Many of the diets we see and read about today consist of exotic meals or bland food with little or no taste, but with the Sonoma Diet, the emphasis is on food that not only helps you lose weight, but tastes great. The Sonoma Diet incorporates a strategy called the "ten power foods", and with these power foods you can lose weight, while still enjoying the taste of food.
The Ten Power Foods of the Sonoma Diet
The ten power foods of the Sonoma Diet consist of:
In the nut category: Almonds
In the vegetable category: Bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes
In the fruit category: Blueberries, grapes, strawberries
In the grains category: Whole grains
In the oil category: Olive oil
The Sonoma Diet Strategy
The emphasis of the Sonoma Diet is not necessarily on the foods that one should avoid, but rather on the foods that one should eat on a regular basis. The Sonoma Diet also teaches the dieter about making the proper food choices and eating the right size portions of food for your meals. Another focus of the Sonoma Diet is on the appreciation of food and how to enjoy food more by eating your meals slowly.
The Three Waves
Similar to other diet programs, the Sonoma Diet has three phases or waves, as they are called.
Wave One is a ten-day period where sugar and the amount of food is limited. During this wave, you should be eating smaller portions of food, as well as limiting your choices of food -trying to keep to the ten power foods. As with most diets, the dieter will usually lose the most weight during the initial phase of the diet.
Wave Two is dependent on the specific conditions of the person dieting. A dieter is usually on wave two until he or she reaches their target weight. However, unlike wave one, during wave two; there is more variety of foods that one can eat including some low-fat dairy products, as well as some sugar-free sweets.
Wave Three of the Sonoma Diet is called the maintenance wave. During this wave, the variety of food continues to grow, as long as the food chosen is healthy and balanced.
Sonoma Diet Pros
There are many advantages to the Sonoma Diet in that it relies on the dieter to be educated about the types of food and the size of the portions that one should eat. It also teaches dieters to savor and appreciate food and not to eat food just because you are depressed or bored.
Sonoma Diet Cons
While the Sonoma Diet has received lots of positive reviews, this diet is not for everyone. While it is balanced and touts foods that are primarily healthy, not everyone will find it easy to stay disciplined on this diet. For those that require lots of structure and set amounts of food to eat each day, you may find that this diet offers too much leeway- especially for those looking to lose 10 to 20 pounds in a shorter period of time.
