Yes, another diet has been “invented” yet again. As I write this, the Sonoma Diet is still relatively new — after all, the book was only released on December 27, 2005.

The Sonoma Diet is created by Dr. Connie Guttersen, a registered dietitian and nutrition instructor at the world-famous Culinary Institute of America.

She named the diet after California’s beautiful Sonoma County (where she lives, not surprisingly) and the Sonoma Diet is based largely on the Mediterranean diet.

One thing I like about this diet is that the emphasis is not on abstaining from certain types of food. As I’ve said many times before, that never lasts.

Instead, it preaches a balanced diet of healthy food choices, with a emphasis on portion control.

In fact, the Sonoma Diet dictates that you’ll be using a 7-inch plate or a 2-cup bowl for your breakfast and a 9-inch plate for your lunch and dinner. And you’ll be told how to fill those plates and bowl with the right amount of foods!

Another big thing in this diet is the list of the “Top Ten Power Foods” i.e. they’re the ones that offer the most nutritional bang for the calorie buck. These foods are the backbone of The Sonoma Diet, so if you look at the recipes that’s recommended for you when you’re on the diet, you’ll notice that these “power foods” are a pretty common ingredient in them.

FYI, here are the Sonoma Diet’s Top Ten Power Foods:

• Almonds
• Bell peppers
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Grapes
• Olive oil
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Whole grains

Oh, one thing you should note is that if you don’t have the time to cook, or you simply don’t like to spend time in the kitchen, the recipes may prove to be a challenge for you if you want to consider this diet. You’ll just have to make do and hope that you can find suitable alternatives from the food places that you frequent.

Another interesting thing about the diet is the prominence of wines during your meals. So if you like wine, you’re going to love this diet!

As mentioned earlier, the diet is based on Mediterranean eating habits, and that’s why wine is such a feature in this diet. Of course, you don’t really have to follow this part of the diet if you don’t drink, but wine is definitely encouraged.

Like in some other popular diets, the Sonoma Diet is divided into three distinct phases, or what Dr. Guttersen calls “Waves”.

Wave 1 comprises the first ten days of the diet, where you are supposed to eat certain foods to “adjust” your body to overcome bad eating habits.

Wave 2 is the main segment of the diet, where you’ll stay until you reach your target weight, and Wave 3 is the maintenance program of the diet.

All in all, I must say that the Sonoma Diet is one of the more healthy diets around. Unlike some other (in)famous diets, it doesn’t ask you to abstain from core food groups like carbohydrates, or ask that you eat a lot of a certain kind of food.

If you want to know more about the Sonoma Diet, I suggest that you visit the following…

• Get the Sonoma Diet book from Amazon
• See the Sonoma Diet online support site

Tracy Lee
Weight Loss for Women Over 40

This entry was posted on Friday, January 13th, 2006 at 3:47 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.