Nutritional Info for meals?

[gardn198]

I've searched threads to no avail - it appears like I'll have to contact Special Assistance to find out if calories/fat grams/ etc info exists for the meals? I feel like legally they would have to have the information on hand, no? Not legally required to make the information public but available for request. Has anyone been able to get this kind of information? It has to be an FDA requirement, no? All restaurants do.

[woodman]

:confused: If that is really a concern of yours I would consider another type of vacation. Idon't know if Carnival is required by law to furnish this information or not but most of the meals are served out side of the US. :*

[Micahs Grandad]

Based on the weight gains many people report food is not exactly healthy.

 

They do point some healthier choices though

[Ocean Dancer]

There is what they call a healthier entree each night on the menu. Most foods are made with WAY TOO MUCH SALT, and many entrees/soups etc are made with real cream.

 

Anyone know how many calories in the Chocolate Melting Cake?:loudcry:

 

There is however a gym on board and a walking/jogging track. Use the steps.

[timeinthesand]

This vacation is doomed.

[Ocean Dancer]

This vacation is doomed.

Average weight gain on a 7 night cruise is 5 to 7 pounds.:')

[Cruisegirl6]

I agree, we been on many cruises and our average weight gain is 5-7 pounds, but when we get home we go back to the way we always eat and seem to loose it within two weeks.

 

I am unsure which ship you will be taking, with this being said, if its an older smaller ship I can honestly tell you the lunch buffets are horrible and and many dishes inedible at least to us and my father in law who sometimes travels with us.

 

Carnival buffet food is more well let me put it lightly not healthy, and after 10:30pm besides sitting in your room for room service you only have pizza to eat, that is all. Food in all cruise ships and restaurants for that matter, contain high amounts of sodium and Carnival seems to offer more carb food than other cruise lines.

I believe you can request for low sodium food as well as sugar free and they do accommodate there along with gluten free items.

 

I think what you need to do is instead of knowing what the nutritional information is for the food items which you probably never will get as there isn't such a thing, you need to know your foods and what you are picking out to eat. Here are a few pointers that will help....I have to be gluten free overall and I do a pretty good job doing it myself although like I said, they are very accommodating to people needing to be gluten free.

 

Lunch Buffet:

1- Salad bar is always healthy but use olive oil and vinegar and no dressings

2- Order meat plain, without marinades and sauces

3- Carnival is not generous with veggies in the buffet, they may contain one type but make sure there is no sauce/cream

4- Meat carvings aren't bad at all

5- They always have some type of fish/seafood in the lunch buffet that isn't too bad and they usually will have a chicken/turkey/pork dish not too bad but yes high in sodium but lower in fat.

6- They do have sugar free desserts

7- If your ship has roterreserie chicken that is very good

8- You can always have a sandwich from the deli

9- They do have fresh fruit

*Stay all away from Guys Burgers, the most fattening greasiest things ever and their fries too

 

Breakfast:

Eggs, yogurt, cereals, fruit, oatmeal this probably will be your least problem meal of the day as long as you stay away from the potatoes, bacon, sausage, breads and pastries.

 

Dinner:

Again, stay away from the creamed and chilled soups as well as the pasta dishes and order the more plain meat/seafood/poultry dishes (stay away from fried foods too) and they have a choice of veggies all are made with no sauces/gravies.

They always have a sugar free dessert

 

Your best option is to dine in the Steakhouse they tend to have better quality/selection of meats and such, less fat and made to order.....salads are very fresh here also and the French onion soup is very good....we usually dine every night at the steakhouse and its fabulous, healthier than the MDR.

[firemanbobswife]

Not sure about the law thing. The ships are flagged in foreign countries so I don't know if they need to comply with that. If you're worried about calories on a cruise, stick to the salad and maybe a grilled chicken breast. Everything else is chock full of those delicious things called calories and fat! Chocolate Melting cake with 2 ice creams, please! :D

[dctravel]

Any laws that require land based restaurants to disclose calories are generally local in nature. Here in MD for example, my county requires calories to be posted on a menu only if the restaurant has more than a certain number of stores in the county. Some single restaurants comply anyway, but they are not required to do so.

 

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[SadieN]

A different tact than Cruisegirl6 about the buffet ...

 

There are smart ways to go thru the buffet.

 

The hot line can be difficult (true on any line) but there is always a carved meat and many times there has been broccoli and carrots. The salad bar and deli available for lunch and dinner. Sometimes you do need to be creative - get turkey from the deli or a chicken breast from the grill (the few ships that do not have Guys have this option available) to put on top of your salad. Can get anything from the deli on its own.

I’ve been successful in getting pizza made to my specifications (ie bringing over green peppers from the salad bar to put on my pizza) also have asked for less cheese. Have to take the whole pie but you don’t have to eat the whole thing.

 

DH watches what he eats onboard. Eating lots of fish, avoiding sauces and cream soups as usually stays the same or a bit less at debarkation. I’ll gain the 5-7lbs, losing it within a week or two. We do try to take the stairs most times.

 

 

 

 

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[SadieN]

FDA Regulations do not cover cruise ships. As they either not US ships or have under 20 restaurants

 

 

https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm248732.htm

[watermelonqueen99]

I've maintained a 100+ pound weight loss for over 3 years, and we cruise about every 6 months. Just make wise choices. Protein, protein, protein. Relax and enjoy yourself. Utilize the ship's gym/jogging path every day. Get right back on track when you get home. Don't overthink your vacation.

[riffatsea]

Agree that people who said the food is UNhealthy are the ones who make UNhealthy choices!!

