Sonoma Cookbook not just a diet

Published December 6, 2011

Specialty salads. – AP Photo.

CALIFORNIA: Dietician and nutritionist Connie Guttersen proves to both chefs and home cooks that healthy eating doesn't have to be dull.

The creator of the Sonoma Diet never planned to be a diet-guru. She was on track to becoming a professor in Texas when marriage brought her to California and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), where she was hired to design a course in healthy cooking techniques.

She recalled how when she first arrived at the CIA the students shunned her, fearing she would take away their sugar, fats and salt.

In “The Sonoma Cookbook” Guttersen hopes to inspire readers with delicious recipes paired with wines and explains why she considers her eating program more of a lifestyle than a diet.

She said that, “I don't think of it as a diet. I think of it as a lifestyle. I mean I live here in Napa where wine is just part of life. We are all sitting down with friends enjoying great food and wine. And that's why the recipes are paired with wine. There are a ton of health benefits associated with wine in moderation.” She added, “The Sonoma Cookbook” has plenty of recipes that use frozen or canned foods, so that if you're in say Kansas City, it still isn't a problem to eat well and healthfully.”

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