Healthy food options?

[CanCruzer]

I was reading a food thread with all kinds of wonderful descriptions of tasty food, but was a bit concerned about the fat content/calorie cound. I love cold soups, but think I would only have one for dessert after reading how much heavy cream there is in them.

 

Do they have lower fat/healthy choice options on the menus each day in the dining rooms? If so, are they tasty?

[sail7seas]

There is very good offering of fresh fruits and veggies, lean chicken breast and salmon on the order every night feature of the menu. Good salad bars for lunch. We all know what is healthy. It is available on every ship and all we need to do is select that instead of something less healthy. :) No special menu needed IMO

 

Every dinner menu I have ever read on HAL always had a healthy choice.

You shouldn't have any problem finding good food choices.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

[dfish]

As a person with dietary restrictions I found plenty of great choices on my recent Maasdam cruise. As S7S mentioned there is the everyday menu available in the dining room. Along with the chicken breast and salmon there is an option for steamed vegetables. When I ate in the dining room I put in an order for those as well as my entree because I like to fill up on the veggies.

 

At breakfast you can get eggbeaters and turkey bacon and sausage. The salad bar at lunch always provided a large variety of items for the salad and there are plenty of options for salad dressing.

 

I really enjoyed the food on the Maasdam and I am picky as to food preparation and taste. I came home with no weight gain on this trip and my sister lost 2 pounds!

[Kween Karen]

I have seen PLENTY of healthy choices on HAL ships....MY problem is making myself choose them!! I plan to do better this time.....67 days of fine food could add up!! I have vowed to take the stairs at all times and since I am on deck 1 that should help!!

 

Mantra to self....

Choose healthy and take the stairs.....Choose healthy and take the stairs.....Choose healthy and take the stairs..............

[suse]

It just tastes awful to me. Some of the salad options are awesome. Their low-fat dressings are the best. I think it would be great to be a vegetarian or a vegan. No, really, just to say that sort of thing at a party. "No, thank you, I am a vegan!!" It would be so fun. And think how healthy it would be. Unfortunately, for me, I love fish and lobster way too much. But I do daydream about demanding tofu on occasion.:)

[CowPrincess]

I have vowed to take the stairs at all times and since I am on deck 1 that should help!!

 

Taking the stairs makes a HUGE difference -- we do not gain weight on cruises, and eat pretty much anything we want. Though I do try to restrict my Eggs Benedict intake to 3 times a week and chilled fruit soup only once a week!

 

There are so very many good choices onboard, and the ones offered in the dining room are tasty and attractive. If I'm having a chilled soup (oh my arteries :) ), I'll go with the "Spa" choice for entree.

[Kween Karen]

Taking the stairs makes a HUGE difference -- we do not gain weight on cruises, and eat pretty much anything we want....

.....If I'm having a chilled soup (oh my arteries :) ), I'll go with the "Spa" choice for entree.

 

Good plan....hopefully I will be the same!! (having my doubts here....)

I am packing for 67 days at my CURRENT weight......I can't afford to have to buy a new wardrobe in the ship's shops!!

[Himself]

Every night they offer healty alternatives along with tempations that the Doctor woulld not like. Every enening Salmon and broiled chicken breast are offered. The Chicken Breast is quite good as I frequently have it. The waiters will honor requests for no sauces if you wish. HAL is quite accomodating.

[CanCruzer]

Every night they offer healty alternatives along with tempations that the Doctor woulld not like. Every enening Salmon and broiled chicken breast are offered. The Chicken Breast is quite good as I frequently have it. The waiters will honor requests for no sauces if you wish. HAL is quite accomodating.

 

Thank you to everyone for their reassurances that I'll find good healthy food. This is my first time with HAL and my longest cruise to date. I had never thought about ordering without sauces ... or perhaps on the side, so I can have a taste without eating all of it. Another suggestion is to splurge in one area and cut back on another, such as going for a salad and the healthy choice main so I can have dessert.

 

I always take the stairs and plan to use the gym at least every sea day and hopefully some others. I'm probably more active while cruising than I am at home with my desk job, but 19+ days of eating restaurant food scares me and my waistline a bit :eek:.

 

I know I succumb to temptation all too easily.

