measuring bowl on scale
2. Weigh 250 g of Dole Whip powder into bowl
3. Put away Dole Whip bag to protect from moisture.
4. Remove bowl from scale.
5. Add water to bowl (on top of powder) until it reaches the ONE QUART marking.
6. Mix water and powder together - powder should easily dissolve into water. A wisk is helpful.
7. Once mixed, turn on ice cream machine and follow instructions for pouring liquid into ice cream machine to make "ice cream".
8. Dole Whip needs to churn for 25-30 minutes. Start checking at about 20 minutes. Finish when it is the right consistency.

Consistency will not be quite the same as at the Parks because you have an ice cream maker not a soft serve machine.

Freeze leftovers. Once frozen they will be harder and more like sorbet, but will soften after a few minutes out of freezer.


Some pictures from the first time I made it at home:

 

[Starwind]

OP, I agree with the other posters that with the amount of walking at Disney it tends to balance off a lot of the calories from what you eat, including treats, particularly if one is reasonable about what one is eating. For example, just walking the circle around World Showcase at Epcot -- not even going *into* any of the countries -- is about a mile of walking ! I have to use a scooter now, but when I was able to walk it, I used a pedometer and according to it I would easily walk well over 20,000 steps each day we were in the parks at WDW.

Also while there are sweet treats, there are plenty of other kinds of treats too. The popcorn from the popcorn carts is dairy-free. There are lots of fresh fruit options. There are some neat appetizers. Some of the kids menu items are fun -- e.g. I really like the chicken and pineapple skewers from the kids menu at Polynesian Resort's Captain Cook's quick service restaurants. It is served with a nice little salad. You can get dairy-free Mickey Waffles, with real maple syrup, at many locations as part of breakfast. At the Sanaa restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which is a quick service for breakfast, they have Simba Waffles If you want to be a bit adventurous, Boma is a buffet restaurant at Animal Kingdom Lodge that has normal American breakfast items but also a number of African-inspired breakfast items. Many of them are dairy-safe or can be made dairy-safe [I don't eat FROM the buffet, but walk it with the chef and let them know what I want and they prepare it safely for me in the kitchen] and it is one of our favourite places to have breakfast.

Since you have a dairy allergy, remember at places like the popcorn carts to ask the cast member for the "ingredient book" to check the ingredients of the food to make sure it is safe -- because ingredients can change and it is good practice to check every item every time when food allergies are involved. I like the popcorn from the carts because you can get it in a refillable container which makes a nice souvenir [we use them at home for popcorn and they are a nice reminder of our fun trips to Disney!].

Good luck in your recovery and may you have a wonderful trip to Disney !!

 

[Lesmiz25]

That website is awesome, I have looked through a lot of the pages and it has been really helpful. Thank you.

 

[Lesmiz25]

I remember going to Ohana as a kid that would be a great idea. Thank you.

 

[Lesmiz25]

That is so awesome that you can make it at home!

 

[Sjm9911]

I wish you luck, go and have fun just dont overthink it. The number 1 thing you can do is that. Just geting out there and doing this is a big step, but its very managable. Its a long road to travel down but you will get there. My neice had this problem( she almost died a few times along the way), and she has recovered from it, shes now a nurse helping others. It takes time, have faith and stay strong. I do know that its hard but you can do it.

 

[MomOTwins]

You should try to get reservations at Ohana’s. They serve Shrimp, Steak, Chicken, Chow Main and Dumplings. Or just try the ‘OHANA BREAD PUDDING, you can get at the Tambu Lounge. The Tacos at Trader Sam's Grog Grotto are good too.

The bread pudding has a LOT of dairy--the bread is soaked in a custard made primarily of milk.

Enjoy those dole whips, they are awesome! I would just make clear you have an allergy at any Disney restaurant and they will be super helpful--they will even show you around the buffets to tell you item by item what has dairy in it. Disney is great for allergies.