Overview of the Zone Diet

When we attempt to lose weight, we normally focus on eating lots of vegetables and fruits. In an effort to cut fat, we avoid eating meat, instead turning to soy and other legumes. Evidently, eating lots of fat will not lose us weight, or will it?

The Zone diet, developed by biochemist Dr. Barry Sears, advocates the counter-intuitive. Dr. Sears believes that through consuming fewer carbohydrates, but more protein and fat, people will be able to lose weight more effectively. How can this be?

Dr. Sears argues that a low-fat diet causes the body to make more insulin. Insulin is known for transforming blood sugar into glycogen. However, its other effect is to stop the body from using its own fat. Therefore, for dieters, insulin is an enemy.

What Is the Zone?

According to the Zone diet rationale, the dieter must get in the Zone. It is supposedly a state for optimal weight loss, in which hormone levels are moderate and balanced. Insulin production, for instance, is neither excessive nor insufficient. Heart-friendly, anti-inflammatory hormones, are also produced in the Zone.

To get into the Zone, Dr. Sears recommends acquiring your calories as follows:

• 40% of one’s calories from carbohydrates
• 30% from protein
• 30% from fats

Dieticians usually classify the Zone diet in the low-carb, high-fat family, which includes the Atkins diet, and the South Beach diet. Compared with its relatives, the Zone diet has fewer restrictions.

Dr. Sears suggests that for every meal, the dieter eats a palm-sized piece of beef, pork, poultry or fish, as many non-starchy vegetables as one can consume, and enough carbohydrates to keep one’s brain functioning. For example, lunch could be two hard-boiled eggs with a large spring salad, and a piece of whole wheat toast.

However, no scientific study has been conducted to date, either to test the theory behind the Zone diet, or the efficacy of the diet itself. Dr. Sears himself has provided little laboratory evidence, or scientific backing. For instance, he gives no reason as to why eating 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat would be optimal. For this reason, most nutritionists, physicians and biochemists do not support the Zone diet.

Although the Zone diet might be effective for weight loss, but is it truly healthy? Many dieticians believe that the Zone diet encourages consumption of far too much fat. This is because Dr. Sears principally advocates animal sources of protein, which not only contain lots of fat, but also lots of saturated fat. The excessive consumption of saturated fat may lead to heart disease.

Many vegetarians and vegans are critical the Zone diet as well. The Zone diet is very pro-meat. Following a period of criticizing vegetarians, Dr. Sears published a new book, called “The Soy Zone”, a vegetarian version of the Zone diet.

Is A Vegetarian Zone Diet Possible?

When the Zone diet first arrived on the weight loss scene, it came under heavy attack from vegetarians and vegans. Vegetable-lovers found the diet far too meat-focused, and found themselves left out of the latest diet. Since then, Dr. Sears has released a vegetarian version of the Zone diet, but the plausibility of a vegetarian zone diet is still hotly debated.

Meat Content

Dr. Sears and vegetarian Zone dieters believe that soy and other legume-based products can substitute for meat. If one were to eat four ounces of firm tofu, one would acquire 10.1 grams of protein. Theoretically, it would be the same as eating 1.2 ounces of fillet steak.

Lots of substitutes are available for vegetarians, say the proponents of a vegetarian Zone diet. In addition to soy beans and soy-based products, skim milk, cheese, nuts, eggs, nut-butters, chickpeas, green peas, vegetable protein, and seitan, a wheat gluten extract, are all viable options.

Fat Content

The Zone diet requires that you consume 30% of your calories from mono unsaturated fat, a fat that is good for the heart. Simply because vegetarians stay away from meat and poultry does not mean that vegetarians must consume less fat.

Butter or margarine on green beans would fulfill the same function as the fat in a steak. Nuts and nut butters contain lots of fat as well. The best choice, however, are avocados. Avocados are full of mono unsaturated fat – exactly what the Zone diet requires.

Vitamins and Minerals

With so many substitutes available, why do some vegetarians and doctors still say that a vegetarian Zone diet is not possible? If one were to follow a soy Zone diet, one would experience severe vitamin and mineral deficiency. Vegetarian Zone dieters would be missing out on vitamins A, D, E, B3, B6 and B12.

What’s more worrying, however, is the calcium deficiency. Low calcium can lead to mineral loss from the bones: osteoporosis. Osteoporosis means weaker and brittle bones that easily fracture. A hip fracture that would otherwise heal can mean death if the patient has osteoporosis.

At this point, we can conclude that a vegetarian Zone diet is certainly possible. With a few substitutes, and vitamin and mineral supplements, the vegetarian Zone dieter can lose weight, and maintain good health. Being vegetarian or vegan really does not make the Zone diet much more complicated.

