Dieting the Mediterranean Way

Dieting Mediterranean Style With The Sonoma Diet

Created by Connie Guttersen, the Sonoma Diet celebrates good food and health rather than focusing on depriving your body of the foods it craves. Guttersen and other proponents of the diet claim that people shouldn't lose weight merely by depriving themselves of many good foods. Instead, they should enjoy some of the best foods available. Doing so can be more healthy and lead to longer-lasting weight loss and vitality.

The Sonoma Diet takes many of its core principles from the Mediterranean diet. It encourages people to eat a collection of foods that help prevent heart disease while improving your health. Less emphasis is placed on reaching a "goal weight" as a long-term goal.

Healthy Lifestyles Over Body Weight Goals

The Sonoma Diet was created to promote the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle. Many fad diets that exist encourage their followers to struggle toward a certain weight, after which they can claim success. That target weight drives the diet and the lifestyle that follows. By contrast, Guttersen's diet plan promotes the benefits of enjoying great foods that naturally help your body remain healthy. This is done by planning meals around a group of natural foods instead of emphasizing ingredients.

Filling Up On 10 Power Foods

In its simplest form, the Sonoma Diet encourages people to eat foods that are dense in nutrients. There are 10 "power foods" that are included in most of the meals. These include almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, olive oil, grapes, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes and foods made from whole grains. Each of the foods promoted in the diet offer a direct health benefit. For example, blueberries provide antioxidants while almonds offer healthy fats. Calcium, vitamin C and fiber can be found in broccoli while olive oil has proved effective in lowering bad cholesterol.

Getting Healthy In 3 Waves

Following the path of the Atkins Diet, the Sonoma Diet takes its followers through 3 distinct waves. The first wave lasts for 10 days and attempts to wean the dieter from eating foods that are filled with sugar and refined flour. Our bodies have difficulty eliminating these things and typically just absorb them which leads to weight gain. On the 11th day, the dieter enters Wave 2. This is the part of the diet where followers actually choose a "goal weight." Wave 2 lasts as long as it takes for the dieter to reach the target weight. Special emphasis is placed on fruits and vegetables along with plenty of physical activity.

Once the dieter has reached the target weight, Wave 3 begins. This wave is called the "maintenance wave" and focuses on eating meals from the 10 power foods, indulging in treats and cravings along the way.

Trying It For Yourself

Many experts have been pleasantly surprised by the Sonoma Diet, citing the diet's focus on portion control. Because the diet was created by a registered dietitian, the diet has been given a boost of credibility as its popularity continues to build both with experts and dieters. Take the time to explore whether the Sonoma Diet is right for your lifestyle.

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