Popular Diets: the Zone Diet If you are overweight or obese, you are not alone. And chances are, you have tried a myriad of diets that were either ineffective or difficult to maintain. Maybe you are interested in weight loss surgery, but cannot afford it. Perhaps you have even considered traveling to a weight-loss clinic in Mexico to have gastric sleeve surgery done at a lower cost, but aren’t sure about the risks. Surgery may not be the only solution you have left. One popular diet that many people have found to be successful is the Zone Diet.
What is the Zone Diet? Developed by biochemist Dr. Barry Sears, the basic premise of the Zone Diet is to balance the food you eat into a 40:30:30 ratio. The recommended proportions are 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat. To follow this diet, the main tools you need are your eyes and your hand. You should imagine your plate as divided into three portions, and fill one-third with lean protein and the other two-thirds with good carbs. Each serving should be no bigger than the palm of your hand. According to this diet, good carbs come from colorful fruits and vegetables, while foods like bread, pasta, and other grains should be limited or avoided. The eating schedule is fairly strict for this diet, breaking the day down into three meals and two snacks. The first meal needs to be within an hour of waking, you should never go more than five hours without eating, and should have a snack before bedtime.
How does the Zone Diet Work? Dr. Sears asserts that following this diet will change the way hormones work in your body to have a greater anti-inflammatory effect. Hormones like insulin and glucagon are produced as a result of foods we eat (or don’t eat) to regulate blood sugar levels. However, these hormones also promote inflammation which Dr. Sears believes is linked to obesity. The Zone Diet is designed to keep your body “in the zone” by balancing your blood sugars and thereby allowing your body to release anti-inflammatory chemicals and function in its optimal state.
Is the Zone Diet Effective? Yes, to some extent. Weight loss is relatively slow, but Dr. Sears attributes that to the fact that the weight lost is nearly all from fat and not muscle or water. Those who stick to the Zone Diet find that even if their weight doesn’t melt away, they have healthier cholesterol levels and/or blood pressure, resulting in decreased risk of heart disease and other obesity-related health issues. Other factors that make this diet effective are that it is relatively easy to follow “one-third” and “size-of-palm” rules, and that online membership is free with inexpensive cookbooks available.