In fact, a vegetarian Zone diet may be healthier for you than the standard Zone diet. Because vegetarians consume all of their protein from plants, they are also consuming lots of fiber. For instance, just one cup of green peas fulfills 35% of your daily fiber requirement.

Why is fiber good for you? Firstly, it helps maintain regular bowel movements. Secondly, fiber extends the feeling of fullness. A cup of green peas and a fillet steak provides you with the same amount of protein. However, the peas will last you four hours as opposed to two. Not feeling hungry between meals is a very important part of any diet. So if you’re vegetarian, and you may want to get into the Zone!

The Case Of Manuel Uribe – Losing Weight on the Zone Diet

A few unscientific studies on the Zone diet did find moderate weight loss. In fact, a very famous case exists in which a morbidly obese Italian man lost 33% of his body weight in two years.

At his heaviest, Manuel Uribe, once the world’s heaviest man, weighed 1316 pounds. Since his teenage years, he has struggled with his increasing weight. At 19, he weighed 266 pounds. In six years, he gained an additional 140 pounds. The next 15 years, even with two tummy tucks, saw his body mass skyrocket to his record 1316 pounds.

After two years on the Zone diet, Manuel made some great improvements and lost 592 pounds, more than a third of his body mass.

How Did He Lose Weight?

Each day, Manuel consumed 2000 calories, broken down into six small meals. The smaller, but more frequent meals had the effect of stimulating the metabolism, reducing hunger, and smoothing out blood sugar concentration.

Manuel’s meals included fresh salads, chicken fajitas, fresh fruits, egg-white omelets, and fish fillet on greens. His meal plan was personally devised by Dr. Barry Sears and two other doctors from Nuevo Leon State. Dr. Sears was very impressed with Manuel’s improvement.

Dr. Sears said “Manuel’s ability to lose more than 400 pounds without resorting to weight loss surgery is a remarkable accomplishment.”

Manuel’s remarkable weight loss story certainly demonstrated the effectiveness of the Zone diet. Because of his persistence and rigorous adherence to eating lots of protein and few carbohydrates, Manuel was able to accomplish the impossible.

Zone Diet and Cancer Prevention

The Zone diet is known as a weight-loss program that focuses on eating more protein and fewer carbohydrates. Many, including celebrities, actively follow the Zone diet, to lose the extra pounds. Interestingly, Dr. Barry Sears, the creator of the Zone diet, intended the Zone diet to prevent anti-inflammation.

According to Dr. Sears, the root of many illnesses is inflammation of the body’s tissues. The inflammation may not be as severe as to cause pain, but is severe enough to affect the body’s health. Dr. Sears claims that inflammation contributes to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, immune disorders, and neurological disorders.

How Accurate Is This Claim?

Unlike some of Dr. Sears’ other assertions, this one is backed up by most of the scientific and medical community. In the recent years, researchers have uncovered strong ties between inflammation and chronic illnesses.

For instance, inflammation worsens all three stages of cancer development. Inflammation oxidizes the cell environment, and mutates DNA, increasing the chances of tumor development. Once the tumor develops, it attracts inflammatory cells, which then secrete various chemicals that stimulate tumor growth. Finally, inflammation promotes cell mobility, which allows the cancer to spread.

Inflammation increases your risk for heart disease, as it stimulates fat build along the inside of the coronary artery. Furthermore, inflammation could lead to a heart attack. Inflammation increases the chances of tissue ruptures, which form blood clots that can migrate into the heart.

In addition to the illnesses cited by Dr. Sears, researchers have found links from inflammation to stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, chronic prostatitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease.

How Does the Zone Diet Prevent Inflammation?

Dr. Sears proposes that inflammation-related hormones are controlled, when one is in the Zone, which is defined as the ideal state for weight loss – moderate insulin levels, moderate glucagon levels, etc.

What hormones do control inflammation?

Eicosanoids play a large role in controlling inflammation. There are two types of eicosanoids: ones that come from omega-3, and ones that come from omega-6. Omega-6 eicosanoids promote inflammation, whereas omega-3 does not. To reduce inflammation, one must reduce eicosanoid production.

How can you lower eicosanoid production?

Dr. Sears points to his Zone diet. Eating carbohydrates, proteins and fats in a 40:30:30 ratio will supposedly lead to the hormone nirvana of the Zone. However, no evidence, from either Dr. Sears or other scientists, exists that eating this way affects eicosanoids levels.

