Zone Diet

 

The Zone Diet, by Barry Sears PhD, follows a formula of 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fats. This must be followed at every meal. Considered by some to be the perfect diet, the Zone diet has helped many people lose weight. You can read about the Zone in Dr Sears book The Zone : Revolutionary Life Plan to Put Your Body in Total Balance for Permanent Weight Loss

During the recent popularity of Atkins and South Beach, the Zone fell out of the limelight (despite strong associations with celebrity Jennifer Aniston). However it is back in the headlines again, after a year long university study found that the Zone diet was the most successful* and led to more weight loss than both Atkins, and conventional high-carb low-fat diets.



Zone Diet Plan

The Zone Diet plan is all about 'meal ratios'. It can be considered 'reduced carb' rather than low-carb due to the fact that the average person consumes about 50-60% carbohydrates in their diet, and the Zone dieter consumes 40%.

The good thing about the Zone diet is that it encourages a combination of all the nutrients in each meal - and it stresses the risks of processed carbohydrates (white pastas and breads etc). The downside is that the recommended calorie intake for the diet is a bit low. A diet that is too low in calories can set you up for a rebound later on.

There are number of confusing issues in the Zone diet, such as "blocks" of carbohydrates. There are also certain carbohydrates that are not encourage (some of these are questionable).