[sevenseasnomad]

Don't feel you have to sacrifice to eat desserts aboard HAL. They offer luscious low-cal sugar-free desserts, and I ordered them almost every night. Never felt as though I was missing out on the "good stuff." DH would let me take one bite of his super-high calorie desserts, and mine were as good as or better than his choices.

 

So go for those desserts and still stick to your diet.:)

[dfish]

I always take the stairs and plan to use the gym at least every sea day and hopefully some others. I'm probably more active while cruising than I am at home with my desk job, but 19+ days of eating restaurant food scares me and my waistline a bit :eek:.

 

That can make all the difference. We vowed to be active on our cruise and almost always took the stairs unless we were going more than 4 decks. Then we split the difference. We alternated between the treadmill and walking the deck. We tried to walk the deck each night after dinner unless it was just too cold. Then we walked up and down a couple of staircases or just strolled around the public areas of the ship.

 

We tried to make the healthy choices most of the time, but we did indulge ourselves now and then. Balance is the key here.

[fun_seeker]

Think of dining on board as you would of dining in a fine restaurant. They will accommodate substitutions, so you do not have to have the vegetable that the menu offers with the entree. You simply ask for one or more vegetables that come with other entrees, if they appeal to you. If you have a weakness for a particular dessert, but not the calorie capacity, ask them if they will provide you with just a taste of the dessert. We always eat healthy at home, so we just continue our normal eating habits aboard.

 

As for exercise, the gym is a good start and as people have mentioned walking the decks and climbing the stairs are good during sea days. In port, we avoid the motorcoach tours in favor of the walking tours when possible. Usually even the motorcoach tours will get you back in time to do some walking before dinner. On our last cruise, Avra didn't gain any weight and Steve gained only two pounds and we ate everything, but in moderation.

 

Eating in moderation and exercising regularly should allow you to minimize the weight gain that cruisers dread.

[DutchByAssociation]

In the main dining room, anything identified as "GREENHOUSE SPA MENU" will be lighter fare. The 'everyday' items like he grilled steak, grilled salmon or chicken breast can also be healthier and if a specific sauce/vegetable you want is available, they can usually prepare that for you without any problem.

 

You can also have your booking noted as low fat/low sodium/ etc pre-cruise with reservations, then speak with the dining room manager after you embark about your specific concerns/wishes.

[mygate]

I also ask our waiter the first night of the cruise to always serve me half portions. They are excellent at remembering to do that so I enjoy the wonderful food--just not as much of it. Works for me. mygate

[jmk171]

I also ask our waiter the first night of the cruise to always serve me half portions. They are excellent at remembering to do that so I enjoy the wonderful food--just not as much of it. Works for me. mygate

 

Thanks for this FANTASTIC recommendation. I am already 'plus sized' and was worried about weight gain. This will really help so I can eat goodies but be within reason. :rolleyes:

[May4]

 

Do they have lower fat/healthy choice options on the menus each day in the dining rooms? If so, are they tasty?

 

Posters have come up with some great suggestions already. Here are a few more that seem to work for me.

 

1) I love that there are so many pieces of fresh fruit around. Your cabin steward will keep you supplied upon request. You can get it from the Lido line, too. That can help keep me full so I'm not ravenous at dinner.

 

2) There are fresh baked rolls on the table every night, but if you look you'll find the smaller whole grain ones. (I don't claim to always leave the butter off though.)

 

3) I drink lots and lots of water with dinner. Your steward will keep your glass full.

 

4) You can be "Ms Two Soups." If I get a clear soup and a creamy soup on the same night that feels like plenty. Mind you I don't do that often. The HAL entrees are just too enticing.:p

[durangoscots]

I have seen PLENTY of healthy choices on HAL ships....MY problem is making myself choose them!! I plan to do better this time.....67 days of fine food could add up!! I have vowed to take the stairs at all times and since I am on deck 1 that should help!!

 

Mantra to self....

Choose healthy and take the stairs.....Choose healthy and take the stairs.....Choose healthy and take the stairs..............

 

Karen,

 

One thing I found on the longer cruises.... mine was 77 days, that after the first 2 weeks it became a lot easier to exercise self control. On the 77 day cruise I lost 5 lbs. And yes, I took the stairs most of time.

 

Susan