Does anyone have a list of Trader Joe's foods that fit in the Sonoma Diet? I have a list from WW but was wondering if their salads would work. I just got my book last Thursday, so I'm really a newbie. It seems a lot like the South Beach Diet.

I love Trader Joe's. Their wine aisle makes me drool.

But I don't usually buy their preprepared food. Sorry I can't be of help!

Janice,

Check the stickies at the top of the forum.. lists of Wave 1 and Wave 2 foods. If the item isn't on the list, just ask. As far as prepared foods, you'll have to read the labels and see what is in the foods. We all should be checking labels anyway, so this is good practice. I get a LOT of items from Trader Joe's that are very Sonoma friendly... lots of veggies, whole wheat pastas, whole wheat couscous, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese, tofu cheese etc.. I go there every week on my way home from work and stock up!

So I'm doing my Personal Sonoma Diet program.
I shop almost exclusively at TJ's because it's good, close to my house, and just plain cheap.

Thing I buy for Sonoma are:

-Fresh veggies and salad fixins
-reduced fat Cheddar (GOOOOOOD!), other cheeses
-Kashi Cereals (about HALF of any other store's prices)
-Kashi crackers
-nuts (not as cheap as Whole Foods or Health Food store but still a great variety)
-whole grain pretzels
-Whole grain bread
-frozen fish
-chicken breasts
-big bag of lemons for cheap - great for adding to water, for fish, for chicken
-olive oil

gosh I could go on and on and on! I've done WW off and on for a while and have always shopped at TJ's but it's very Sonoma Friendly.

I grew up in the Sonoma area so this is kind of fun to watch it become a national craze!

For dinner tonight:

Herbed Chicken Salad
-leftover tarragon chicken which is just a bonless breast poached in
1/2 c dry white wine (or ff chicken broth) for up to 4 breast
sqeeze lemon juice
Tarragon
pinch of Basil
S&P
bake at 375 until done (about 20 mins)

use it to top off 2 C of mixed greens with Strawberry Tomatos, mushrooms and baby carrots
with Dressing
1 T Olive Oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
squeeze lemon juice
herbs to taste
dash mustard

Is Trader Joes agrocery store or a restaurant? I'll have to look for one next time I'm in the States.

It's a specialty food store. They do have a website. Unfortunately, our closest TJ's is 30 minutes away and tiny. It's always crowded, no matter when you go.

I LOVE Trader Joe's ... and their low-fat cheeses are excellent. We even found pasta sauce that didn't have sugar in it .... very, very hard to find elsewhere. Their salad dressings are natural and their vinegarettes are wonderful. It is absolutely the best place to find healthy stuff at reasonable prices. If you don't have one in your are, write to them .l.. they're opening up everywhere.

Man if only I was living in St. Louis right now, I would be next to 2, soon to be 3 Trader Joes. I love st. louis...

TJ's is the best! You can get more great food there for less than in any other food store, hands down ... IMO, of course. ... very Sonoma friendly!

On the WW plan you can only have fat free cheeses. Can you have 2% on this plan. Im new to the plan and getting ready to order the book. Also I assume we have to eat 100 percent whole grain pasta's. No problem with me as I buy them all ready. I love the idea that on this diet you can eat some nuts. I can replace the fat free chips I buy all the time and the handful of nuts will satisfy me more and I need the fiber. I have IBS and suppose to eat more fiber. Gosh I hope this plan works for me because Im at the end of my rope. barb

Hmmm ,Never heard of Trader Joes here, must be in the west?

I am so envious of those of you who have a Trader Joe's! I keep hoping they'll expand into the southeast, but as of now, the closest one to me is in Virginia--not exactly practical for regular shopping, but I do go there when I'm in the DC area.

Jeri

Yes you can have low fat cheese on this plan. One cheese that I recommend people try, if they are brave is soy/tofu or even almond cheeses. These all are low fat and most importantly, have low saturated fat if any. They do taste a little different than regular cow's milk cheese, but I hapen to like them. I've found them at my local grocery store, whole foods and trader joe's of course.

Don't count on nuts to get your fiber requirement. You'd have to eat a LOT of nuts for it to really make much of a dent. I too have IBS as well as have had two surgeries in that area and I make sure I get a minimum of 35 g of fiber a day, per my gastroenteroloigst's recommendation. I usually get close to 50. Quinoa, bulgar wheat, whole wheat tortillas, popcorn, veggies are all ways I get my fiber.

One thing to keep in mind with whole wheat this and whole grains that, even if you get whole grain chips, pretzels, crackers.. etc... they still are chips, pretzels, and crackers. Use very sparingly and not as an every day treat. This plan emphasis real foods and no matter how you dress them up, those things are still not as good for you as other things.