The Lower Sodium WDW Foods Thread

[chris benton]

Hopefully this can help some people. I know it will probably help me. I'm a lower sodium person. Not really for health reasons, either. I grew up in a lower sodium household because someone in my family had to eat less sodium for heath reasons, and over time, everyone in our household's palates adjusted. Long story short, for the most part, I really just don't like salty foods. Once in a while, I'll get a craving, and down a bag of cheetos for SURE, but 99% of the time, I will eat unsalted potato chips and tortilla chips, and most ppl will look at me like I have three heads, after they try one.

So, I've seen threads on this board asking if other ppl think the food at WDW is way too salty based on their recent experience, and then other ppl start coming out of the woodwork in agreement.

1. Well, its an amusement park.
2. There's a lot of processed food going on.
3. I think ppl in warmer climates, by nature, tend to intake more salt. (Don't ask me to back that up by science.)
4. Most ppl like salt for flavor.
5. There's always the, "So they can sell more drinks" argument.

So listen, I thought it would be helpful to have a thread where ppl can share experiences, thoughts, ideas, specific restaurants or dishes, that could help those of us that have some reason to seek out foods that are not so salty.

Also, this should probably kept "loose" as far as exact sodium levels. Only opinions. You'll notice that I titled the thread as "Lower" Sodium, and not LOW sodium. I went down a rabbit hole on the web once, and I found out that some foods cannot be labeled "LOW SODIUM" unless they are under some limit of sodium. This thread is not some medical guideline. Just loose ideas for those of us that try to watch sodium intake for whatever reason. This is also not to bash any restaurant at ALL. Some foods are salty for some people, some are not. I don't think that's bad or good. It just is what it is.

Mods, if you need to delete this entire thing, or add restrictions, I understand.

 

[chris benton]

I'll kick it off...

Pecos Bill's fajita platter:
TONS of ppl LOVE Pecos Bill's. I planned on eating at CHH, but it was crowded. We got off of Splash after a ride breakdown, and we were hangry, so we opted for Bill's. Wife and I split the fajita platter. The meat was inedibly salty, imo. The wife ate a little more than me, but we basically just made rice and bean tacos with the sides, and then thrw 95% of the meat away. It tasted like it was brined, AND salted - probably helps it last longer for the Dis. Again, it is was it is. I don't have to go there again, and I will live my life, and other people will still LOVE Pecos Bill's.

Flame Tree BBQ:
While I assumed that Flame Tree would EASILY fall into place among the salty foods at WDW, I was stunned that the spares were not an oversalted mess. I'll make it a point to eat at Flame Tree anytime I'm at AK. Like, to the point of altering my meals for the day to make FT the focall meal of the day. It's also a relative bargain. The full slab spare rib meal can easily feed three adults. I will also add - get the onion rings. They are a hidden gem. Flame tree is a great example of a food that is still probably not really lower sodium, by any means, but the spares were not at all what I'd consider salty. Even by home cooking standards, they seemed to be "normal" which, for me, is a surprise, especially at an amusement park. This is why I LOVE FT. It's decent food, it's not salty, AND it's a bargain.

I'll think of more examples soon. Maybe I'll copy some quotes about other places from the other threads. I think Le Cellier has multiple quotes of ppl noting the saltiness. Again - not bashing the place at ALL.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We went to WDW in August for a week. I'm on a 1,500 mg max sodium limit per day. We ate (mostly) onsite. It was tough. Random thoughts...

• There is no nutritional information at WDW available for sodium other than for the Kids Mickey Check meals.
• The special dietary email is basically useless for sodium. They will just tell you to talk to the server and chef.
• Quick service is generally off limits unless you get the Kids Mickey Check Meals, since they do give out some guidelines there as to sodium content.
• You can usually scrape something together at a TS restaurant if you talk to the server and chef. But what you get will be extremely limited because so much of the food is prepared ahead of time. Steak is lower than chicken. For dinner, I mostly ate grilled steak, a side of plain pasta or rice, and a salad. The only place I found I could eat chicken was at the Wave where they have a fresh organic selection.
• Even though the chefs really tried, a lot of TS restaurants are just going to be off limits...Ohana for one.
• I brought my own salad dressing and seasonings.
• It's worth looking at the menus ahead of time and seeing what kind of a meal you can cobble together at a TS because there isn't going to be some magical lo-so meal that you don't know about.
• We did get Five Guys two nights. It's surprisingly low in sodium because they make the fries fresh (like they cut them in the store) and you can get them made without salt. That was in Celebration but we had a car.

