WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—As part of Westin’s ongoing commitment to personal renewal, they are teaming up with SuperFoods Partners LLC, owners of the SuperFoodsRx brand, to become the first hotel brand to create a SuperFoods focused menu for their guests. Superfoods, known for being health-enhancing and rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients, will be the main ingredient in Westin signature dishes such as banana oatmeal brulé, green-tea-infused salmon and molten dark chocolate cake.
The initiative, which is currently rolling out in 25 Westin hotels in the U.S. and Canada, will go global in 2008 with the introduction of the Westin Signature Breakfast, a SuperFoods breakfast selection that will be offered at all Westin properties. Westin Hotels recently announced that it will eliminate all artificial trans-fats from the food and beverage operations at its hotels in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean by the end of 2007.
“We are proud to be the first hotel brand to embrace the SuperFoods concept,” says Sue Brush, senior vice president of Westin Hotels & Resorts. “Advancing the health benefits of the SuperFoods on our menus underscores Westin’s commitment to helping guests live their best lives and create healthful habits that will stay with them long after their stay with us.”
Healthy Foods Highlighted
Based on the nutritional concepts outlined in the bestselling series of SuperFoodsRx books, which are published by SuperFoods Partners LLC, the Westin SuperFoods menu is not restrictive and is not a diet. Rather, SuperFoods—fruit, vegetables, grains and proteins which are known to improve well-being and longevity—are highlighted. The SuperfoodsRx green leaf logo featured at the bottom of the menu signifies that it has been approved by SuperFoodsRx’s team of nutritionists and doctors, and that the menu contains nutritionally significant amounts of one or more of the SuperFoods.
Key to the SuperFoodsRx philosophy, and likewise to the new Westin menu, is “food synergy.” Emerging science shows that certain foods play off of each other. Food synergy refers to foods that, when paired together, are even more nutritious than when they are eaten separately. For example:
• Avocados increase the absorption of antioxidants in other superfoods such as spinach and tomatoes.
• Sprinkling spices such as black pepper on your food can increase the absorption of nutrients found in superfoods like spinach, beans, berries, green tea, and broccoli.
• Cinnamon and whole grains such as oats work together to control blood sugar.
• Eating a handful of walnuts with any meal helps burn fat after you’ve left the table.
• Honey supplies “fuel” for the healthy bacteria found in low fat and non-fat yogurt.
• Blueberries, wild salmon, avocados and spinach are all “brain food,” each supplying a different combination of nutrients that will all work in synergy to provide an optimum cellular environment for our brains.
“The SuperFoodsRx concept integrates seamlessly with Westin’s continuing efforts to enliven the mind, body and spirit,” says Steven Pratt, M.D., founder of SuperFoods Partners LLC and author of Superfoods Rx: The 14 SuperFoods That Will Change Your Life. “We are very excited about the opportunity to team up with a lifestyle innovator like Westin.”
The menu is the latest in a string of initiatives rolled out recently with a focus on personal renewal, including the recent formation of the Westin Renewal Council, a panel of six lifestyle experts who advise the brand on wellness initiatives. The council provides a full range of advice to help guests and non-guests alike lead happier, more fulfilling lives via a newly launched website, www.findrenewal.com.
