The Sonoma Diet was a book written by Connie Gutterson. It is one of the most balanced and moderate diets to appear in a long time. There are no dramatic restrictions on food groups, no calorie counting, and has all of the flair of a gourmet Mediterranean diet.
What is the Sonoma?
The Sonoma diet is a uniquely flavorful weight loss plan that brings together the art and science of food. Sonoma is a region in California, USA that is well regarded for its quality vineyards. The author and registered dietitian Connie Gutterson has been consulting with the Olive industry for a number of years. The nutritional credentials she has have enabled her to write a book that provides some of the most balanced and sensible weight loss advice. The Sonoma diet was not born in a lab much like other weight loss programs; in fact, it was born from two of the most agriculturally abundant and vital regions of the world: The coast of the Mediterranean Sea and of course Sonoma Valley California. These two regions share a festive approach to eating - a heart felt love of great food that turns every meal into a celebration of life. These wonderful foods make these areas into a paradise of healthy living and are the heart and soul of the Sonoma Diet. Members of the Sonoma diet experience this joy of eating. There are wide selections of recipes that are essential to Sonoma Diet member's success.
The 3 Waves
Wave 1: lasts for approximately 10 days, and you'll immediately begin eating delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners prepared with healthful foods. A benefit of this wave is that you will be able to eat all of your favorite foods and your online meal planner and recipe database will provide all the options you will need to be satisfied. One of the positive notes is that unlike other diets, this phase does not restrict carbohydrates but does include whole grain cereals and breads.
Wave 2: This wave is the major part of your diet. This here will be the eating plan that you stick with until you reach your target weight. Wave 2 is about variety with a broad range of foods including wine and fruits.
Wave 3: The third wave of the Sonoma Diet begins the day you finally reach your target weight. Once your ideal weight has been reached, this is the life - long maintenance phase where they teach you how to keep the weight off that you lost as well as teach you how to stick with the healthy eating lifestyle.
Portion Control
The secret is enjoying the right foods in the right amounts. If you think about it, that is really the only healthy way to lose weight. Aren't you tired of counting calories, and dealing with severe food restrictions? The main premise of the Sonoma diet is that food should be enjoyed even when dieting. The problem with most weight loss programs out there is that so many teach and cause the dieter to hate and fear food. Sonoma introduced a concept called 'plate and bowl'. All of the meals are assigned a specific plate size, with detailed instructions on how the plate should be filled. I was amazed while reading the book that it provided a wine guide to help select the best matching wine to accompany the meal.
Top 10 Power Foods
It's important to know what the top 10 power foods are. When you start to eat the Sonoma way, you'll be eating this way for the rest of your life. The Sonoma Diet book contains 300 recipes. The on-line program contains an additional 500 recipes. The top 10 power foods are.
* Almonds
* Bell Peppers
* Blueberries
* Broccoli
* Grapes
* Olive oil
* Spinach
* Strawberries
* Tomatoes
* Whole grains
One of the best features of the Sonoma diet is how interactive it truly is. The online program features on-line dietitians, live support, shopping lists, customized meal plans, and message boards. All subscriptions do come with a required fee, and subscribers must pay for a minimum of 5 weeks; however, if at any time you want to cancel your program there is not a cancellation fee. The Sonoma Diet is very popular and comes highly recommended by us and its users. This diet is now in 2007 considered to be in the top 5 diet programs. We at Flex Your Health consider this diet to be in the top 2 of all weight loss programs offered. If you try this program I am sure you will find a new healthier lifestyle with fantastic gourmet meals that will impress even the most sophisticated pallet.
Ready to try the Sonoma Diet and change your life from the regular to sophistication? If so, click the following link to find out all you need to know about the Sonoma Diet and other popular weight loss programs. http://www.flexyourhealth.com/index.html
Article Source: http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/author.cgi?C=51839
Showing posts with label Mediterranean Diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mediterranean Diet. Show all posts
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Mediterranean Diet - Lose Weight without Sacrificing Taste!
There’s a popular book out right now that explores the reasons why ‘French women don’t get fat’. It’s certainly not for lack of eating delicious food! The same might be said for the Mediterranean diet – the traditional foods that are prepared and eaten around the Mediterranean region of Europe.
There’s a popular book out right now that explores the reasons why ‘French women don’t get fat’. It’s certainly not for lack of eating delicious food! The same might be said for the Mediterranean diet – the traditional foods that are prepared and eaten around the Mediterranean region of Europe. The people there may not be model-skinny, but here are few if any seriously overweight people who live the traditional lifestyle and eat traditional Mediterranean foods.
It all comes down to great tasting, natural food. Forget what you think you know about Italian cuisine, for a start –yes, pizza and pasta do figure heavily in some regions of Italy, but not in the Mediterranean region. By the sea, people subsist on what they can catch from the sea and grow in their gardens. The result is natural, delicious food that is a pleasure to prepare and an even greater pleasure to eat.
Of course, we all naturally think of tomatoes – and it’s a fact that tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean sun are far superior to any that we might find elsewhere in the world. The Mediterranean basin is the home of the tomato, and the place where it grows best. But that’s just the beginning. There are a variety of other vegetables that the Mediterranean kitchen abounds with, and many of them happen to be dark green, red or orange in color. Believe it or not, that does matter – quite a bit, in fact. Studies have shown that dark green, red and orange vegetables have a higher concentration of anti-oxidants, making them powerful cancer fighters. Also, these tend to be more flavorful and satisfying than many other vegetables – especially when prepared according to Mediterranean recipes – and that means that you are more likely to fill up on vegetables. And that, of course, is one of the best things you can possibly do for maximum weight loss.