Scientists do point out that hyperglycemia (high blood sugar content) can stimulate inflammation. The Zone diet, by reducing carbohydrate intake, may prevent hyperglycemia. On the other hand, the Zone diet makes no specifications as to which carbohydrates you should eat. If you eat a piece of white bread, it will still cause a blood sugar spike.

Furthermore, hyperglycemia is only one of many factors that regulate inflammation. Other factors include smoking, high blood pressure, bacterial or viral infection, and consuming polyunsaturated vegetable oils. The Zone diet does not regulate any of these factors.

In the end, although inflammation promotes many diseases, there just isn’t any evidence that the Zone diet reduces inflammation. So we cannot draw a conclusion the Zone diet prevents cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.

Criticisms of the Zone Diet

Not everyone is a fan of the Zone diet. The American Heart Association, for example, finds the entire idea flawed and preposterous. In fact, the majority of chemists, biologists, nutritionists and physicians are not only skeptical of the Zone diet’s weight reduction capabilities, but also concerned about potential harm that the Zone diet can cause.

The Zone diet rests on the dogma of eating carbs, proteins and fats in the “correct ratio.” According to Dr. Sears, the ratio is 40/30/30. Because of the Zone diet’s focus on protein consumption, your ingestion of carbs and fats rests entirely on your required protein intake.

Risks Associated with the Zone Diet

The American Heart Association and other medical experts believe this central aspect of the Zone diet to be very risky for the following reasons.

1. Low caloric intake

Firstly, basing one’s ingestion of carbs and fats on one’s protein needs could result in an incredibly low caloric intake. The semi-starvation could impair brain functioning, cause fluid build-up in fingers and toes, and dry out hair and skin.

2. Malnutrition

A second risk of the Zone diet is malnutrition. If one were to rigorously follow the Zone diet, one would miss out on many important minerals and vitamins. This could lead to osteoporosis, immune deficiency, scurvy, poor attention span, exhaustion, anemia, and other health conditions.

3. Focus on meat

Thirdly, the Zone diet focuses on eating meat. Nominally, the consumption of meat is for its protein. However, meats contain high amounts of saturated fat. The Zone diet causes the dieter to consume more saturated fat than she needs, raising her risk of heart disease.

4. Restriction of carbohydrates

The final criticism is on the issue of carbohydrates. The Zone diet restricts the dieter to 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrates. However, it makes no restrictions, not even recommendations, as to how she should fulfill her 100 to 150 gram quota.

Why is this so problematic? Say the dieter decides that for carbohydrates, she will eat white bread. The white bread will decompose into sugar the instant it reaches her mouth. A blood sugar spike ensues, followed rapidly by a blood sugar low. Not only will the dieter feel hungry one or two hours later, she is placing herself at risk for diabetes.

Can You Lose Weight with the Zone Diet?

Setting aside the health complications, will you be able to lose weight using the Zone Diet? The “scientific” theory behind the Zone diet does not exist in any biochemical, nutritional or medical textbook. Dr. Sears himself provides little evidence. For instance, Dr. Sears claims insulin levels are an important factor to consider in weight loss. He follows this assertion with no proof. Other nutritional experts do not believe insulin levels to be significant at all in weight loss.

Dr. Sears also believes that the Zone diet prevents inflammation. Purportedly, eating in such a fashion regulates levels of inflammatory hormones. According to standard medical texts, the hormones are produced from omega-6 fatty acids, found mostly in polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Does the Zone diet prohibit sunflower or corn oil? No. So how does the Zone diet prevent inflammation?

Comparison of the Zone Diet To the Atkins and South Beach Diets?

The Zone diet promotes the philosophy of eating few carbohydrates, and lots of meat. Although at first counter-intuitive, it has become very popular. However, the Zone diet is neither unique nor extraordinary. It belongs to a family of low-carb, high-protein diets, which boasts among its members the Atkins diet and the South Beach diet. These three diets all share the same basic philosophy: By avoiding carbohydrates, they promote the burning of body fat. However, they each still have their unique features.

Zone Diet vs. Atkins Diet

The Atkins diet is probably the most restrictive, and most regulated of the four. The Zone diet recommends acquiring 30% of one’s needed calories from fat, while the Atkins diet suggests 20%. Whereas the Zone diet advocates acquiring 40% of one’s daily caloric intake through carbohydrates, the first phase of the Atkins’ diet cuts that figure down to 6%.

While the Zone diet makes no comment regarding how one should obtain one’s carbohydrates, the Atkins diet specifies that 75% of the meager 6% must come from vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, the Atkins diet requires drinking eight glasses of water each day, as opposed to the Zone diet, which makes no such recommendations.