In summary...

• For breakfast, I ate a protein bar and a glass of milk in the room.
• Lunch was a Kids Mickey Check meal in the parks.
• Snack, because I would be starving in the afternoon, was a Mickey Bar (yes every day). Those were probably my lifesaver in the parks because they have a ton of calories and are very filling.
• Then dinner would be TS as described above.

Honestly it was pretty grim but I made it. Food just isn't going to be a big part of my WDW vacations anymore and that's ok.

 

[georgina]

Like the OP I grew up in a low sodium household and cook mostly without salt. I can't think of a lot of lower sodium items; I usually get fruit and yogurt from the food court for breakfast, or there are some stands that sell fresh fruit in the parks. Salads are often good with dressing on the side, I like the strawberry chicken salad at the Plaza in MK, and I always get a fruit and nutella waffle at Sleepy Hollow. I don't eat at many TS places, though I sometimes eat at the lounges. Generally a burger and side salad work for me (I do sometimes only eat half the bun). The Fountain at the Dolphin and the Wave lounge are a couple of my favorite places.

 

[maxiesmom]

You can always ask for no salt fries. You may need to wait a bit, but then they are super hot too.

Ask for any grilled food to be plain. Then you can add pepper and salt if you wish at the table.

 

[chris benton]

So, probably everyone that has a reason to look for less salty foods already knows what things to avoid. The main usual culprits are soups, sauces, gravies, salad dressings, french fries, (unless you ask for them with no salt), stews, processed/canned foods, brined, meats, charcuterie...etc. Most people already know what things to try to avoid when out a restaurant, and trying to steer clear of salty things. What I was hoping to find was, some other folks here who eat lower sodium for whatever reason, that have found some surprising foods at any of the restaurants that weren't as salty as they they thought they would be. For the most part, I know I can be somewhat safe just by ordering a burger and fries with no salt. Easy Peasy. But, at Flame Tree, I was LEGIT surprised that the ribs were not even remotely as salty as most of the other foods in general. Like the regular WDW food taster was out sick at the annual quality control day, and they were allowed to proceed with only half the salt that is normally acceptable. Most ppl just eat salty foods, and say, "that's salty," OR they don't really remark it as being salty, and just go on with their day - no big deal. Folks whose palate has adjusted because of eating less salt might find foods that are a little salty to most people, totally inedible. I WISH I could eat salty stuff like most ppl can. I just can't. Usually when someone says "that's salty," to me, it's totally inedible. Conversely, when I say, "that's salty," to most ppl, it's not salty at all. I normally just keep quiet. It's no big deal or anything, I was just hoping to find some surprises that some lower sodium peeps found to be not salty at all compared to the salt levels of the other foods in the Dis.

 

[CynBeth]

My mom developed an issue a few years ago where she developed a sensitivity to sodium. But, your body has to have some so she is limited to 600 mg a day and does great when she comes with us to Disney. We have to eat all meals TS but we can even go to buffets and dinner shows. Usually for breakfast she has scrambled eggs made with a no salt cooking spray and some type of potato plus fruit but she can only have certain types because some have too much salt or interact with medicines she takes. Lunch is usually a salad. For dinner she has some type of meat that they have not marinated in anything usually beef or chicken, a baked potato or fries, and steamed vegetables. Her snack of choice during the day is a Mickey Bar as it does not have a lot of sodium. If we do a meal at Tony’s or Tutto she gets pasta cooked in no salt water and a plain tomato sauce or just with olive oil.

 

[ArwenMarie]

The French fries at WDW are still loaded with salt even if you ask for them without salt because they are processed

 

[ArwenMarie]

I wonder if those Flame Tree Ribs are bathed in MSG. That would make them taste good but take away the extreme saltiness.

Anyway, to your question, even before I had to go low-sodium, I honestly can't think of anything that tasted lower-sodium at WDW than I would have expected.

I will say overall the food at the Signatures tastes less salty (with the exception of Le Cellier)

 

[chris benton]

Thought of another one. Had standard Disney breakfast snausage links at two different places. One was at ABC Commissary as part of a bfast buffet, and I forgot the other place, and also one more - Swan's Garden Grove breakfast buffet. Swan's were different than the others. Swan's were inedible to me. Almost comically salty.

