BY BETH S - FEBRUARY 2007

When Mary asked me to accompany her on her latest trip to Walt Disney World I was ecstatic. I'd never been to Orlando, let alone on a business trip to Walt Disney World! My very tough assignment: I had two days to check out all four parks, inspect various resort hotels, and to eat very, very well. The last task isn't always as easy for me as it sounds.

All right, I'll admit it, I'm picky. In fact, I'm so particular about what I eat that I actually dread being invited to someone's home for dinner. When it comes to food, I have a fairly substantial "never eat" list that can make social events and eating in restaurants a little tricky.

Not only do I mostly eat vegetarian (ovo- lacto- pesco- vegetarian, to be precise), but I am also a fairly draconian health nut. So when The Walt Disney Company announced last October that it was committed to giving parents and kids healthier food choices, I received various emails from friends jokingly inquiring whether I'd had anything to do with this shift. While I can't take any credit, I was elated by this policy decision.

Although food is supposedly getting healthier in the theme parks, I found it wasn't always easy to eat vegetarian. Here are my notes on the challenges (and triumphs) of eating healthy and eating (mostly) vegetarian at Walt Disney World, as well as some advice for people with strict dietary needs.

Day 1-Wednesday Night

The night I arrived at Walt Disney World I dined at Spoodles Restaurant on the Boardwalk.

We ordered (and devoured) two appetizers: the Mediterranean Dips, which included a variety of tapenades with pita and the Crispy Fried Calamari, which came with an olive - pepperocini relish. The appetizers were the apex of the meal for me.

I ordered the Margherita Flatbread as an entrée. I have to admit, a good margherita pizza is on the top of my favorite foods. The Spoodles version includes a balsamic vinegar reduction, which sounded like a nice twist on the classic dish. However, I was not impressed. The crust was very thick and doughy (which is not what I envision when I think of flatbread), and it was rather bland overall. The balsamic vinegar was about the only flavorful part, and not quite interesting enough to carry the dish.

Day 2-Thursday

I rolled out of bed to meet Mary and her family at the Kona Café for breakfast. Luckily, I was staying at the Polynesian, so this was an easy commute. I can honestly say the first thought that runs through my mind each morning is simply "coffee… coffee…". On frantic weekday mornings I usually drink regular drip coffee with cold soy milk. I was excited to try Kona Café's pot of French pressed 100% Kona coffee.

Unfortunately, our server hadn't been trained to use a French press, and she immediately plunged it and then told us to wait to let it steep (usually these steps are completed in reverse). The coffee was decent, not a good as I had expected, but did its magic to quell my caffeine-addict cravings.

Knowing that I had a full day of fun at the parks ahead, I ordered "Two Eggs Your Way," which included home fried potatoes, a biscuit, and a choice of breakfast meat. I requested egg whites and no meat. The server redeemed herself from the earlier coffee mishap by asking if I would like to substitute fruit for the unwanted meat option.

Most everything was fantastic. The portion of egg whites was enormous (probably 4-6 eggs). The potatoes were hearty, heavy, and delicious. The biscuit and fresh fruit were pretty forgettable, but overall breakfast was a success.

Fully caffeinated, I headed to the Magic Kingdom and walked onto pretty much any ride I wanted without a wait. It was a rainy Thursday morning in January, and the park was almost completely empty.

After waxing nostalgically about Disneyland, comparing the Magic Kingdom's classic rides to my childhood memories, and searching for a frozen banana, I met Mary, her husband Mike and Sue Pisaturo for lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern.

While the Liberty Tree Tavern does have a vegetarian lunch entrée, I ordered the soup of the day, Tomato Florentine, and a house "Declaration" salad. When the soup was delivered I thought I had been given the chili by mistake. Tomato Florentine is usually tomato soup with spinach and a little parmesan cheese on top. Liberty Tree Tavern's variety was a thick and hearty meat stew. The mystery meat in the soup turned out to be ground turkey, but the soup was a far stretch from any Tomato Florentine recipe I'd ever seen before.

So, my very light lunch consisted of a house salad, which was not exciting but passable. The highlight was the very yummy strawberry vinaigrette dressing, which came on the side.

I left the Magic Kingdom mid-afternoon starving and stopped by the Grand Floridian's Gasparilla Grill to get a snack. I ate a Mickey shaped rice crispy treat and a yogurt at a table by the lake.

That evening I wanted to make the most of the Extra Magic Hours at Epcot, so I scarfed down dinner at the Cantina de San Angel in Epcot - Mexico. I ordered the Chicken Salad with no chicken. While this request raised an eyebrow, the Cast Member was happy to accommodate me. The black beans in the salad were delectable. Overall, for a counter service salad, it was something I would happily order again. It had a thick bed of black beans, fresh romaine lettuce, yellow cheese, sliced tomatoes. It also came with a mild salsa, a sour cream packet, and a dressing on the side. I skipped the sour cream and dressing and used the salsa to dress the salad without adding too many extra calories.

