Why is it that when talking about diets our minds instantly link it to deprivation, restriction, and suffering?  This may be the result of a failed diet or of the fact that we have trouble deciding which diet fits best with our lifestyle.  The Sonoma Diet is described by its founder as a way to “lose weight and get healthy by enjoying some of the most satisfying foods on the planet”.

The Sonoma Diet is inspired by the Mediterranean diet when it comes to enjoying food and not avoiding it. The purpose of this diet is to make people understand that losing weight and living a healthy life is about choosing and combining foods that give you strength, energy, and protect the heart.

The thing you might appreciate about this diet is that the traditional counting of grams or calories does not exist here.  When it comes to portion control, this diet is all about the plate size.  Furthermore, the Sonoma Diet emphasizes the foods you can eat, instead of listing the numerous one that are prohibited. 

An important principle of this diet is that food is not just supposed to be eaten, but savored also.  That is why, after the first ten days of following this diet, a glass of wine with dinner is allowed.  The diet is structured in three phases or waves. Phase 1 lasts ten days and is very restrictive, prohibiting important sourced of saturated fat. It excludes fruit and certain vegetables. Also, whole grains can be eaten just two times a day.

Phase 2 finishes when the dieter has reached his weight loss goal and the last phase is maintenance. The Sonoma Diet includes a differentiation between the so-called “power foods”, which are the most recommended due to their nutritional value, and bad foods. For example, almonds, broccoli, grapes, spinach, strawberries and tomatoes are recommended to be included in every meal. Meat, soy and eggs are good if low in saturated fat.

Fruits are not allowed in the first wave; the diet includes them from the second phase.  The beverages allowed are: water, tea with no cream or sugar, black coffee.  Even though diet sodas are not recommended in this diet, the dieter is allowed to have two cans a day. The main flaws of this diet are the low daily calorie intake (for ex., for women it’s 900-1100 calories) and the lack of information when it comes to cravings.

Considering the low calorie intake, people are most likely to “explode” and go for a Big Mac and not a small snack of lain raw vegetables.  All things considered, the Sonoma Diet is a good diet for those who can commit themselves to changing their eating habits and have the strength to resist temptation foods.