Now, as anyone who pays attention to salt probably knows, sausages have a very high chance of being salty. That's not really the issue. The issue is, in all three instances, these sausages were saltier than normal, even for breakfast sausages. And that's fine. It's MY tongue that's the problem. I'm fully aware that it's me that has the issue here. Most ppl would just probably remark that the sausages are salty, and just keep eating them, and live their life. Many ppl would probably not consider them salty.

Bog's chicken breakfast sausage didn't seem salty to me in the least. If I had to guess, it was probably an Amy or is it Amylu product. I'm guessing most ppl would consider them to be bland. Loved em. So, for anyone who watches salt levels because their palate has changed due to consuming less salt, they MAY find the chicken snausages at bog a nice surprise. It's rare that I can enjoy breakfast sausages that much. I was fully expecting them to be little inedible salt bombs.

 

[natfrac]

My DH has to limit his salt intake due to being on dialysis and now having a kidney transplant. We've found most chefs to be very accommodating at the TS restaurants. We always try to choose places that cook the food fresh--things like steak, grilled chicken, fish, etc., and have never had a problem ordering his meal without salt. We also ate at Ohana once and the chef sent out a big bowl of naked shrimp and fresh cooked vegetables.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm not a fan of salty foods myself, never use table salt, etc, but I can make do at Disney because it's just a short time of eating, not daily. Do I don't hunt anything down differently. That would just be too exhausting and not at all fun. If I had to it would be one thing but for taste, I can find it all edible as is.

Thought of another one. Had standard Disney breakfast snausage links at two different places. One was at ABC Commissary as part of a bfast buffet, and I forgot the other place, and also one more - Swan's Garden Grove breakfast buffet. Swan's were different than the others. Swan's were inedible to me. Almost comically salty.

Because Swan is not Disney. Different supplier.

 

[agavegirl1]

I have also found the chicken breakfast sausage to be less salty. I don't remember where I was able to order them though. Turkey bacon however is just as salty as regular bacon. I also stick with fresh cooked options where possible. Seared tuna, steak, baked potato, steamed veggies, roast meats and chicken, fish. I ask it to be prepared with no added salt. The cheaper cuts of steak are often marinated so I go with traditional cuts, mostly filets. It doesn't completely do the trick, and I still will indulge in some quality dishes not on this plan. I still retain water but in two or three days of being home my system is pretty well back to normal.

 

[CuteAsMinnie]

Great thread, OP! Thank you!!

Low sodium diet here... max 1200mg/day. The only Disney vacation where I actually lost a few pounds instead of ganing 10 was this past May.

No bread. No Fries. At All. Bread is a huge source of hidden sodium!!
Favorite meal was the wonderful (bland) salmon/rice/broccoili dinner at CHH. I swear it doesn't have a stitch of seasoning! YUM!
Breakfast was usually yogurt and fruit.
Kona Cafe twice for bkfst: eggs and fruit.
Steak (filet) and salad at Narcoissee, no problem.
Via Napoli: House salad, dressing as n side and margarita pizza (pizza not in my bread category)
Made smart choices at food booths during Flower/Garden. I think I mainly tasted what DH chose.
OHANA: loved it, but could barely eat the food. Soooooo salty was most everything.
The Plaza: salad with apples, walnuts, dressing on side.
Oasis Grille at the Poly: various items and treated my self to an awesome burger with their awesome basket of fruit!
Drank a TON of water!!
Yes, Mickey Bar Every Day!
Oh, and a SPIKEY Pineapple (or two) at Tiki Terrace at the Poly almost every evening!

 

[KenHutch]

I respect all of you that can go that extra mile even on vacation but I am just not made of the stuff you are. I gave up the salt shaker 2 years ago (including cooking) but when I am at WDW I just pretend that everything is salt and calorie free.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I don't have a choice in the matter but if I didn't have to do it, I certainly wouldn't.

I'm fine at home, but it's frankly miserable when on vacation

 

[Canadian Girl]

Someone asked if Flame Tree ribs were bathed in MSG. The only MSG I have had at WDW treed is the sauce at Teppan Edo. I opt for plain white rice instead. WDW and DCL are supposedly MSG free. Salt is another issue. I really wish restaurants in general would cut the salt. In Europe some countries mandate lower sodium levels and honestly, one gets used to it and is healthier for it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I wish the US would start monitoring salt more. It's so out of control especially at restaurants

 

[pooh2001]

thank you to all the suggestions

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I wish the US would start monitoring salt more. It's so out of control especially at restaurants

No, please.

People should be free to make their own choices.