Despite my best salad intentions, at this point I fell into the dietary pitfalls of being on vacation. I found that it's impossible not to fall victim to the temptations of unique and nostalgic "theme-park food" at Walt Disney World. So, after my tasty salad I ordered a churro. After my churro I ordered a giant pretzel. After the giant pretzel I drank a margarita. Had the Extra Magic Hours continued I would have kept touring and eating my way through the World Showcase at Epcot.

Day 3- Friday

On Friday my plan was to tackle Disney-MGM Studios [editor's note: as of 2008, this is called Disney's Hollywood Studios] and Animal Kingdom, an ambitious feat deserving of a balanced breakfast. Instead, I opted for a large coffee, a muffin, and a banana at the Kona Island Café Coffee Bar in the Polynesian. I tried to get a little protein by ordering a soy cappuccino, but they were out of soy milk.

After some meandering and playing in Disney-MGM, including the Aerosmith-themed Rock 'n Roller Coaster, I ate lunch at the ABC Commissary. I was impressed by their menu choices. I ordered a Tabbouleh Wrap, which came on a whole wheat tortilla with a black bean side salad. The Tabbouleh was pretty standard, mild, and fresh. The black bean salad had seen better days, and was a little mushy and limp. This meal would be an easy one for two people to split. I ate half of the wrap, and after contemplating the challenges of taking leftover food on the Tower of Terror, threw away the rest.

I spent the afternoon touring Animal Kingdom, and later met Mary and her family for dinner at Jiko in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Jiko exceeded all my expectations, and would be the one restaurant I would recommend to vegetarians and health nuts. It's a must-eat experience!

We ordered an appetizer sampler that included five appetizers, two of which were vegetarian. The Maize and Sweet Potato Tamale was fabulous. It had a light goat cheese with mashed sweet potatoes in a corn husk. The maize didn't dominate the dish, which was nice. The Lentil Pastilla was equally delicious. The lentils were cooked al dente, wrapped in phyllo crust, and came with an interesting sweet and sour sauce. I would order each again.

Jiko offers a variety of African beers. I ordered a Windhoek, which is a Namibian beer. It was a very crisp lager, quite good.

Mike recommended the Grains, Peas and Vegetables, which he had ordered previously, but I was craving a quick protein fix, and ordered the Shrimp Curry. I was especially excited to see that the menu specified that the shrimp were Key West wild caught. The shrimp came with artichokes, tomatoes, sweet peas atop colusari rice. The shrimp was cooked perfectly; the sauce was piquant, but not overwhelming; the vegetables and rice had a nutty grainy flavor that tamed the curry perfectly. This was by far the best dish I had at Walt Disney World.

For dessert I ordered the Pistachio Crème Brulee with layered chocolate bottom. I'd never seen the two dessert items that tempt me most (crème brulee and chocolate) combined before, so this was exciting indeed. It was enormous- easily could be shared by four people. It was good, but compared to the rest of the meal, not the highlight.

Day 4- Saturday Morning

I slept in, grabbed a soy cappuccino at the Kona Island Café Coffee Bar, and read the newspaper by the pool. The weather had warmed up, the rain had stopped, and parks were back to their normal crowded state.

Since Happy Limo was picking me up at 1:00, I grabbed a quick lunch at Captain Cook's in the Polynesian. I ordered the "Grown-up Grilled Cheese", which came on a multigrain-sunflower bread. It had swiss, cheddar, and blue cheese melted with tomato and frisee. While I found the frisee to be a strange lettuce choice, the sandwich was pretty good. It was a little greasy, a little overly cheesy, but I didn't get hungry during my airport venture home.

Tips and Tricks for Vegetarian Travelers at Walt Disney World

While every restaurant I visited at Walt Disney World had some kind of vegetarian option available, the range of selection and quality varied wildly. Do your research. Get a guidebook and visit Deb Wills' allearsnet.com to look at menus beforehand.

If you can, make a reservation at least 72 hours in advance through (407) WDW-DINE. Sit down restaurants will make an effort to accommodate your dietary preferences, but they need notice. Confirm your special requests with your server. Be patient when you arrive: even with advance notice, special meals may take longer to prepare.

Feel comfortable asking servers, chefs, and even Cast Members working at counter service restaurants if they can alter dishes to meet your needs. It never hurts to ask.

It's a good idea to pack some snacks for unexpected hunger pains. If a churro craving hits (and you want to resist the temptation) seek out one of the fresh fruit stands for a cheap and healthy alternative.

Don't assume anything. As I learned at Liberty Tree Tavern, it's better to ask beforehand than to send something back. And of course, you're on vacation.... it's good to try new things.

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