THE TOTAL HEALTH EXPERIENCE: EAT, PLAY, LEARN
Join us in the Caribbean for a week-long all-inclusive beach immersion
May 17–24, 2025, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies is excited to present its all-inclusive Caribbean Beach immersion program at the Gran Ventana Resort—the perfect opportunity to relax, focus on wellness, and connect with a supportive community. See pricing details
EAT
a wide range of nourishing and flavorful whole food, plant-based meals
PLAY
on the golden sands of Playa Dorada and enjoy numerous wellness activities
LEARN
how to obtain optimal health through a week-long immersion program led by experienced doctors
Our Caribbean Paradise
The Gran Ventana Beach Resort is a sophisticated yet warm and authentic beach community located right on the coast of the Dominican Republic. Facilities at the resort include swimming pools, a fitness center, an 18-hole golf course, a spa, and more. This sunny, tropical location is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy activities like yoga, tai chi, or long walks on the beach, and a fantastic base for local excursions.
Our Immersion Program
Immersion programs give individuals the unique opportunity to reconnect with their health and wellness goals and feel for themselves the rapid effects of a healthy plant-based lifestyle. If you’re wondering How much better can I feel after a short time of changing my diet?, the answer might surprise you: immersion program participants often experience significant health improvements as quickly as one week. (You can read about the research on immersion programs here.)
In addition to this firsthand experience of improved health, you will also have the support of a welcoming, likeminded community and a renowned medical team with years of experience treating patients with a wide range of diet-related illnesses. Finally, you will have numerous opportunities to learn about and work on other critical aspects of a healthy lifestyle, including mindful movement and stress management. This combination can produce powerful results, and it’s something we work really hard to cultivate at our immersion programs.
Daily Agenda
*subject to change
6:30–7:30 AM
Let’s Get Moving!
We’ll start the day off with a range of fun movement options, including beach yoga, swimming, walking, or running.
7:30–8:45 AM
Breakfast (Delicious, Hearty, and Oh So Good)
People sometimes wonder, What is there to eat if not meat, dairy products, and oil? In our buffets, you’ll enjoy a wide selection of healthy, delicious plant-based options: fresh fruit, baked goods, smoothies, fresh juices, hot foods, cereals (muesli and oatmeal), and Dominican breakfast staples.
9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Presentations: Optimal Health and How to Achieve It!
Our series of morning presentations are crafted and sequenced to have the greatest impact, with topics building on each other. Topics for the upcoming events have not been confirmed yet, but to give you an idea of what you might expect, past presentation topics have included No More Diseases: How diet and lifestyle can reverse and prevent chronic diseases; Body Literacy I and II: What do our bodies need?; Cancer, Heart Disease, and Diabetes: What’s the latest science?; Successes and Challenges in Transitioning to a Healthy Lifestyle; The Pillars of Lifestyle Health; Setting up Your Kitchen for Success; and Active Hope: Stewardship and Community Engagement.
12:00–1:30 PM
Savory Lunches
Once again, enjoy a wide selection of delicious plant-based options with a salad bar, fresh fruits, side salads, warm sides, and main entrees.
1:00–4:30 PM
Siesta and Excursions: Relax and Have Fun!
This is the time to lounge on the beach, swim in the ocean, read by the pool, enjoy a beachside massage, visit the boutique spa, play a round of golf, or make new friends, talking and getting to know each other over a refreshing passion fruit juice! During this time, we’ll also host two excursions included in your registration fee, allowing you to leave the resort, visit a mountaintop botanical garden, learn about the rich food history of the Dominican Republic, and visit a local school and organic chocolate factory!
4:30–5:45 PM
Culinary Presentation and Q&A with the Medical Team
This is the time to ask questions, engage with our dynamic group of presenters, and learn from those who have been developing and preparing WFPB meals for over 30 years.
5:45–7:15 PM
Dinner
In addition to a salad bar and fresh fruits, dinners offer a range of tasty dishes, including delicious soups.
7:30 PM
Community Connections and Dialogues
Our goal in this session is to explore how transitioning to a whole food, plant-based diet is a lifestyle choice—not merely a diet! In exploring this, we’ll enjoy lively group discussions, allowing you to network, get to know each other, and develop friendships and a supportive community.
A World-Class WFPB Buffet
Learn How to Prepare Healthy, Tasty Food, and Enjoy It All Week!
Our delicious whole-food, plant-based buffet is designed to demonstrate the fantastic culinary variety of a plant-based lifestyle. With over 60 different dishes to enjoy, the buffet provides a learning opportunity for participants, who will receive a recipe book containing all the recipes from the week. The meals are whole food, plant-based with no added oil. Minimal amounts of sweeteners and salt will be used. Meals will be served buffet style so participants can select the items that best fit their needs.
Our Local Excursions
Exploring the Wonderful Variety of Caribbean Food and the Politics and Impact of Food Production
Some of our biggest cravings have been cultivated in the once-rich soils and the perfect year-round growing conditions of the Dominican Republic. We’re talking specifically about sugar, coffee, chocolate, rum, cigars, and even cattle! But what are the impacts of these cravings? How do they affect the land and communities? And who benefits from their production? Through two enriching excursions—included in the cost of registration—you will have the unique opportunity to see how optimal health extends beyond your physical health to include social and ecological well-being – where you’ll visit a high school in the town of Monte Llano, once known as the “Sugar Cane” capital of the northern coast. You’ll also visit a small cacao factory and walk through a beautiful mountaintop botanical garden overlooking the coast of Puerto Plata.
Registration
We expect this to be a sold-out event, so please register early.
Registration is $2480 for single occupancy, and $2180 per person for double or triple occupancy. This includes:
- 7 nights at the Gran Ventana Beach Resort & use of its free amenities
- 3 delicious whole food, plant-based meals each day
- Daily presentations and Q&A session with plant-based doctors
- Fun activities with other participants in the immersion program
- Morning movement activities, such as yoga and group walks on the beach
- Two off-site excursions
*The program fee does not include airfare or the optional use of additional amenities at the resort (spa, golf course).