A TCU alumna, who lectured last night about flavor as a health issue, will be offering cooking demonstrations on “World Flavors” today.Connie Guttersen, author of “The Sonoma Diet” and the “Sonoma Diet Cookbook,” talked Monday about how she combines her two passions – cooking and science – to promote a flavorful lifestyle.

Guttersen, Green Honors Chair for the Department of Nutritional Sciences, spoke on “flavor as a crossroads between health and enjoyment inspired by the Sonoma Diet” on Monday night in a filled Sid Richardson lecture hall.

Guttersen said the Sonoma Diet is a way of eating flavorful foods designed from a clinical aspect to make people look and feel their best. She said her main goal with the Sonoma Diet is to “make it so irresistible that it seems like an indulgence.”

Guttersen said her biggest obstacle is the word “diet.” She said the Sonoma Diet is not just another diet.

“Most diets have people counting down the days whereas the Sonoma Diet is a way of life,” Guttersen said.

She said her inspiration came from working alongside her dad, a physician. She said she became frustrated when diets did not work.

“Healthy” is more than just losing weight, Guttersen said.

With the Sonoma Diet, Guttersen said, it is all about balancing the best types of fats. It is neither a high- nor low-fat diet.

Guttersen said she has been teaching chefs at the Culinary Institute of America for about 13 years, and the institute has allowed her to perceive food from a different perspective. She said this way of eating, from the wine country, is all about flavors, mannerisms and relaxation.

Christie Munsell, a sophomore nutrition major, said Guttersen was easy to talk to and personable.

Munsell said she looked forward to Guttersen’s lecture. She said she hoped to get the basics of what it means to be a dietician in the real world and how to market general nutrition and make it interesting.

Anne VanBeber, the nutrition department chair, said Guttersen’s extensive interest in science and obesity led her to speak about flavor as a health issue.

Guttersen said she feels indebted to TCU because she is a graduate, former professor, and was invited to be the Green Honors Chair for the department.

She said she hoped to share what students can do with their majors in a nontraditional way, like she has done. She said her advice to students is to not be afraid to think big and to keep an open mind.

Before her lecture she was giving personal advice to a student about classes to take and on becoming a chef.

Chelsea Cartwright, a senior nutrition major, said she learned from Guttersen’s success students can go a lot of directions with nutrition degrees.

Cartwright and Ingrid Beardsley were some of the students who had lunch with Guttersen on Monday. They said she was down-to-earth and inspiring.

Beardsley, a junior nutrition major, said she learned it is better to promote a healthier lifestyle by enjoying eating the food instead of focusing on a diet.

Guttersen said her favorite recipe is the South American flank steak and grain medleys. She said she loves the spices and herbs in her recipes.

She also said it was important to have a glass of wine with every meal because it helps to eat slowly and to taste the food. She said wine has been one of the main selling points of the Sonoma Diet.

Guttersen said the key element in promoting the Sonoma Diet is language and flavor. She said the Sonoma Diet is overloaded with scientific information, but the most important aspect to convey is a flavorful lifestyle.

She will give cooking lessons at 12:30 p.m. today in Room 107 of the Annie Richardson Bass Building.