Dr. Atkins, when he developed the Atkins diet, recognized a diet for what it was: a diet is temporary. Sooner or later, one loses enough weight, and one must return to more normal patterns of eating. For this reason, he devised four phases:

1. Induction
2. Ongoing weight loss
3. Pre-maintenance
4. Lifetime maintenance

Each one of these phases is less restrictive than the previous. Carbohydrate intake is gradually increased to normal levels. The Atkins diet promotes long-term weight loss, rather than a temporary decrease in size. The otherwise abrupt transition between dieting and healthy, everyday eating is facilitated by the four phases.

Unfortunately, the Zone diet does not plan for the long-term. One day you’re on the diet, the next you are not. The dieter is given very little time, but more importantly, very little advice, to adjust to everyday eating. Without transitional phases, the Zone diet can cause yo-yo dieting.

Zone Diet vs. South Beach Diet

Cardiologist Arthur Agatson and nutritionist Marie Almon designed the South Beach diet, to prevent heart disease. Dr. Agatson agreed that a low-fat diet is conducive to preventing heart disease, but he knew that, in practice, patients just didn’t have the willpower. Thus, he used a system that categorized fats and carbs as follows:

• Bad fats
• Bad carbs
• Good fats
• Good carbs

Good fats include unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Conversely, bad fats are saturated fats and trans-fats. Good carbs are carbs containing lots of fiber. Bad carbs are highly refined flours, sugars, etc.

Compared with the Zone diet, the South Beach diet is actually very liberal. Dr. Agatson had realistic expectations of what average people can do, so he made the diet as friendly as possible. In addition, the South Beach diet has phases, each less restrictive than the previous, to help dieters with the transition between dieting and normal eating. The Zone diet offers no realistic expectations, and no such support.

Easy Zone Recipes You Can Try

The Zone diet is easy to follow. That’s right, I said easy. What about all the family recipes I have to give up? What about not knowing what to cook for dinner? Is counting grams of fat, protein and starch for every meal really so easy?

The key lies in not having to count, and developing new recipes. If you follow a recipe that meets Zone requirements, you no longer have to count carbs, fats or calories. Why not start with a delicious, homey soup recipe?

Minestrone Soup

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onions, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3/4 carrots, diced
• 1 can fat-free chicken broth
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 cups cabbage
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/3 cup dry pasta
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cut the raw chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. 3/4-inch cubes should be fine. In a large pot, heat one tablespoon of olive oil. Brown the chicken on medium heat. When the chicken is browned, remove from pot and set aside. Cook onion, celery, garlic and thyme on medium for two minutes. Then add carrots. Cook for another two minutes.

Pour in the broth, and add the tomatoes and the chicken. Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes. Then toss in the cabbage and the zucchini, with a dash of salt. I recommend a tablespoon or so. Let the soup simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Your kitchen should smell very tasty already.

Add the 1/3 cup of pasta. After letting the soup cook for about five minutes, pour in the can of kidney beans. Let the minestrone simmer, pot lid on, for an additional ten minutes. Then sprinkle in the ground pepper, and you’re ready to eat!

Well, not quite. The pot currently contains about 15 cups of soup. Each cup 1.1 blocks of carbohydrates, 1.2 protein, and 0.5 fat. For your meal to be a true Zone meal, you need to increase carbohydrate and fat intake.

To increase the amount of carbs, serve your soup with a couple of soda crackers. After all, Dr. Sears did say to eat as many vegetables as you can stand. You need the vitamins.

Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing

To add fat to your diet, consider a side salad with a fatty dressing. Here is how to make a very simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.

Ingredients:

For four side salads, you need:

• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar (or lemon juice), garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Gradually pour in the olive oil, and whisk it in. For safety purposes, you should use the dressing the same day that you made it.

Chinese Zone Recipes

After you went on the Zone diet, you resolved to give up Chinese food. It’s too much cornstarch, too much fat, and too little protein. Restaurants and takeout places don’t care if you’re on the Zone diet. But have you ever thought about making your own Chinese food?

Cooking the exotic dishes yourself kills two birds with one stone. First, it lets you enjoy what you love at a lower price. Secondly, you can adapt recipes to fit Zone specifications. You no longer have to feel guilty about giving in to your Chinese cravings.

Black Bean Sauce

Black bean sauce is an essential ingredient in many traditional and contemporary Chinese dishes. In addition, it is relatively low on carbohydrates.

