Can One Hotel’s “Superfood” Campaign Be Legitimately Healthy? My Blood Sugar Says So.

A monumental girl’s weekend was being planned and while on hold with The Westin Stonebriar Hotel & Golf Club, the recording boasted superfood options. It made me think – is this just another marketing ploy? After traveling extensively over the past couple of months, I’ve picked up a few buzz-words hotels and resorts are using to lure guests.

I dropped my bags at the door and couldn’t wait to do a little investigating. What were they offering and how were they marketing it to the general public? Low and behold, the first page of the In-Dining Menu options read, “Maintain a healthy lifestyle on the road with our nutrient-rich and delicious SuperFoodsRx™ dishes. The following page actually listed 25+ super foods with a brief description.

After further investigation, the Westin boasts a Well-Being Movement; a global initiative dedicated to inspiring guests to discover new approaches to well-being. The Eat Well section was created with doctors and nutritionists, and claims, “the SuperFoodsRx™ menu cultivates “food synergy,” the pairing of certain foods to increase their nutritional value, to give you the focused energy you need to meet the challenges of your day.”

The Westin site went into great detail about the SuperFoodsRx™ dishes going so far as to list recipes with portion sizes. The added details made life much easier for me because there’s no guessing about ingredients or portion sizes.

The Movement also features innovative partnerships and programs across Westin’s six pillars of well-being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well.

I give the Westin a “thumbs up” for making a whole body effort for guests. The DDG has written numerous articles about travel, food options, exercise and how this combination is instrumental in a healthy lifestyle for a PWD. I highly doubt they had diabetes in mind, but their efforts make a hell of a difference in the guessing game while on vacation.

I didn’t necessarily follow the “Eat Well” option, but it was nice to have it available. It did however make a significant difference in one families vacation as their 8 year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D about 6 months ago. Mom was a wreck and overwhelmed with calculating every drop of food her daughter consumed while she was “exercising” in the pool. I had a lovely discussion with her poolside and feel confident they’ll return to the Westin as it took the guessing out of one part of the equation. Kudos Westin for making our vacations a little less stressful. Isn’t that what vacationing is all about???