The Sonoma "Lifestyle" Diet

Why the Sonoma Diet is a Lifestyle Change

It was interested to note that Kraft recently decided to rename its South Beach Diet line South Beach Living.

It seems people are focusing more on improving their eating habits and making lifestyle changes rather than adopting quick-fix fad diets.

While I recognize that some people need a gimmick - like cutting out carbs as South Beach does - to jump start weight loss, at some point the "diet" must end and life goes on.

Usually the weight goes back on as well. Gimmicks don't work; lifestyle changes do.

That's why I've recommended the Mediterranean and Sonoma lifestyles and the Mediterranean food pyramid for years. This is an eating plan you can live with forever. You'll feel great and look great. If you've tried every diet known to man, stop torturing yourself and learn to enjoy your food.

When Connie Guttersen launched her very popular book, The Sonoma Diet, she called it "a celebration of food. There are no foods that you're not going to be able to have on this diet. It's a lifestyle. The Sonoma Diet isn't about deprivation. It's a celebration of foods that becomes a way of eating for life. You don't want to go back to what you were doing before."

I bet Connie would have loved to name her book "The Sonoma Lifestyle", but people wouldn't have gotten the concept back then!

Here are some of my favorite Mediterranean-Style Recipes:

• Jean's Tuna Tamarindo
• Vitamin-Rich Veggies and Fish
• Savory Spinach-Stuffed Chicken
• Spinach Español
• Nancy's Grilled Veggies

For more recipes and information about the Sonoma Lifestyle, visit the Sonoma website.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.