The Zone
Diet
The Zone diet was developed
by Dr. Barry Sears. The diet is one that follows the 40/30/30
plan. That translates into forty percent carbohydrates, thirty
percent fat, and thirty percent protein. Dr. Sears advocates a
balanced meal plan in order to avoid certain diseases and lose
weight.
The Zone diet talks about
insulin production as a factor in weight loss. Eating foods
that will raise the blood sugar and stimulate the production
of insulin are not good for the body. Excess insulin will be
stored as fat. The body is not encouraged to burn stored fat
for energy with so much insulin in the bloodstream. Such
increases in insulin are believed to aid in increased
incidence of heart disease and diabetes in people.
The Zone diet is specific
about the types of foods that help keep insulin in check.
Carbohydrates like those found in fruits and vegetables are
better than those found in anything made from white flour.
Processed foods are a no-no since they contain plenty of empty
calories that turn to fat in the body.
The traditional eating plan
of three meals a day and two snacks are eaten on the Zone diet
plan. The snacks are added to keep participants from
experiencing hunger and overeating at the next meal. The
snacks shouldn't be high in sugar or they will defeat the
purpose of maintaining steady blood sugar levels.
For the meals, a regular
dinner size plate is divided into 40/30/30. The largest
portion is carbohydrates and they are simple carbs like green
vegetables, corn, cauliflower, and peppers. The size of the
meat portion is about the size of the palm of the hand for a
four ounce piece of chicken or steak. Excess fat needs to be
trimmed before cooking.
Fats are included in the
meal to slow the digestion and provide steady energy. Slower
digestion means that dieters won't feel hungry right away. The
Zone diet recommends fats that are good for you like nuts and
oils like canola and olive.
Foods that cause spikes in
the blood sugar are avoided as much as possible. We know that
candy, cakes, and other sweet treats can do this, but also
more common foods. Breads, pasta noodles, and heavy starches
will do the same thing. These foods are addictive and we often
eat more than a serving size of them at any one time, without
realizing it.
The Zone diet plan offers no
special pre-packaged foods to buy so the plan is cost
effective. The weekly grocery list is fine with a few simple
changes to reflect healthier choices. The foods are ones that
children are used to eating so there is no problem fixing Zone
approved meals for everyone in the house. They may not even
notice the changes in many cases
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