What is the Sonoma Diet?
The Sonoma Diet is all about savoring nutritious food. According to Connie Guttersen, PhD, RD, author of The Sonoma Diet and The New Sonoma Diet, the diet focuses on “celebration, not deprivation.” Instead of avoiding your favor foods you enjoy the “right foods in the right amounts.” The Sonoma Diet provides a structured plan for eating healthy foods and losing weight.
The Sonoma Diet provides specifics about what to eat and how much to eat of each food. Central to the diet are 10 Power Foods, chosen for their combination of high nutritional value and intense flavor.
The 10 Power Foods and their benefits are:
1) Almonds: heart-healthy fats;
2) Bell peppers (all colors, but especially red): high in nutrients while low in calories;
3) Blueberries: rich in antioxidants;
4) Broccoli: high in vitamin C and calcium;
5) Olive oil, especially extra virgin olive oil: high in antioxidants, which lowers LDL (bad) cholesterol.;
6) Grapes: high in phytonutrients;
7) Spinach: high in vitamin K, folate, iron, calcium, and antioxidants;
8) Strawberries: nutrient rich and sweet;
9) Tomatoes: versatile with possible cancer-fighting qualities;
10) Wholes grains: boost metabolism and reduce the risk of cancer. Barley, brown rice, wild rice, rolled oat, groats, oat bran, quinoa, wheat berries, and crack wheat.
The Sonoma Diet is divided into three phases, called waves.
Wave One is 10-day induction phase, a time of transition when dieters wean themselves from sugar and highly processed foods. It’s a time to clear the cupboards of these foods. By restricting carbohydrates and calories dieters rid themselves of carb cravings and typically lose two to two and one-half pounds per week.
The highly restricted Wave One diet allows:
- Whole grains;
- Lean protein (eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, seafood, skinless poultry, lean meat, soy foods);
- Low starch vegetables;
- Fat free milk (one cup a day);
- Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (one once per day);
- Nuts (small amount);
- Unlimited herbs and spices to make food interesting and tasty; and
- Olive, nut, and canola oil.
The Wave One diet does not allow fruit, alcohol, starchy vegetables, refined white flour, processed foods, or foods with added sugar.
Wave Two is the diet you follow until you reach your weight loss goal. Dieters typically lose one-half to one and one-half pounds per week as they learn to make healthy food choices. In addition to the foods allowed in Wave One, Wave Two includes certain fruits (two half-cup servings per day), additional vegetables, some sugar-free sweets, and wine (six ounces a day).
Wave Three is the maintenance phase, the way you will eat for the rest of your life. The idea behind Wave Three is that by this time your metabolism will have changed and you will be better able to process carbohydrates. You will know a new way of healthy eating, so you can enjoy occasional indulgences such as dark chocolate, butter, or soda. It’s a time for experimenting with more foods. The emphasis is on savoring healthy and delicious foods.
The Sonoma Diet encourages physical activity but does not provide specifics.
You can learn everything you need to know to follow the Sonoma Diet from The Sonoma Diet and The New Sonoma Diet, which include recipes. You do not have to purchase special foods or supplements. The Sonoma Diet website, which costs $4.00 per week to join (with the first week free) offers:
- Tools for tracking your progress;
- Personalized meal plans;
- Recipe sharing;
- Support through online community;
- Meal planning help;
- Shopping lists;
- Guides for wine, eating, and portion size;
- Message boards; and
- Online Q & A with dietitians.
How to Follow the Sonoma Diet
Participating in the Sonoma Diet is as easy as following Waves One, Two, and Three.
You can make portion control easier by using dishes of a certain size. In fact, the Sonoma Diet teaches you to eyeball serving sizes instead of counting calories. You will need a seven-inch place or a bowl that holds two cups of liquid for your breakfast. For lunch and dinner you use a nine-inch plate. A little over half of your lunch plate should be vegetables and the rest lean protein. For dinner your plate will be divided into 50 percent vegetables, 30 percent protein, and 20 percent grains.
Unlike many diets, the Sonoma Diet requires that you prepare most of your own food. It’s not a convenience diet. The ‘Sonoma Express’ recipes are quicker and easier to prepare than the bulk of the recipes. For example, the shrimp, watermelon, and California avocado salad also takes 20 minutes. Or, you can make a tomato and asparagus pizza that meets Wave One requirements in 20 minutes. If you have an hour and a half, you can make a plum and rosemary pork roast that fits with Wave One. As you see from these three recipes, you will be preparing interesting food with varied tastes.
Benefits of the Sonoma Diet
The Sonoma Diet has all the elements of a healthy diet. Because the Sonoma Diet emphasizes healthy and pleasurable eating, it is a positive approach to weight loss and health. It includes fun ways to change your eating behaviors and food habits. The diet does not feel punitive.
Weight loss is slow and steady. Guidance is provided through the books and through the online program.
The maintenance diet is a diet for life, an important factor for maintaining a healthy weight. Because you do the cooking, you learn how to plan and prepare healthy meals.
Concerns about the Sonoma Diet
You have to cook to follow this diet, which may eliminate a lot of people. It’s not a quick and convenient diet plan.
The Sonoma Diet has only minimal focus on exercise as part of long-term weight maintenance.
Dietitians who have studied the menus believe that the daily caloric intake in both Waves One and Two is too low to prevent hunger. They express concern that the very low carbohydrate diet of Wave One can cause fatigue and jitters, and there are no suggestions for what to do when that happens. Also, the diet incorporates fewer servings of grains than the USDA guidelines recommend.
Talk to Your Doctor
It’s a good idea to discuss the Sonoma Diet (or any new diet) with your healthcare provider before you start.