Windstar Cruises announced a new, whole-foods, plant-based menu onboard created in partnership with the National Health Association (NHA) to be available onboard all of its six ships.
According to a press release, the cruise line started training its culinary team to prepare for the new menu program fleetwide in June. Windstar Cruises will continue to offer vegetarian options and the existing omnivore menu items.
“The National Health Association points out that vegetarian and vegan diets are not always healthy, and for meals to be truly health-promoting, they also need to be minimally processed and prepared,” explained Windstar’s Director of Hotel Operations Peter Tobler.
“We’ve seen an increased demand for whole-food, plant-based dishes from our customers, and we’re really excited to work with the NHA to bring them something that’s nutritious and delicious. As a side benefit, plant-based foods also reduce our environmental footprint – a major goal of Windstar’s – allowing us to tread more lightly on this planet.”
Wanda Huberman, executive director of the National Health Association, collaborated with Windstar’s culinary team to develop recipes that meet the organization’s standards.
“The Windstar culinary team has knocked it out of the park in executing the specific requirements of our meals,” said Huberman. “Every meal is absolutely delicious and served in a beautiful presentation with so much variety that no one will leave a meal feeling hungry or less than satisfied.”
The new menu is a result of the popularity of hosting plant-based groups on Windstar Cruises voyages.
Lisa McCarl, a former nurse turned travel advisor, said that the demand for healthy travel options is growing.
“More people are changing the way they eat to prevent and reverse diet-related disease. Why not make it easy for them to continue that healthy lifestyle while sailing on the trip of a lifetime? Windstar is doing a phenomenal job in making healthy cruising a reality,” said McCarl.
Sample dishes from Windstar’s new menu include baked cauliflower croquettes with salsa verde and sautéed spinach; penne rigate pasta with vegetables and espelette pepper sauce; and veggie enchiladas with black bean and cilantro sauce among plentz of other plant-based options.
