The New Sonoma Diet is a revision of the original Sonoma Diet, created by Connie Guttersen, registered dietitian and PhD. The diet is based on the Mediterranean style of eating and includes wholesome foods like nuts, lean meats, fresh produce and whole grains. The diet works in segments called waves and encourages consumption of 12 nutritious "super foods": almonds, beans, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, citrus fruits, grapes, olive oil, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes and whole grains. The New Sonoma Diet restricts refined, processed, sugary foods but allows wine consumption.
Wave 1
This is the strictest part of the New Sonoma Diet, lasting for 10 days. Wave 1 restricts calories to 1,300 calories for men and 1,100 calories for women and may be hard for some to follow, even for just 10 days. This phase of the diet promises weight loss, but the severe calorie limits could make it difficult to consume adequate amounts of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Dr. Guttersen does recommend calcium and multivitamin supplementation to help meet daily nutritional needs. During this phase, fruit, potatoes and refined sugars are forbidden, and dairy foods are limited to 1 cup of skim milk daily.
Wave 2
The second phase of the New Sonoma Diet, wave 2, loosens restrictions a bit by allowing fruits and one glass of wine in the evening. A focus in the New Sonoma Diet is portion control. Dr. Guttersen recommends eating from a 7-inch plate or 9-inch bowl, which allows for smaller portions to seem larger and more satisfying. Large dishes tend to dwarf portions and lead to feelings of deprivation. Wave 2 is meant to be followed until your weight goal is achieved.
Wave 3
The final, and lifelong, stage of the New Sonoma Diet is wave 3. This final stage of the diet encourages dieters to continue to follow the New Sonoma eating rules for the rest of their lives to maintain a healthy body weight and good health. It also promises that the body will become used to restricting foods containing refined sugars if they continue to be restricted. Recipes are available from a printed cookbook as well as online, to support dieters in following the New Sonoma Diet without getting bored with their food choices. In wave 3, the diet does further loosen some restrictions --- for example, dark chocolate is allowed on occasion --- but foods like fruit and potatoes remain limited, and foods with refined sugars continue to be restricted.
Considerations
The New Sonoma Diet is considered by the American Dietetic Association to be healthy in some ways and questionable in others. Though Dr. Guttersen promises that everyone can achieve their perfect weight, this may not be possible for all people. However, the diet does focus on foods high in nutritional quality with potential health benefits, such as fresh produce and whole grains. The diet also encourages exercise, as a support to healthy eating, in weight maintenance.
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