The Flavor Filled Diet - The Sonoma Diet

The Sonoma Diet was born out of a necessity for change in the dieting climate. Many diets require starvation, elimination, or limitations. This leads to a diet that people simply suffer through until they reach their goals and then they go back to their old eating habits. The Sonoma Diet is a plan that adjusts the way people eat on a regular basis and is based on healthy, flavorful foods that lead to better health and weight loss.

The second wave allows for the return of fruits and additional treats such as fat-free yogurt, some sugar-free candy, some honey, an occasional dark chocolate and wine. This wave is the true weight loss and dietary change phase. Gradual weight loss of one half to 1.5 pounds per week can be expected on the second wave of the Sonoma Diet. The key is not calorie counting but portion control. The diet teaches people to look at their portion and make a judgment. Exercise during this phase will speed the process along as well.

Wave three of the Sonoma Diet is the maintenance phase. It is started after the goal weight is achieved. During this wave more treats are allowed and the dieter should be developing a dietary plan they can live with. This phase is not about deprivation or limitation but about finding that healthy balance. The occasional dessert, added butter, dark chocolate or soda can be enjoyed in the wave as well.

The Sonoma Diet teaches the dieter how to cook healthy meals using the proper ingredients. It supplies hundreds of recipes and meal suggestions. It also offers healthy choices for those occasions when the dieter eats out. The Sonoma Diet does call for a complete dietary change but it does it in a subtle way that many dieters find enjoyable due to the addition of many flavorful foods. The Sonoma Diet offers a tasty alternative to the regular deprivation and starvation diet.

Meats (especially lean meats), low fat dairy products, eggs, fish, nuts, and leafy vegetables form the base for the South Beach Diet menu. During phase one these will be the entire selection, in phase two and three some of the other carbohydrates may be added back in. Using the glycemic index will be helpful when selecting foods to add in during the later phases. The South Beach Diet book includes sample menus and recipes.

Although often compared to the Atkins diet, Doctor Agatston stresses that the South Beach Diet is not a low carbohydrate diet. It is a diet that focuses on reducing insulin resistance and eliminates the cardiovascular system damaging bad fats. The South Beach Diet is more than just a weight loss diet, it is a nutritional plan designed for long term change.