The Sonoma diet

If you happen to be a lover of French food and wine, then this diet is perfect for you. Sonoma diet recipes are weighted towards the cordon bleu, with one of its main tenets being that you don't need to give up on eating appetising, flavorful meals just because you're dieting. Among Sonoma diet recipes, there are mouthwatering choices such as Pork Chops with Rosemary, Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto and even an Apple-Blueberry Tart. But the best part of the Sonoma diet for wine lovers is that this is one of the few diets that allows a glass of wine with your evening meal.

Sonoma diet recipes

The Sonoma diet was created by top dietitian Dr Connie Gutterson in an attempt to develop a tastier version of the heart healthy Mediterranean diet, the traditional diet of the French, Spanish and Italians. Dr Gutterson identified ten foods that she says are key to the diet, and most Sonoma diet recipes contain at least one of these 'Sonoma Diet Power Foods'.

The foods include antioxidant rich vegetables and fruits such as blueberries and spinach, almonds and olive oil for natural unsaturated oils and whole grains as low glycemic index carbohydrates. Grapes can be eaten fresh or fermented, although Dr Gutterson approves of a glass of red wine a day because of its proven influence in improving cholesterol levels.

The power foods and the Sonoma diet recipes aren't the whole story though, and the crunch comes in the 'first wave'. Like most diets, this one starts with a big calorie reduction which lasts for ten days, during which time wine isn't actually allowed, and nor are lots of other foods. Although this isn't an ultra low carb diet, in this first phase it is pretty restrictive. The second wave is where the Sonoma diet recipes really help to keep you dieting, as this phase can go on for several months as you gradually lose weight.

Once you've lost enough the third phase kicks in, and is a long term maintenance plan. Dr Gutterson uses a system of plate portioning to make it easy to judge how much to eat, for instance the plate size is a standard 7 inch plate for breakfast and a 9 inch for lunch and dinner. These are divided into thirds, the largest for vegetables, the second for protein and the smallest for carbohydrates. The Sonoma diet recipes make this easier since they are designed with the right portion sizes in mind, so the whole system fits neatly together.

This is probably one of the better balanced and healthier of the diets available today. There is no doubt that the Sonoma diet recipes are some of the best diet recipes around, and if you like good food and are willing to work to prepare it, this diet could be a good option for you.