I often have lost 3 lbs on a 7 day cruise.

I try to take the stairs at every opportunity.

I eat oatmeal with fruit and nuts for breakfast or an omelet or scrambled eggs made at the omelet station.

I eat lots of salad at lunch. There is the salad bar and then there are some other interesting salads with veggies nearby.

I do add other things sometimes but those are my mainstays.

At dinner I eat what I want. Sometimes it is the plain healthy grilled meat or fish and sometimes it is a dish with sauces. I find that IF I am not eating crazy or drinking tons of alcohol I can maintain healthy eating most of the day.

Since I am on vacation I do treat myself to some dessert and some alcohol but I don't go wild.

You can always find healthy choices but I wouldn't bother counting calories!!

Even most diets don't suggest that any more! You know what you can eat and what you should stay away from so just go for it and try to enjoy the cruise!

[Cruisegirl6]

Riffatsea- You just put on the lightbulb in me! My past cruises were RC cruises where I gained that much, now I remember, my last two Carnival cruises I also lost 2 pounds on the Magic and 4 on the Fascination, I just didn't eat much, nothing much interested me especially on the Fascination and there was no steakhouse to go to either at night.

 

OP its a week, even thouse who need to watch what they eat surely can have a cheat week and pace yourself so its not too bad. Enjoy the cruise!

[riclop]

I've searched threads to no avail - it appears like I'll have to contact Special Assistance to find out if calories/fat grams/ etc info exists for the meals? I feel like legally they would have to have the information on hand, no? Not legally required to make the information public but available for request. Has anyone been able to get this kind of information? It has to be an FDA requirement, no? All restaurants do.

No info will be found but it contains lots of salt.

[Micahs Grandad]

And walk and walk and walk and take stairs whenever possible.

 

Also take a bite of dessert and unless it is fabulous push it away.

[bakersdozen12]

It has to be an FDA requirement, no? All restaurants do.

 

 

Carnival ships are not US flagged, therefore they are not governed by US laws.

[EmeraldCoastCruisers]

I lose weight on a cruise. I eat rather healthy on a regular basis and it's no different when we cruise. If I want a dessert I try it. If it's not worth the calories I don't eat it. We take the stairs ALWAYS (I can't stand elevators) and have the time in our day to walk the jogging track. We are much more active on our cruises than working from home where we are behind a computer and sitting mostly.

 

 

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[Drazil65]

Agree that people who said the food is UNhealthy are the ones who make UNhealthy choices!!

I often have lost 3 lbs on a 7 day cruise.

I try to take the stairs at every opportunity.

I eat oatmeal with fruit and nuts for breakfast or an omelet or scrambled eggs made at the omelet station.

I eat lots of salad at lunch. There is the salad bar and then there are some other interesting salads with veggies nearby.

I do add other things sometimes but those are my mainstays.

At dinner I eat what I want. Sometimes it is the plain healthy grilled meat or fish and sometimes it is a dish with sauces. I find that IF I am not eating crazy or drinking tons of alcohol I can maintain healthy eating most of the day.

Since I am on vacation I do treat myself to some dessert and some alcohol but I don't go wild.

You can always find healthy choices but I wouldn't bother counting calories!!

Even most diets don't suggest that any more! You know what you can eat and what you should stay away from so just go for it and try to enjoy the cruise!

THIS....make good/better choices, take the stairs...always...and drink in moderation (not a bad idea anyway :)) and you will be fine....

[crewsweeper]

If you're gaining 5-7 pounds on a cruise, you're probably gorging yourself. 5-6 thousand calories a day, at least 4 thousand above what you normally eat. Can be done, but ask any ironman triathlete how difficult it is to ingest 6 thousand calories a day. Portion control is the key here. Eat slower, stop when you start feeling food. Don't make every meal or snack like Thanksgiving dinner.

 

If you think that just doing a 1/2 hour on the treadmill or bikes and taking the stairs is going to "burn off" calories, you're sadly mistaken. Warm Chocolate Melting Cake, with out ice cream has close to 500 calories, how many flights of stairs do you need to take to work that off? Try 60. Burning calories via exercise is a side effect of exercise, not the primary reason you should exercise.

 

And regards to sodium, land prepped foods contain as much if not more. You own cooking may not but anything prepared or packaged bought in a grocery will contain sodium, as in salt due to its preservative qualities. Drinking water helps dilute most sodium intake. If you have a sodium restricted diet, you need to be very aware of this going in. If not, and concerned, just don't season your food on ship with table salt and pepper.

[Havingfun2010]

I've searched threads to no avail - it appears like I'll have to contact Special Assistance to find out if calories/fat grams/ etc info exists for the meals? I feel like legally they would have to have the information on hand, no? Not legally required to make the information public but available for request. Has anyone been able to get this kind of information? It has to be an FDA requirement, no? All restaurants do.

 

Before the days where everything seems to be labeled in the USA, and the days when coffee cups did not say, be careful, this is actually hot, we managed our weight, and health, buy actually eating healthy and knowing that 8 strips of bacon are bad, but 1 is better, and a large piece of cake is not good for you. There is no need for this info on any menu. Just eat healthy, don't overeat, and stay away from the items you already know are bad for you.

 

I only gain, 0 pounds during a cruise. My eating habits remain the same, and I exercise more on ships than at home.

[cruizergal70]

Most cruise ships are of foreign registry. Why would they be subject to FDA rules? You're an adult. Learn how to count calories in your food. I've lost over 150 lbs and I can eat without problem on cruise ships.