Westin Hotels & Resorts launches Superfoods Focused Menu

Westin has teamed up with SuperFoods Partners 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. To kick off the launch in Asia Pacific, all the 23 Westin hotels in the region will start to introduce SuperFoods items in their in-room dining menus.

"We are proud to be the first hotel brand to embrace the SuperFoods concept," said 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."

The Westin SuperFoods menu is not a diet, but dishes that contain the SuperFoods-fruit, vegetables, grains and proteins which are known to improve well-being and longevity-are marked by the SuperFoods greenleaf logo . The logo signifies that a menu item has been approved by SuperFoods's team of nutritionists and doctors, and that the selection contains nutritionally significant amounts of one or more of the SuperFoods.

Key to the SuperFoods 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 which will all work in synergy to provide an optimum cellular environment for our brains.

Westin's new 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.

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