Origins
United Kingdom and Western Europe
A scientist at Cambridge University in England,
Alan Howard, initiated the research that eventually
lead to the development of the Cambridge diet in the
1960s. Howard became interested inobesityas an
increasingly common nutritional problem. He worked
together with Ian McLean-Baird, a physician at the
West Middlesex Hospital, to create a formula diet
food that would allow people to lose weight rapidly
without losing lean muscle tissue, create a mild ketosis
(a condition in which the body begins to use fat rather
thancarbohydratesas a source of energy), and con-
tain enoughvitamins,minerals, and micronutrients to
maintain health. Howard and Mc-Lean Baird also
organized the first national symposium on obesity in
the United Kingdom, which was held in 1968.
The formula that satisfied the researchers’ goals
was successful in helping people in hospital obesity
clinics lose weight, but was not particularly appetizing.
The researchers collaborated with food technologists
to improve the flavor of the formula. After further
testing with clinic patients, the Cambridge diet was
marketed commercially in the United Kingdom in
1984, four years after it was available in the United
States. In 1985 the Cambridge diet became available in
Germany, France, and the Scandinavian countries,
and in 1990 in Poland and Eastern Europe. The British
company, Cambridge Manufacturing Company Lim-
ited (CMC), which manufactures the diet products as
well as the Cambridge Health and Weight Plan, were
owned by the Howard Foundation between 1982 and
2005, a charitable trust established by Alan Howard to
offer scholarships to international students and to
fund research in obesity and nutrition. In 2005 the
Cambridge Manufacturing Company was sold to its
three senior managers and became Cambridge Nutri-
tional Foods Limited.
The present Cambridge diet products available in
the United Kingdom are sachets (packets) of powder,
Mix-a-Mousse granules, liquid meals, and meal bars.
The sachets are intended to be mixed with a half-pint
ofwater(hot or cold) to produce a shake or soup. The
sachets, which provide about 138 calories, are sold in
boxes of 21 servings, a week’s supply. There are 12
different flavors including banana, mixed fruit, and
chicken mushroom. The dieter may also purchase
Mix-a-Mousse granules that add 20 calories to the
powdered formula but give it a thicker texture. The
liquid formula is available in a ready-to-drink version
packaged as Tetra Briks—sealed cartons with straws.
Tetra Briks come in banana or chocolate flavor. There
are four flavors of chocolate-covered meal bars (car-
amel, chocolate, orange, and toffee), one of which can
be consumed each day.
Each sachet or liquid formula contains enough
nutrients to be used as a complete meal. The meal
bars can replace a meal as well but have extra carbo-
hydrates and should only be eaten once a day. The
Cambridge diet products can be consumed exclusivelyCambridge dietBritish version—4 stagesAmerican version—5 programsPreparation
Reduce food intake gradually over a week or 10 days before beginning
the diet
Losing weight (Sole Source program)
Women shorter than 5’ 8”: three servings of Cambridge diet products
daily and no other food
Women taller than 5’ 8” and men: four servings of Cambridge diet
products daily and no other food
Coffee, tea, and tap and bottled water allowed
Drink at least 2 quarts of fluid per day
415 to 554 calories per day
Stabilization
After 4 weeks on the Sole Source program, add a meal of 3 oz. of lean
white fish or poultry, cottage cheese, and a portion of green or white
vegetables to the basic Cambridge meals
Total of 790 calories per day
Return, if necessary, to the Sole Source regimen for further rapid weight
loss
Other options allow 1,000 or 1,200 calories per day for more gradual weight
loss or to accommodate lifestyles
Weight maintenance
Begins at an intake of 1,500 calories per dayRegular
Designed for a weight loss of 2–5 pounds per week
820 calories per day: 3 servings of Cambridge Food for Life formula plus
one 400-calorie conventional meal
A minimum of 8–10 glasses (8oz.) of water daily
Tea and coffee allowed, but not as substitutes for the water
Continue on the program until weight loss goal achieved
Fast start
For rapid and safe weight loss
Regimen is similar to the British Sole Source program
Do not remain on the program longer than 2 weeks at a time
Return to the Regular Program and contact a physician if experiencing
headaches, nausea, or vomiting
Physician-monitored
Recommended for weight loss of 30 pounds or more, or for persons under
doctor's care for other medical conditions
Essentially the British Sole Source program, with the added provision that
the dieter switch to the Regular Program when 10 to 15 pounds from
weight goal
Maintenance
Essentially the use of the Cambridge’s Food for Life nutrition formula as a
foundation, adding conventional foods while determining caloric level to
maintain body weight
Lifetime nutrition
Use Cambridge diet products as meal substitutes for one or two meals a
day, or as healthy snacks(Illustration by GGS Information Services/Thomson Gale.)
Cambridge diet