Updated June 25, 2014.

The Sonoma Diet emphasizes foods that you CAN have, by telling you how to fill your plate or bowl with each meal. In this way, the focus is not on "Forbidden" foods, and in fact, the book does not use this word. Nevertheless, there are lists of foods to rid your kitchen of. Most of these are foods which are high in refined carbohydrates and/or saturated or trans fat, including:

• Sugar, or foods with added sugars

• Processed grains, or foods containing them (except as listed on the Grains List e.g. packaged cereals, even whole grain cereals, are usually processed)
• Refined grains (which don't say "whole" in front of each grain on the label) or foods containing them. "Wheat" or "wheat flour" without the word "whole" is usually a code word for "white". This includes white rice. "Flour" listed alone is always white flour.
• Potatoes
• Cakes, cookies, muffins, etc.
• Crackers, unless whole grain
• Cereals, unless whole grain and at least 8 grams of fiber per serving
• Chips
• Ice cream
• Jams and Jellies
• Maple Syrup
• Regular Soda and other sweetened beverages
• Juices
• Oils except for extra virgin olive oil, nut oils, and canola oil
• Mayonnaise
• Creamy salad dressings
• Butter
• Margarine
• Dairy products that are not fat-free, including cheese, cream cheese, milk, etc.
• Fatty meats such as bacon or sausage
• Anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats in it

Pages One and Two - Acceptable Food Lists for the Sonoma Diet