The Zone Diet was developed by Barry Sears, PhD, and popularized by his best-selling
book, The Zone: A Dietary Road Map to Lose Weight Permanently: Reset Your Genetic Code:
Prevent Disease: Achieve Maximum Physical Performance: Enhance Mental Productivity. Dr.
Sears believes that the ideal diet should be 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. He
also encourages athletes to follow a Zone Diet eating plan for maximum athletic
performance.
Zone dieters follow a 1-2-3 plan: for every 2 grams of protein, eat 3 grams of
carbohydrate, and 1 gram of fat. There are very specific ways to achieve this ratio, which are
outlined in Dr. Sears’s book.
Choose low-fat protein sources like poultry, beans, or fish.
Keep breads, starches, and grains to a minimum. Carbohydrates are classified as
“favorable” (broccoli) or “unfavorable” (pasta). You can eat more of
the “favorable” carbs and fewer of the “unfavorable” ones.
Eating snacks is encouraged, and dieters are told to eat at least five times per day, and
not to go more than five hours without eating either a snack or a meal.
Zone in: Start with lean protein sources like poultry and fish, fill in your meal
with favorable carbohydrates, and round it out with a few nuts or olive oil. The Zone diet can
be complex and confusing; consult a healthcare professional before making drastic changes to
your eating plan.
More about this diet
The foundation of the Zone Diet is the relationship between the hormone insulin and
substances called eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are hormone-like substances that control many vital
physiological functions, including those of the cardiovascular system, immune system, and
nervous system. Dr. Sears believes that certain eicosanoids are “good” and others
are “bad.”
Here’s where insulin enters the picture. When insulin levels are high,
“bad” eicosanoids are produced. Dr. Sears contends that his Zone Diet, which
contains 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat, is the ideal diet for keeping insulin
levels in check. This translates to a 1-2-3 plan, where for every 2 grams of protein you eat,
you should eat 1/2 that amount in fat, and 1 1/2 times that amount in carbohydrates.
Why do people follow this diet?
The Zone Diet is popular among people desiring to lose weight. Even though the diet is low in calories,
it contains enough fat to provide a sense of fullness. In addition, normalizing insulin levels
can eliminate food cravings, making it easier for dieters to not cheat. Many athletes seek to
live in “the Zone” because they believe following the diet leads to improvements
in body composition and enhances athletic
performance. The Zone Diet is also popular among people with non-insulin dependent diabetes, as it is believed to help normalize
blood sugar levels.
What do the advocates say?
Advocates of the Zone Diet contend that living “in the Zone” improves energy
levels, mental clarity, physical endurance, and promotes weight loss. Dr. Sears has worked
with many elite athletes and attributes their success in competitive events to his diet.
What do the critics say?
Critics point to the fact that there is little research to support Dr. Sears’ claim
that his exact proportion of carb-to-protein intake yields the best insulin response. They
believe that his classification of “good” and “bad” eicosanoids is
oversimplified and misleading.
Most nutrition professionals favor a high-complex-carbohydrate, low-fat diet for general health and weight loss. They
caution that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets lack key nutrients for health, including
dietary fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, and several minerals. In addition, the
high intake of meat products necessary to meet the protein requirements of the Zone Diet may
place certain individuals at risk of heart
disease due to increased intake of saturated fat and cholesterol. Persons with kidney failure are also
warned to stay away from the diet, as high amounts of protein increase the amount of
nitrogen-containing waste products the kidneys must process for elimination.
Critics of the Zone Diet concede that people who follow the diet carefully often experience
significant weight loss. However, they point
out that the Zone Diet is low in overall calories, with the average person taking in only
1,500 to 1,750 calories per day, and caution that the strict, and confusing, nature of the
diet makes it difficult to follow. As a result, long-term compliance—and therefore
lasting weight loss—with this diet is unlikely. Moreover, any diet low enough in
calories will result in weight loss, regardless of its proportions of protein, carbohydrate,
and fat.
Not all sports nutritionists and athletes believe that the Zone Diet is ideal for athletic
training and performance. A significant amount of research in the field of exercise physiology
has shown that fatigue during exercise is primarily caused by depletion of the body’s
stored carbohydrates (called glycogen). Most athletes’ glycogen stores are depleted
within 90 minutes of intense exercise, leaving muscles without any source of energy to fuel
activity. As a result, many experts believe that a sufficient intake of carbohydrates before
and during exercise is crucial for increasing endurance.
Are there any groups or books associated with this diet?
The Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Harper Audio, 1998.
A Week in the Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books,
2000.
Mastering the Zone: The Next Step in Achieving Superhealth and
Permanent Fat Loss by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books, 1997.
The Top 100 Zone Foods: The Zone Food Science Ranking System
by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books, 2001.
Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes: 150 Fast and Simple Healthy
Recipes from the Bestselling Author of the Zone and Mastering the Zone by Barry Sears,
New York: Regan Books, 1997.
Zone Food Blocks: The Quick & Easy, Mix & Match Counter
for Staying in the Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books, 1998.
The Soy Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books,
2000.
The Anti-Aging Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books,
1999.
The Age-Free Zone by Barry Sears, New York: Regan Books,
2000.
The Official Zone Diet Web site
www.zoneperfect.com
Another Barry Sears-santioned Web site
www.zonediet.com
Bibliography
Baron M. The Zone Diet. Health Care Food Nutr Focus
2004;21:8–9, 11.
McAuley KA, Hopkins CM, Smith KJ, et aI. Comparison of high-fat and
high-protein diets with a high-carbohydrate diet in insulin-resistant obese women.
Diabetologia 2005;48:8–16.
Sears, Barry PhD. Enter the Zone. New York: Harper Collins,
1995.
Stein, Karen. High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets: Do they work?
J Am Dietet Assoc 2000;100:760–1.
The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes
only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult
your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any
supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.
Information expires June 2009.
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