Ingredients

• 1 can chicken broth
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup rice wine, or sake
• 3-1/2 tsp fructose
• 1-3/4 tsp cornstarch
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 stalk green onion, minced
• 3/4 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 4 tbsp fermented black beans
• 2 tsp olive oil

Directions

In a mixing bowl, whisk chicken broth, rice wine, fructose, soy sauce and cornstarch, until the mixture is well-blended. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, and cook green onion, garlic, chili, ginger and black beans on medium, for two minutes.

Pour in the broth mixture. With frequent stirring, bring the pan’s contents to a boil. Simmer for the next 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let the liquids reduce. And you have two cups of black bean sauce! Each cup of black bean sauce contains 60 grams of carbohydrates.

Chicken and Broccoli

What can you make with this black bean sauce, and still follow the Zone diet? One very easy dish is a stir-fry with chicken and broccoli.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups broccoli flowers, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/3 cup black bean sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan, until the oil begins to smoke. Stir-fry broccoli and chicken on high, until chicken is browned. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lower the heat to medium. Pour in black bean sauce, while continuing to stir. Cook for another five minutes, and you are ready to eat. Serve brown rice.

With these recipes in mind, you’ll know that Chinese food and the Zone diet can go hand in hand. For dinner tonight, forget about carbs or calories. Chinese Zone recipes are easy!

What About The ZonePerfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars

Sometimes we’re just too busy to make cabbage soup, too forgetful to count carbs, too bored with eating no carbs and all meat. For those who rigorously follow the Zone diet, the ZonePerfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars offer a break.

The ZonePerfect All-Natural Nutrition Bars are like tastes of heaven. ZonePerfect offers the meal replacement bars in several delicious flavors. Classic flavors include Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Fudge Graham, Strawberry Yogurt, Cinnamon Roll and Chocolate Coconut Crunch.

For fruit lovers, ZonePerfect also offers All-Natural Fruitified Bars. Each comes with a heavy dose of powerful antioxidants, and real fruit pieces.

If you prefer dark chocolate to milk chocolate, you’re in luck. ZonePerfect also offers Dark Chocolate Nutrition Bars: Dark Chocolate Almond and Double Dark Chocolate.

Do They Meet the Requirements of the Zone Diet?

With all these wonderful tastes, it’s hard to believe that you’re still on a diet. But just how Zone-friendly are these nutrition bars? A central aspect of the Zone diet is that at every meal, 30% of calories come from protein, another 30% from fat, and finally 40% from carbohydrates.

The Cinnamon Roll contains 210 calories, 88 of which are from sugar, 60 from fat, and 60 from protein. Take out your calculator, and we get 42% carbs, 29% fat, and 29% protein. The Fudge Graham contains 210 calories as well, comprising of 40% carbs, 29% fat, and 31% protein.

The nutrition bars seem to follow Zone diet requirements pretty closely. However, are they advisable from a nutritionist’s viewpoint?

Firstly, each nutrition bar is intended to replace a meal. Is 210 calories enough? When dieting, an adult generally should consume 350 to 400 calories per meal. The 210-calorie bar is not sufficient. If you eat a Cinnamon Roll for lunch, you will be hungry again in a couple of hours.

Compounding the hunger-factor is the nutrition bar’s high sugar content. Out of 21 or 22 grams of carbohydrates, 16 grams is refined, white sugar. A tablespoon and a half of white sugar makes up a third of your meal. Your body reacts with a glycemic spike, then a blood sugar low, which leads to sensations of hunger.

The lack of fiber is also problematic. Containing less than one gram of fiber, the nutrition bars are easily and rapidly digested. Without fiber, the feeling of fullness doesn’t last.

To ZonePerfect’s credit, however, the nutrition bars do provide significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. For instance, the Cinnamon Roll meets daily requirements for vitamin C and E by 100%. It provides half of your daily required riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin B6. It also contains significant portions of vitamin A, vitamin B12, selenium, biotin, and other nutrients.

Overall, the ZonePerfect nutrition bars are quite good. Although the fullness may not last very long, however, the nutrition bars are chock-full of proteins and vitamins.

Final Words

The Zone Diet aims to help you lose weight and avoid hunger by balancing your intake of nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates. It also aims to reduce inflammation which contributes to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, immune disorders, and neurological disorders.

While the Zone diet remains popular among some celebrities and receives the approval of nutritionists, it doesn’t seem to be in line with dietary recommendations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA, as outlined in its MyPlate tool, recommends to allocate half of your menu between fruits and vegetables and the other half with protein and grains or starchy vegetables.

If you want to have more information on the Zone diet, visit the official Zone diet website at ZoneDiet.com, which provides a plethora of useful information.