The Sonoma Diet
November 5th, 2007
What It Is
The Sonoma diet. Does the phrase conjure images of plum-dark wine and succulent salmon enjoyed overlooking verdant grape vines?
If so, that may be the aim of Connie Guttersen, PhD, RD. The author of The Sonoma Diet hopes you’ll see her diet plan as marrying pleasure with health, where every meal is about “celebration, not deprivation.”
The secret to losing weight forever, says Guttersen, a registered dietitian and dietary consultant, is not in avoiding foods you love but enjoying the right foods in the right amounts.
Even in the most restrictive phase of the diet — the 10-day induction period — whole grains and cereals, eggs, low-fat dairy, and nuts are on the menu. And after the induction period almost nothing is forbidden, including wine and occasional sweets.
Almost nothing is forbidden. What’s limited at the start, and discouraged throughout this diet plan and foods with saturated fats, refined white flour, and added sugar. As a matter of fact, if you’re not ready to literally purge your pantry of processed foods, you may not be ready for this diet Sonoma and this menu.
However, the Sonoma diet would be ideal for those with a love of fruits, veggies, wine, and healthy foods.
It would also suit people motivated to follow the restrictions of a structured plan, who have the time and desire to cook, and who are willing to stock a pantry free of sugar and trans fats, adds Elisa Zied, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, and author of So What Can I Eat?!
How It Works
Like the South Beach and Atkins diets, the Sonoma diet begins with an induction phase.
Called Wave 1, this 10-day span is meant to wean you from sugar and highly processed foods, while teaching you about nutritionally balanced meals and portion control.
“Baby steps simply don’t work,” says Guttersen, so Wave 1 begins with a dramatic household purge of all processed foods or those laced with hydrogenated fat. White rice, potato chips, butter, fruit juice, sausage, bacon: adios!
Because of their natural sugars, wine, fruit, and several kinds of vegetables are also banned the diet’s first 10 days, the better to “naturally recalibrate your body.”
The allowed foods list for Wave 1 is fairly long and includes lean beef, eggs, asparagus, eggplant, low-fat cottage cheese, soba noodles, olive oil, almonds, walnuts, and unlimited herbs and spices.
To spur compliance and aid the reader in sticking to the plan, the book includes more than two dozen recipes for this phase, including Greek Salad with Grilled Shrimp, Mushroom Omelet, and Steak and Blue Cheese Wrap.
Wave 2 allows the same foods as Wave 1 and is the part of the diet Guttersen recommends you stay with until reaching your target weight. This wave includes a roster of more than two dozen fruits, a wider array of vegetables, some sugar-free sweets, and up to 6 ounces of wine daily.