Earlier this year, Disney announced that their theme parks would start selling healthier fare. The said that they would eliminate trans fats, place limits on the number of calories per portion and limit fat and sugar for snacks, sides and main dishes. Not wanting to be left behind, or accused of not caring about the health of their visitors, Universal Studios has announced that they will also be eliminating trans fats from their park menus.

The first phase of the switch officially took place on Christmas Eve, though the foods have been in development for some time, and now over 90% of the foods at Universal Studios locations are cooked in trans-fat free oils. The few items that are still cooked with trans fats, including churros, will be trans-fat free by the end of next year.

The parks will also be offering other healthy options, like fruit bowls and skim milk, both on kids and regular menus.

We've covered a couple of theme park food stories lately, including one where UK parks were visited by a "secret mum" looking for healthy foods and one where Six Flags decided to offer a protein-packed Halloween option to its guests. Now, Disney is looking to make some food changes at their parks - for the better.

The company announced that they would eliminate trans fats from the food at their theme parks, as well as in any Disney licensed food products, and will be instituting a new set of guidelines for offering healthier food options in general:

• Placing a limit on total calories, resulting in smaller portions
• Limiting fat to a maximum of 30 percent of calories for entrees and side dishes, and 35 percent for snacks.
• Limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of calories for main dishes, side dishes and snacks.
• Limiting sugar to 10 percent of calories for main dishes and side dishes, and 25 percent of calories for snacks.

The new guidelines will be phased in gradually over the course of the next few years, although the trans-fats will be eliminated by 2008. There is no telling what effect any of these changes will have on park favorites, like churros, funnel cake and ice cream cones since their nutritional information is unknown at the moment, but it's possible that you might not be able to get some of these treats after next summer.

Aside from an occasional jaunt to the House of Blues, it's been quite a while since I've visited Disney World in earnest. The last time I went, it was probably sometime in the late 80s, my age was in the single digits, and I wasn't all that concerned with getting a decent meal. Since then, I have heard people speak highly of their restaurant experiences throughout the world of Disney. Apparently, for some, the desire is so great that they want to recreate the dishes at home. A site called AllEarsNet has answered the call and currently hosts hundreds of recipes from throughout the Disney empire. Spot checking a few recipes from Epcot Food and Wine Festival and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, most seem to be fairly thorough. All are organized by resort or theme park (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, etc.).