Sonoma Diet
For those of you who haven’t noticed a trend in the diet craze; diets tend to work not very long for two reasons: 1) people’s interest wanes, and 2) the early part of the diet is the most restrictive. So it should be no surprise that the three stage, “power food,” no exercise diet like Sonoma is bound to have not the best ends. Let’s have a look anyway and see if we can’t demystify the clouds of suspicion over the Sonoma Diet.
Sonoma was created by Connie Guttersn and is a “managed potion size” “approved foods” diet centered around 10 Power Foods, which we’ll get back to in a second. Sonoma Diet has many of the same substantive qualities of the Mediterranean Diet.
Power Foods: These foods, selected for their nutritional value as well as for their intense flavors are: Whole grains, almonds, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, grapes, spinach, blueberries, strawberries, and olive oil.
If you’re trying to draw comparisons between Sonoma Diet and South Beach Die, Zone Diet, or even Atkins Diet, you’d be quick to find many striking similarities. Firstly, Sonoma has three distinct stages or waves. With stage one lasting 10 days and being the most restrictive with the smallest portion sizes. If you go from steak and potatoes to the Sonoma Phase 1, of course you’re going to see a weight drop. Also for wave one, the amount of sugar intake allowed is struck down greatly.
However, after the initiation stage, the choices open up, portion sizes grow, and the weight loss slows. As this diet is not low-carbohydrate diet or a low sugar diet, eating things like breads and cereals is allowed.
In a faux way to control food intake, the diet recommends plate sizes on which to eat your meals (ever heard of second helpings?)
Some critics have argued that the Sonoma Diet is not balanced in its nutrition. Also people have said that the bias towards home cooked meals is an attempt for the author to sell more cookbooks.
Whatever you’re decision about Sonoma Diet and its critics, you can find out all sorts of information about Sonoma Diet including pictures, recipes, plans, and menus online or in your local bookstore. Also there have been numerous articles written about the Sonoma diet, like this one, for your reference.