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Information About the Zone Diet
by Emily Brown King
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Overview
Information About the Zone Diet
You may have heard of the Zone diet, or seen one of the many best-selling books that tout the effectiveness of this eating plan. The Zone diet was created by Barry Sears, PhD, formerly a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Sears claims that his diet causes weight loss, improves energy and well-being, enhances athletic performance and can stave off heart disease and other ailments. The zone diet relies on balancing meals so that they are composed of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and 30 percent protein. The idea is to control insulin production and maintain healthy insulin levels. This reduces overeating and suppresses the appetite.
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Meals
The Zone Diet is not about starving yourself like some extreme diets are. It is rather a healthy eating plan that allows you to eat satisfying and healthy meals and snacks. However, calories are counted on this diet and meals are not to exceed f500 calories. Snacks should be about 100 calories each. Protein should be consumed at every meal (about the size of your fist) and a small amount should be incorporated into every snack. An amount of healthy carbohydrates, about twice the amount of protein, should be eaten at every meal. This includes foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Certain carbohydrates are considered less favorable and should be eaten in smaller portions.
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Benefits
The Zone Diet is not just for people wishing to lose some weight. It is also a healthy diet for those who want to maintain heart health or reduce their risk for diabetes. The Zone diet claims to improve overall energy and mental clarity because of the healthy foods that are included in the meals.
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Fresh Foods
The Zone diet relies heavily on fresh, unprocessed foods. This includes fresh lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables. Dieters should avoid salt, which causes water retention. Healthy mono-unsaturated fats are encouraged, like nuts and legumes. Healthy carbohydrates are encouraged, but must be balanced out by protein at each meal in order to keep insulin levels balanced.
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Chemical Vices
Going on the Zone Diet may mean giving up some of your chemical vices. This includes caffeinated foods like coffee and tea. Artificial sweeteners should also be avoided. Though they don't contain calories, they cause cravings for sugar and other carbohydrates, which will only make the diet more difficult to stick with. Alcohol is also discouraged on the Zone Diet, as it increases insulin levels. The diet teaches you how to calculate how many "blocks" a drink is worth, and what you need to cut out of your meals for that day in order to be able to have that drink.
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Dairy
Milk is also discouraged in the Zone Diet. This is because a lot of people have difficulty in digesting milk. If you plan on cutting milk out of your regular diet, meet daily calcium requirements by eating calcium-rich green leafy vegetables and adding a calcium supplement.