Meat is part of the diet, but it’s served rather sparingly. Fish is much more common, given that the Mediterranean life is oriented around the sea. Fish are grilled, or prepared as part of various cooked dishes that also contain vegetables. Forget the batter-covered English style fish and chips, though – Europeans living in the Mediterranean regions have much better things to do with their fish, with greatly superior results! Fish is often quite low in fat, as well as being an excellent source of protein. Even when the fat content is a little higher, however, don’t worry – fat that comes from fish is ‘good’ fat, healthy for your heart and bones.
Speaking of ‘good’ fat, you can’t get much better than olive oil for cooking, drizzling on salads, or as a condiment of sorts. Olive oil has none of the harmful effects that some oils have when they are heated – it’s a good, clean oil that adds flavor, and if you’re using good quality olive oil, a little goes a long way! Try to buy cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Italy, Greece or Spain, or maybe from a lesser known olive oil producer such as Croatia or Albania. In all of these countries, olive groves that are sometimes up to a thousand years old continue to produce olives for eating and oil production. Olives and olive oil are as much a part of the culture as any other aspect of Mediterranean cuisine.
As you can see, the Mediterranean diet is not necessarily a low calorie one, though it certainly can be – you can adjust the calorie content without sacrificing taste, because natural ingredients make up so much of the diet. If you are interested in eating healthily but not necessarily in losing weight, you can add in some of the ‘extras’ – red wine, some cheese and home baked bread, or the occasional dessert. Even without those extras, though, the Mediterranean diet is easy to follow and stick to because it simply tastes great.
Assuming that you are not living in a Mediterranean country (in which case you would probably be eating like this already), find a quality source of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables in your community. Try to find Greek or Italian grocery store, too, for more obscure ingredients. The Mediterranean diet is good eating for life, as well as being relatively easy and fun to follow.
Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/
There’s a popular book out right now that explores the reasons why ‘French women don’t get fat’. It’s certainly not for lack of eating delicious food! The same might be said for the Mediterranean diet – the traditional foods that are prepared and eaten around the Mediterranean region of Europe. The people there may not be model-skinny, but here are few if any seriously overweight people who live the traditional lifestyle and eat traditional Mediterranean foods.
It all comes down to great tasting, natural food. Forget what you think you know about Italian cuisine, for a start –yes, pizza and pasta do figure heavily in some regions of Italy, but not in the Mediterranean region. By the sea, people subsist on what they can catch from the sea and grow in their gardens. The result is natural, delicious food that is a pleasure to prepare and an even greater pleasure to eat.
Of course, we all naturally think of tomatoes – and it’s a fact that tomatoes grown in the Mediterranean sun are far superior to any that we might find elsewhere in the world. The Mediterranean basin is the home of the tomato, and the place where it grows best. But that’s just the beginning. There are a variety of other vegetables that the Mediterranean kitchen abounds with, and many of them happen to be dark green, red or orange in color. Believe it or not, that does matter – quite a bit, in fact. Studies have shown that dark green, red and orange vegetables have a higher concentration of anti-oxidants, making them powerful cancer fighters. Also, these tend to be more flavorful and satisfying than many other vegetables – especially when prepared according to Mediterranean recipes – and that means that you are more likely to fill up on vegetables. And that, of course, is one of the best things you can possibly do for maximum weight loss.
Meat is part of the diet, but it’s served rather sparingly. Fish is much more common, given that the Mediterranean life is oriented around the sea. Fish are grilled, or prepared as part of various cooked dishes that also contain vegetables. Forget the batter-covered English style fish and chips, though – Europeans living in the Mediterranean regions have much better things to do with their fish, with greatly superior results! Fish is often quite low in fat, as well as being an excellent source of protein. Even when the fat content is a little higher, however, don’t worry – fat that comes from fish is ‘good’ fat, healthy for your heart and bones.
Speaking of ‘good’ fat, you can’t get much better than olive oil for cooking, drizzling on salads, or as a condiment of sorts. Olive oil has none of the harmful effects that some oils have when they are heated – it’s a good, clean oil that adds flavor, and if you’re using good quality olive oil, a little goes a long way! Try to buy cold pressed extra virgin olive oil from Italy, Greece or Spain, or maybe from a lesser known olive oil producer such as Croatia or Albania. In all of these countries, olive groves that are sometimes up to a thousand years old continue to produce olives for eating and oil production. Olives and olive oil are as much a part of the culture as any other aspect of Mediterranean cuisine.
As you can see, the Mediterranean diet is not necessarily a low calorie one, though it certainly can be – you can adjust the calorie content without sacrificing taste, because natural ingredients make up so much of the diet. If you are interested in eating healthily but not necessarily in losing weight, you can add in some of the ‘extras’ – red wine, some cheese and home baked bread, or the occasional dessert. Even without those extras, though, the Mediterranean diet is easy to follow and stick to because it simply tastes great.
Assuming that you are not living in a Mediterranean country (in which case you would probably be eating like this already), find a quality source of tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables in your community. Try to find Greek or Italian grocery store, too, for more obscure ingredients. The Mediterranean diet is good eating for life, as well as being relatively easy and fun to follow.
Article Source: http://www.article-outlet.com/
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