The Sonoma Diet - Is It Healthy?
The Sonoma Diet is one of the popular “Mediterranean” diets, which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and other conditions. This diet allows you to eat all types of healthy foods, including whole grains. The diet also emphasizes healthy oils such as olive oil and encourages the consumption of red wine (in moderation: 1-2 glasses), which I am a huge advocate of because of the multitude of health benefits.The diet is structured into 3 “Waves” or phases. The first wave lasts for 10 days and is fairly restrictive. The second wave is considered the main weight loss phase, and wave 3 is the “lifelong maintenance phase.” Different sized plates are used for each meal: a 7-inch plate for breakfast and a 9-inch plate for lunch and dinner. Portions of certain foods are emphasized rather than calories. For example, the 9-inch dinner plate is filled with 50 percent vegetables, 30 percent lean protein or dairy and 20 percent whole grains. Each wave of the diet instructs people on how to fill the plates. Pros-Simple - no counting calories each day (plate sizes are used to control portions instead)
-Emphasis on whole foods rather than processed foods
-Prohibits most refined carbohydrates like flour, sugar, saturated and trans fat (the Zone Diet has similar characteristics)
-Centers around 10 “Power Foods”, including whole grains, bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, olive oil, almonds, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and spinach (many of these are on The Healthy Eating Guide’s 10 Healthiest Foods list.
-Emphasis on tasty, savory, healthy food and slow eating
Cons-Caloric guidelines: during the “Wave 1” phase, women eat around 1200 calories/day and men around 1300/day on average. This type of low caloric intake isn’t sustainable for most dieters, making this another temporary solution
-No emphasis on exercise
-Not very cost friendly – the restrictions on certain foods and emphasis on tasteful, flavorful cooking makes this diet pricier than many. There are also several “premium” options on the website that you have to pay more money for (i.e., more recipes, tool/resources)
-Lack of fruits and vegetables in several phases.
-Risk of "carb crash" and reduced energy because of lack of carbohydrate intake (similar to Atkins and South Beach)
The Verdict:
As you can see, the Sonoma Diet offers many positives and negatives. There is definitely room for improvement for Sonoma, but overall it offers a solid foundation for healthy eating and weight loss and the basic principles of the Sonoma Diet are recommended.
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