Yes, I went to Disneyland on Whole30

I know, I'm nuts, right? A few days free, Dad and I went to see the Happy Mousetrap. And I was just entering reintroduction on my Whole30. My Dad was definitely NOT going to be "on a diet" at Disneyland, and happily partook in two ice creams a day, plenty of churros, and no holding back. I brought several Larabars, a tupperware container with chicken sausage and mustard, and drank lots and lots of water.

Granted, this was nothing like a "Once in a Lifetime" Disneyland trip for me. I am a super-Disney Veteran and have been going with my dad for years and years. We used to be annual passholders until about a year ago, so there was nothing I was going to miss out on. If you are visiting with your family for the first time - don't stress. Enjoy the food! You can still find some pretty healthy options for just feeling good in general, but don't go there for the first time and miss your chance for your first ever Dole Whip or Churro. I've had them. (& I'm going to make my own paleo Dole Whip one of these days!)

Here's what I experienced at restaurants:

Tony Roma's (across the street from the parks on Harbor Blvd) is willing to sub the rice for an extra helping of veggies, but be prepared to eat a LOT of broccoli. A comic amount. Really. But hey, no butter or mayo on it, and they gave me a lemon. And I got some salmon, too. That was pretty nice.

The restaurants at Disneyland (sit down places) mostly offer Allergen menus, which came in VERY handy for finding the dairy/gluten free options. Some things will have added sugar, like bacon, some salad dressings, and sauces, but in general, I felt that I could find delicious, filling foods that were compliant. Or at least compliant enough for reintroduction/paleo meals.

Melissa (Whole30 founder) says that if you are slow-rolling out of the Whole30 to ease up on the no added sugars rule. I went ahead and followed that so that I wasn't so worried about having a salad or something that may have been sweetened somehow.

Favorite restaurants/dishes:

Steak Frites with Chimichurri Sauce

Carnation Cafe: All American breakfast. Eggs, Bacon, and Potatoes. I asked to sub bacon for fruit, but they subbed my potatoes for fruit instead... I did eat one strip then gave the rest to my dad, he didn't complain. I know the bacon was cured in sugar, but again... I wasn't going to stress over a tiny bit -- especially when we ended up walking 9 miles the first day and 11 miles the second!!

Storyteller Cafe: Allergy menu Steak Frites and Potatoes and Carrots with Chimichurri sauce ($32) Delicious. In fact, my dad ordered the same thing off the regular menu. I'm not sure if maybe they cooked his veggies with butter or not, but basically, the two dishes looked identical to me. Delicious option, and nice quiet restaurant to have some mid-day calm after being in the parks in the hot sun.

Flo's V8 Cafe: Allergen menu of simple dishes, this is definitely the most affordable option if you're looking for a filling meal on more of a budget. ($9) Scrambled eggs with bacon & diced potatoes (my bacon from the allergy menu was different from my dad's and I don't know why... soy?). Since I'm reintroducing things, I put a little ketchup on the scrambled eggs (they were pretty bland with no butter or milk, etc) and OMG the ketchup just tastes like... so sweet! SHOCK! So I threw on some tobasco sauce instead! 💥

Ceviche Trio at Tortilla Jo's

Tortilla Jo's: Ceviche!!! ($18) You can get a trio of ceviches and try different flavors! Yes! Yes! Yes! Was tasty, fresh... perfect for the nearly 100 degree day we had! They also have a "burrito bar" like chipotle, so if you want a taco salad, that would also be a good option. But man, oh man, I miss regular old beans.

Loose Leaf Rooibos at Carthay Circle

A little disappointment at Carthay Circle Bar ~~ Usually this is one of my favorite restaurants in the park but the regular dining room was totally booked up so we tried to eat something in the bar. The bar doesn't have an allergen menu. I considered trying the poke bowl, but thought I should keep avoiding soy until I got home. I ordered something that sounded fairly compliant: a baked sole with roasted peppers, onions and tomatoes. But, it didn't specify that it was more like a cioppino sauce, and must have been made with butter or wine or thickened with flour? Because, even though I only ate a little bit it gave me insane heartburn for an hour or two. I DID get a lovely pot of loose leaf tea while I was there, though! And thankfully I had a Larabar left in my purse still, so I wasn't starving. So, conclusion -- Nice pot of loose-leaf tea ($8): Yes! Appetizer menu: No... If you're okay with soy, or you want to have poke with no sauce, that could be an option, but might be kind of bland.


Snack Mistake: I bought a package of dried fruit and nuts from one of the Disney shops. I was like... well, a little added sugar on dried fruit is better than gorging myself with crap, right? I was so surprised that this sugary "health" snack gave me a terrible headache and made me feel absolutely AWFUL (it went away after a little bit, but WHOA)! So... bring your own snacks. I couldn't find any nuts or trail mixes in the park that worked. I needed to bring more Larabars than I thought, I guess! I also wish I would have brought some of those individual servings of Justin's Almond Butter. I didn't want to spend the money on them and brought a whole jar of a cheaper almond butter, but that was ridiculously impractical, so I never even brought it into the park... Next time!!!