Supplementary encouraging the Sonoma diet lifestyle is a book cover decorated with rolling green hills and sunlit vines. The internal cover has illustrations of the plan's top 10 power foods: almonds, bell peppers, blueberries, broccoli, grapes, olive oil, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes, and whole grains.
These power foods are considered the central part of the Sonoma diet. They are included in many meals and recipes in the book. The power foods are publicized not only as delicious but also essential to good health and weight loss, in the right proportions. According to Guttersen, they "offer the most nutritional hit for the calorie buck."
Guttersen's cover profile appears to reinforce all the knowledge and advice she imparts in The Sonoma Diet. She is a qualified dietitian who has helped develop standards of care for a medical obesity treatment center in Bellevue, Wash. She is a culinary expert, and she is a nutrition consultant to the well-known Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
"I was very excited that it was written by a qualified dietitian. That's always a good thing," says Elisa Zied, MSRD, a representative of the American Dietetic Association. However when Zied first picked up the book, she worried and hoped the Sonoma diet would not be another unhealthy trick for quick weight loss.
Zied and another nutrition expert, Roger Clemens, food science communicator for the Institute of Food Technologists, were asked to evaluate The Sonoma Diet. Zied and Clemens not only shared their thoughts about the plan but also suggested ideas on how dieters can loose pounds and live a truly healthy lifestyle.
To speed up weight loss and to preserve weight, the Sonoma diet supports physical activity. Clemens appreciates the brief mention about exercise but wishes Guttersen devoted more pages to it. On his opinion, exercise is an essential element to overall health.
"'What is my body composition? While I'm losing weight, what have I done to my muscle tone? How's my cardiovascular health? Have I reduced my blood pressure?'" asks Clemens. "That general picture improves with light reasonable exercise."
"If there was a continuation to the book, I think Guttersen would do well to join up with an exercise expert that has the friendly style that she has," says Clemens.
For dieters, he recommends seeking fun ways to include physical activity into weight loss efforts. For example, if a person eats more almonds than is suggested, he advises walking around the house. Weight loss for life does take some effort, but it's possible.
"You really have to be of the outlook that you want to change your life, and you don't have to go to extremes to do it," says Zied. "Cutting your portions of energy-dense foods, incorporating more physical activity, and doing simple things are really going to make a difference over time."
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