The Zone Diet

[Guest guest]

>

> Marti,

>

> I'm interested in your Zone diet. Could you give an example of a

> meal plan for a women, with suggestions for the unsaturated fat

> component? Have I understood your post correctily, do they suggest

> 20g of protean at every meal? I am interested because something

like

> this diet, has really helped balance my hypoglycemia..

>

> Tansy

Hi Tansy,

This is probably more than you asked for but I was sitting here

today anyway and I have to keep referring to the book so I decided

to type out what I thought was most important and tape it to my

fridge.

Here is what I have gathered from this book By Barry Sears, PhD

" A week in the Zone "

Three kinds of hormones controlled by food

insulin(carbs) - this is the storage hormone - tells body to store

incoming nutrients

glucagon (protein) - this is the mobilization hormone - tells body

to release insulin stored as carb. in liver

eicosanoids (fat) - this is a type of master hormone that controls

vast array of hormone systems. fat has no direct effect on insulin

or glucagon but effect eicosanoids which control insulin

The key is keeping them (insulin and glucagon) in balance and

moderation in calories. pg 10

Protein for Women - 3oz protein at meal Men - 4 oz of protein

skinless chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef, egg whites, low fat

dairy, tofu, soy

Carbs - low glycemic

All veggies (excludes corn, carrots & potatoes)

All fruits (excludes bananas, raisins)

Selected grains - oats, barley (excludes pasta, bagels, bread) (Use

bread as condiment)

Fats - monounsaturated fats, long chain omega 3 fats

olive oil, selected nuts, avocados, fish oil

excludes saturated fats, trans fats, hydrogentated fats, arachidonic

fats (found in fatty red meat, organ meats and egg yolks)

Typical meal for women - 3 oz lean protein = 20 grams protein so

then you add 10 grams fat and 30 grams carbs (not bread!)

so example meal for women =

3 oz fish or chicken breast (20 gms protein)

1 cup strawberries (10gms carbs), 1 cup string beans (10 gms carbs)

and 1/2 piece bread (10 gms carbs) equals 30 carbs

1 and 1/2 tsps olive oil(in dressing) or 4 tbls guacamole or 12

almonds equal 10 grams of fat (it takes fat to burn fat)

Eat three similar sized meals and two snacks and your calorie intake

would be about 1200 for woman. (1500 for man using 15/30/45 ratio)

" it is a lifetime program of reduced calories, without deprivation

(because of large size of meals) or hunger (because blood sugar

levels are constant). " pg 158

Interesting graph on page 150

shows bell curve divided in thirds - two divisions/vertical lines

which denote protein to carbohydrate ratio - First division is 0.5,

second division is 1.0

Left 1/3 titled High Carbohydrate Diet - Excess Insulin

production - Fat Accumulation (this shows ratio less than 0.5)

Middle 1/3 titled Zone Diet - Insulin Control - Permanent Weight Loss

(shows height of bell curve - ratio is between 0.5 & 1.0)

Right 1/3 titled High Protein Diet - Excess Glucagon production -

Ketosis (this shows bell curve greater than 1.0)

so we should have insulin control, no hunger and weight loss if we

keep our protein to carb ratio between 0.5 & 1

another tip is to divide your plate in thirds. Fill one third with

low fat protein no bigger or thicker than palm of hand, then fill

other two thirds (heaping) with vegetables and fruit then add a

dash of monounsaturated fat. pg 27

Timing is critical as well - never go more than 5 waking hours

between meals/snacks. Food is a drug so schedule your day

accordingly. pg 30

Zone Rules

1. Always eat within 1 hour of waking

2. Eat 5 x per day - 3 meals/2 snacks

3. Never go more than 5 hours - hungry or not (not hungry is good -

means you are controlling insulin)

4. Eat more fruits/vegetables. Ease off bread/pasta.

5. Drink 8 -eight oz glasses of water.

6. No guilt in Zone - just do better at next meal.

My thoughts - it makes sense and is similar to Carol's recent post -

meat and vegetables. This diet started out for cardiovascular

patients in 1995. Mistaken for high protein diet which it claims it

is not. This book is a follow-up of his other books and suggestion

is to try the Zone for 1 week (ergo the catchy title) and experience

benefits of being more alert, less fatigued (speaking to a normal

person which we are not) and more energized (again speaking to

general population).

Hope this helps,

Marti