A recent Westin Hotels survey of 6,402 adults who travel away from home for business at least once per year from the United States, along with the United Arab Emirates, India, Mexico and China revealed the following:
— When it comes to deciding a hotel destination, the vast majority of respondents (87 percent) said access to healthy food options is at least somewhat important, and more than a third (37 percent) said it was “very important.”
— More than half (52 percent) of the respondents said when it comes to food options while traveling, their number one concern is the limited access to the healthy food options.
— One third of those surveyed admitted to bribing their children to eat their veggies by giving them screen time — TV or smart phones. And 30 percent of those surveyed offer a special treat in exchange for eating a healthy meal.
Kids menus rarely deviate from the same fatty fare — fried chicken fingers, grilled cheeses, hot dogs, hamburgers.
And when families travel, it’s more of the same.
But kids menus are changing, as parents demand more fruits, vegetables and other nutritious options when they are on the road. Family friendly resorts and hotels are leading the way, rolling out new kids menus featuring everything from salads with grilled fish to turkey lettuce wraps to baked chicken fingers to fruit kebabs to all-fruit smoothies.
“Kids menus used to be an afterthought,” said Myesha Cross, marketing manager at The Westin Peachtree Plaza. “Now guests want and expect healthier options, not just for themselves but also their kids.”
In response to a recent survey, Westin hotels around the globe are introducing a new kids menu offering a spinach omelette and ham, egg and cheese quesadilla for breakfast, and turkey lettuce wraps and a hummus plate for lunch and dinner.
At Great Wolf Lodge, there’s been a complete overhaul of the kids menu at the indoor water park resort in Concord, N.C. and 11 other locations: the burgers and fries contain no additives, preservatives or fillers. Vegetables are offered with every kids meal, and milk is served instead of a soft drink (unless the guest asks for something else). The resort has also promised more changes — no more No. 5 yellow dye in the mac and cheese and instead will go with a more natural white cheese, and they will soon serve organic juices, yogurts and even organic ketchup.
And at Barnsley Garden Resort in Adairsville, executive chef Adam Hayes, has recently updated the menu to incorporate more seasonal fruits and vegetables, including some grown at the resort’s onsite gardens.
Hayes, the father of a 9-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, adds flax seeds, which he calls “secret super power” into the flat bread. He encourages young guests to explore the garden. Seeing fresh tomatoes and basil helps children learn where their food comes from and can spark an interest in trying something different. The new kids menu includes a hearty, homemade soup with rice and vegetables, mac and cheese with roasted salmon, grass-fed burgers. Sides include yogurt, fruit, carrot and celery sticks and pretzels.
Padra Franks of Buford went to Disney World this summer with her family, and while the vacation was a hit, the food in the all-inclusive trip was extremely disappointing.
“We had those magic bands in which you can go and pick out your meals and snacks and when I tell you there were no healthy options, I am telling you there were no healthy options. If there was anything healthy like an omelette with vegetables, there was a very long line for it. It was hot dogs, hamburgers, muffins, and we were so sick of it after a few days, we started spending our own money,” said Franks who works as a health educator with HealthMPowers, a non-profit that promotes healthy eating and physical activity in schools.
Franks said she would never purchase a meal plan again without researching the healthy food options.
Meanwhile, Susan Balogh, a colleague of Franks who also works as a health educator, always reserves hotel suites with kitchens so they can prepare their own breakfast and lunch rather than rely on the limited options at hotels and area restaurants.
“If you go out to eat three times a day, you just don’t feel good at the end of the vacation,” she said.
It’s far easier to control what you eat and eat healthier when you make it yourself, she said. They bring a carton of eggs, bread, milk, cheese fruit and vegetables; and eat out at dinner. Her children, ages 6 and 9, tend to like the same thing — mac and cheese.
“When they see mac and cheese, forget it,” said Balogh of Kennesaw. “I wish they would take it off the menu.”
To give the dinner a boost of nutrition, she orders a side of broccoli or fruit (and crosses her fingers that it’s real fruit and not canned fruit in heavy syrup).
If healthy eating options continue to populate menus at hotels and vacation getaways, Balogh will be more open to eating out, while away.
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