A Delicious and Nutritious Diet
At Wellspring, the focus is on living a healthy lifestyle. In order to do this, students need to experience a low-fat, low-density diet that is satisfying, tastes great, and includes the taste and appeal of food they are accustomed to.
Wellspring utilises recipes that thousands of young people love. The food not only tastes really good, but students find this diet is one that enables them to lose weight rapidly.
How is this possible? Wellspring employs a very low-fat, low calorie-density diet, consistent with what scientific research demonstrates to be most effective for rapid weight loss and sustained long-term weight control. Most importantly, it’s simple, and therefore easy for young people to follow and manage themselves – without requiring parents to act as “food police.”
There are two categories of foods at Wellspring. First, there are “controlled” foods, which are main courses and snacks. Portions of controlled foods are limited, so that total calories are 1,200 per day, with 7-12 grams of fat (approximately 1/8 of what the average Briton consumes). Controlled foods are also high in protein and fibre.
Wellspring works hard to ensure that the taste and texture of the controlled foods are exactly what students are used to, so they find the food very familiar, for example: burgers, pasta, pizza, etc. However, these foods are prepared using low-fat cooking methods, which students learn about in culinary classes.
There are also “uncontrolled” foods. Students may have as much of these as they like, as long as they measure and self-monitor. Uncontrolled foods include fat-free soups, salads, fruits and vegetables, as well as fat-free yoghurts, cottage cheese, tuna salad and egg salad. This ensures students are never hungry.
As long as students are eating the right foods, intake will be moderated through the cognitive-behavioural training with the Behavioural Coach, and the continuous goal-setting that occurs in this process.
Click here to view a variety of healthy recipes from Wellspring Camps. Or see how diet incorporates into a Typical Day at Weight Loss Camp.
