The Sonoma diet has billed itself as the "most flavorful diet under the sun." The Sonoma diet has been created to package and sell the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, using the principles described in the Lyon heart study.
Like the Mediterranean diet, the Sonoma diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts. In fact, it singles out 10 "super foods" based on recent scientific research suggesting health benefits of each of these foods. They include: almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, olive oil, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and whole grains. The Sonoma diet also encourages the moderate intake of wine.
Like other popular diets, the Sonoma diet is structured in 3 phases. The first phase is very restrictive with tiny portion sizes to provide a fast initial weight loss. The second is a longer weight loss phase, with slightly larger portion sizes. The third phase is designed for weight maintenance, and is intended to be life-long.
The Sonoma diet book describes the diet and 3 phase structure, and provides a step by step guide with over 500 recipes. The recipes are very well thought out, tasty, and easy to cook. Because of the types of foods included in most recipes, it is not by any means a low cost diet, but the health and weight loss benefits may make the cost worth it. The online diet program provides more recipes, and helps by putting together printable shopping lists. Costs of the online program are $5 a week.
Overall, I think that the Sonoma diet is one of the better commercial diets. It is based on scientific research showing significant health benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and recent studies showing benefits of specific "super foods." The recipes are healthy and tasty.
My only concern about the Sonoma diet for weight loss is that the 3 phase structure seems to be a gimmick employed by many popular fad diets. The very restrictive 1st phase is a weight loss trick, used by most diet gurus, to provide a very rapid weight reduction so that dieters will start talking about how much weight they are losing. I am disappointed that the author fell prey to this gimmick. The science of dieting shows very clear that this kind of "crash" dieting is not beneficial and contributes to the yo-yo dieting phenomenon.
With this criticism aside, I think that overall the Sonoma diet is an excellent weight loss program based solidly on the science of healthy eating. The whole family can enjoy the health benefits of the Sonoma diet.
About The Author: Andrew Wolf invites you join him on his journey to uncover "the dieting secret" to help him lose 30 lbs, and keep it off for a lifetime. Click here for more of Andrew's reviews on the latest diets and share in his own weight loss progress. http://www.TheDietingSecret.com/blog Copyright 2007 - Andrew Wolf. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way, give author name credit and follow all of the EzineArticles terms of service for Publishers. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Wolf |
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Whole Grains... Good for the Brain
Nutritionists and Health Experts everywhere are telling us we need to eat a lot more whole grains to be healthy in the 21st Century. What are whole grains and why are they so important to our diet?
Charles Tremewen and Maria Emmer-Aanes, both of Nature's Path Foods, share with us their knowledge of whole grains and how whole grains they help us cope with a hectic lifestyle.
Our featured guest today is K. Dun Gifford, head of the Oldways Preservation Trust and founder of the Whole Grains Council. Dun is a expert on whole grains and responsible for a number of nation wide initiatives to help us make healthier food choices.
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Obesity Surgery Can Lead To Memory Loss, Other Problems
Weight loss surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, can lead to a vitamin deficiency that can cause memory loss and confusion, inability to coordinate movement, and other problems, according to a study published in the March 13, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The syndrome, called Wernicke encephalopathy, affects the brain and nervous system when the body doesn't get enough vitamin B1, or thiamine. [click link for full article]
Research In Childhood Obesity In Children Highlights Physical Activity Levels
A British study, involving 5,500 children and published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine, used accurate methods to measure the 'fat mass' of the children and the amount of physical activity they were taking. The researchers, based at the University of Bristol, concluded that low levels of activity, particularly moderate and vigorous activity, play an important role in the development of obesity. [click link for full article]