What’s So Hot About the Sonoma Diet?
What’s this I keep hearing about the “most-flavorful” new diet out of California? The Sonoma Diet has really been gathering steam in the world of nutrition and fat loss. Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine recently featured the Sonoma Diet in a review of the six “hottest” new diets. So what is the Sonoma Diet? How does it work? Should I try it? Here’s a brief overview of the Sonoma Diet, its pros and cons, and its potential for promoting fat loss.
The Basic Premise
The Sonoma Diet is California’s version of a traditional Mediterranean diet of lean meats, whole grains, fresh vegetables, olive oil, nuts and wine. A dieters’ main reference is the book, The Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, Better Health in Just 10 Days! by Connie Gutterson, R.D., PhD. Dr. Gutterson is a registered dietician and nutrition instructor at the Culinary Institute of America.
Gutterson emphasizes the importance of fresh, flavorful, wholesome foods, noting that many diets fail because followers have nothing to savor and more often feel like they are being punished by the diet rather than rewarded with good health. The Sonoma Diet avoids this pitfall by urging followers to slow down and enjoy their food, and by providing plenty of tasty recipes featuring the ten “power foods” that, according to Gutterson, “offer the most nutritional bang for the calorie buck.” These super foods are: almonds, blueberries, grapes, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, olive oil, and whole grains. Replacing saturated fats and sugar-added treats with portions of these flavorful foods promotes fat loss and improved health.
Mediterranean-style diets are based on findings by Ancel Keys, an American doctor stationed in Salerno, Italy in 1945. Keys noticed that even though people in the Mediterranean ate more fats than American doctors typically recommended, on the whole they had fewer instances of cardiovascular disease than Americans, who tended to consume similar amounts, but different kinds, of fat.
These findings have been substantiated over the years, and many doctors now agree that the key is in the composition of the diet. Most of the fat in a Mediterranean diet comes from olive oil, which has been found to actually lower cholesterol in the body. Red wine in moderation, another staple of the Mediterranean diet, has been shown to protect against heart disease and possibly against cancer.
The Sonoma Diet doesn’t have any strict calorie restrictions or ask followers to avoid dietary categories like fats or carbohydrates. Therefore, the plan does not fit into any of the major diet categories like low-fat or low-carb. It does ask dieters to rid their pantries of foods containing added sugars and trans fats.
The Sonoma Diet is divided into three steps, called “Waves.” Wave 1 comprises the first 10 days mentioned in the book’s title. During this period diet followers learn to adopt the recommended foods and eating style, leaving behind bad eating habits. Fat loss happens fastest during Wave 1, which is the hardest part. Wave 1 is the most restrictive, barring all fruits and limiting portion size. During Wave 2, portion sizes can increase as long as followers stick with the diet’s recommendations. Weight loss should be slow but steady. Wave 3 is designed for long-term maintenance after dieters reach their weight and fitness goals.
The Upside
The emphasis of the diet is on enjoying specific health-promoting foods rather than concentrating on what to avoid, so it starts on a positive note. It’s also helpful that the more difficult, rapid fat loss period is during the first 10 days, when program followers still have the drive to see the new diet through.
Measurement of portions is simplified by the use of specially sized plates and bowls. As long as you’re eating the correct foods, you can’t overeat, because the food won’t fit on your plate!
Dieters don’t have to give up alcohol. Many people who are accustomed to drinking a glass of beer or wine with meals fail to follow diets that forbid these pleasures. The good news about the Sonoma diet is that it actually encourages drinking wine in moderation from Wave 2 onward. Wine is a part of the traditional Mediterranean diet that forms the Sonoma Diet’s basis, and studies have shown that wine in moderation is heart-healthy.
The Downside
Gutterson expects dieters to cook their own food, pretty much all the time. For people who don’t have time to cook for themselves, that’s going to be a problem. Sonoma diet followers should also expect to make regular trips to the grocery store for fresh produce, which may prove difficult and expensive, especially for dieters who don’t live near a mild-climate, high-yield agricultural area like Sonoma.
Dieters don’t get dessert until Wave 3. That means no treats until program followers reach their fat loss or weight loss goal, which seems like a lot to ask.
The Bottom Line
The Sonoma Diet is a really healthy diet choice. It emphasizes balanced meals, fresh foods, and satisfying flavors. One drawback is the fairly continuous structure. While it’s true that after ten days dieters are rewarded with slightly larger portions and the option of wine with dinner, many of us need a bigger reward to keep us going. After Wave 2 begins, there are no special rewards until the ultimate goal is reached, at which point followers may enjoy the occasional dessert.
While I really like a lot of things about the Sonoma Diet, I think Fat Loss 4 Idiots is easier to follow in the long term. FL4I is like the Sonoma Diet in that it emphasizes a variety of foods that achieve an overall balance rather than any low-fat or low-carb structures. Fat Loss 4 Idiots subscribes to the belief that eating certain combinations of foods over the course of the day can “trick” your body into burning fat rather than storing it. Like the Sonoma Diet, the hard work with FL4I comes in the first 11 days. Unlike the Sonoma Diet, Fat Loss 4 Idiots gives dieters three “free” days after 11 days on the program. That sounds like a real reward. Check out the plan that has worked for me here.
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