The Zone Diet

The Versatile Zone Diet

Like all diets The Zone Diet does have its rules - after all if anything goes where would you be? However, this is one of the more versatile that allows you to choose from a wide variety of foods. The rules being in the portions and relationship between the protein, carbohydrates and fats on your plate.

Its designer, Dr Barry Sears, first investigated the effects that certain foods and food groups had on your body's metabolism back in the 1970s. His book become an instant best seller in the mid 1990s but became overshadowed by the success of the Atkins diet. However, many nutritionists prefer The Zone to Atkins due to the variety and mix of foods allowed that caters for all the major vitamins, minerals and nutrients.

What Can I Eat On The Zone Diet?

The Zone Diet involves getting a percentage of calories from carbohydrates, proteins and fats (40%, 30%, and 30%, respectively) at every meal. This 40-30-30 diet prescription is believed to help control your body's production of insulin and glucagon, and powerful hormone-like substances called eicosanoids that are involved in many of your body's vital functions.

Dr Sear's stress that although The Zone Diet is an excellent way to control your weight, he sees it primarily as a healthy way of eating to prevent many degenerative diseases. It is not specifically a calories controlled diet, instead your daily intake is based on your protein requirements. This will depend on your body weight, percentage of lean body mass, and level of physical activity.

Your meals are then based on your total protein intake allowance and the correct proportions of carbohydrates and fats calculated from this. This may sound a little complicated but Dr Sears has made this simple by dividing foods into blocks.

One block =

�� 7 grams of protein
�� 9 grams of carbohydrates
�� 3 grams of fat

So for example if your total protein requirement is calculated at 77 grams then you can divide 11 protein blocks equally into each meal plus the appropriate blocks of fat and carbohydrate.

The Zone Diet no-nos are

Avoid ALL refined carbohydrates and most simple sugars, including foods made from white flour (bread, pasta, bagels, tortillas, and breakfast cereals), candy, soda, and desserts.

Restrict or cut out all together fruits, vegetables and grains with high on the glycemic index, such as rice, papaya, mango, corn, potatoes, and carrots.

Cut out foods containing saturated fat, most notably red meat and whole-fat dairy products. Egg yolks and organ meats should also be avoided as Sears believes they will lead to production of harmful products that can lead to complications.

Is The Zone Diet suitable for sports people?

This is a slightly contentious issue. Whilst Dr Sears has claimed his diet is suitable, and in many cases highly beneficial, for sporting types and active people, others claim the carbohydrate intake is too low. If you are very active then your protein requirements will be higher than average so it will increase your allowance of carbohydrate blocks and consequently calorie intake.

I have tried the diet myself and personally found it helped with my energy levels when running an average of 30 miles a week. Because every one is different then maybe for some The Zone Diet is ideal whilst others may need more carbs to get them going. In one of his earlier books Sears reports on his diets success with a group of swimmers. Again, maybe some types of sport will be better suited to this way of eating than others. My philosophy is if you don't try you will never know!

It All Sounds A Little Complicated

Yes it does at first and it does mean calculating the number of blocks and what that means in regards to what you put on your plate! However, it will come as no surprise to find there is a wealth of information available in both books and the internet - see below. It does get easier as you remember what makes up one block of each food group.

A more recent development is the home delivery service. If you are a busy person with little time to think about the Zone Diet proportions this could be an ideal way to follow it. I have teamed up with Zone Diet at Home who offer a range of services that will deliver ready prepared meals to your doorstep.

For more information visit America's Most Convenient Zone Diet Meals

Zonediet is not just a diet, it it is a lifestyle

Books on The Zone Diet

The may find the following books a useful source of information on The Zone Diet.

US visitors can order from Amazon.com.

UK visitors can order from Amazon.co.uk.

So that is briefly what you might expect from The Zone Diet. As with all diets it is best to seek medical advice before you start a new eating regime. May be try it out for a few weeks and see if it is suitable for you.

Good luck in your quest for healthy eating - but don't forget to treat yourself every now and then.