The Sonoma Diet

Revealing the Secrets of a Healthy Lifestyle

The Sonoma Diet actually has roots in the fertile Mediterranean Sea as well as California’s Sonoma Valley. These two regions have a shared love of great food and wine, as well as enjoying flavorful and fresh local foods.

Connie Guttersen, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and the author of The Sonoma Diet. She describes every meal as a “celebration” rather than “deprivation.” The secret, says Guttersen, is not avoiding certain foods, but enjoying the right foods in the right amounts.

The diet begins with a 10-day period in which whole grains, eggs, nut and low fat dairy are consumed. Following that period, many other foods are introduced, including wine and a limited amount of sweets. Most foods on this plan are not forbidden, but what are limited throughout the plan are foods with saturated fats, refined white flour and added sugar. Processed foods are simply not in the picture.

This is an idea diet for those who love fresh fruits and vegetables, wine, fish and lean meat. Like the Mediterranean diet, the Sonoma Diet has a host of whole grains, fish and nuts as well as fruits and vegetables. Guttersen says these are the foods “we’ve inherited from our Mediterranean friends.”

The plan’s “power foods” include almonds, bell peppers, broccoli, olive oil, grapes, spinach tomatoes and whole grains, to name a few. Not only are these foods heart-healthy and low calorie, but they are packed with antioxidants like vitamin C, calcium and other vitamins and nutrients.

Extra-virgin olive oil (from the first press of the olives), also a staple of the dietj, is antioxidant rich and can help lower bad LDL cholesterol and is a staple of this diet.

The fiber in the whole grains such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal and brown rice is another ticket to the success in this diet. Their job is to boost metabolism and reduce the risk of cancer.

Finally, fresh fruit or wine plays a large part in the Sonoma Diet for their phytonutrients which Guttersen believes is the key to Sonoma’s healthy way of life.

Written by Karen