The Renfrew Center's nutrition philosophy focuses on variety, balance and moderation. The basic structure was adopted from USDA guidelines, however, the guidelines have been modified to meet the nutritional needs of the eating disordered population.
The Renfrew Center works to overcome fear foods by eliminate labeling food as either "good" or "bad" and examines how all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. In addition, The Renfrew Center aims to educate each patient on the importance of sound nutrition. By challenging eating disorder beliefs and being encouraged to eat a wide variety of foods a patient's level of trust around food increases.
Below are some of the core components of The Renfrew Center's nutrition program:
- The Renfrew Center incorporates three basic meal plans and modifies those meal plans based on caloric and diet necessities (i.e. patients with diabetes, celiac disease or gastric bypass, food allergies, vegetarians, and special religious requests — Kosher) as needed.
- Nutrition groups such as Grocery Shopping, After Meal Support Group, Eating Out, Cooking Group, and Family Nutrition Education are some of the nutrition experiences provided to patients to aid in the recovery process.
- The Renfrew Center believes in educating patients to understand the importance of well-balanced nutrition and offers sound nutrition information, while allowing them to enjoy desserts and higher fat foods in moderation.
- The Renfrew Center takes pride in its well-trained nutrition therapists, who work closely with a team of other eating disorder specialists to provide excellent patient care.
- Patients who leave Renfrew will discharge with a thorough understanding of their nutritional needs and confidence in planning well-balanced meals for themselves at home.