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The Zone Diet Under the Spotlight
By WLR Dietitian
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Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer
Aniston might all be big in Hollywood, but their celebrity
status isn’t the only thing they have in common. All these stars
claim to have followed the Zone Diet to help them get – and keep
– their famous figures. But just what does ‘Being in the Zone’
involve and more importantly, is it a healthy way to shift those
pounds? WLR’s dietitian Juliette Kellow investigates…
‘Enter the Zone’ and you’ll lose weight permanently, achieve
peak physical performance, enhance mental productivity and delay
the signs of ageing. At least that’s what Barry Sears, creator of
The Zone Diet, tells us!
In the mid 1990’s, the Zone was all the rage with many celebs,
including Jennifer Aniston and hubby Brad Pitt, all claiming to
be fans of the plan. Before long, millions of people were
following the Zone and the diet had become a household name.
Now, even though newer diet plans such as the Atkins and South
Beach Diets gain more column inches and their books currently
head the New York Times Bestseller list, the Zone Diet continues
to remain a popular choice for some.
What’s the theory?
The Zone Diet works on the theory that excess insulin, a
hormone that helps control our blood sugar levels, makes us fat
and keeps us fat. By closely regulating our blood sugar levels
and therefore keeping our levels of insulin in a tight ‘zone’,
the body burns fat more efficiently so that we lose weight.
To control blood sugar levels and consequently insulin
levels, you need to get the perfect balance of carbohydrates,
proteins and fats in every meal. Achieving this perfect balance
effectively means following a low-carbohydrate, high-protein
diet that includes moderate amounts of fat. And if that sounds
familiar, you’d be right! In fact, the Zone Diet is not too
dissimilar to many of the other low-carb, high-protein diets
that are currently in vogue, either in terms of the theory or
the foods you can and can’t eat.
What does the Zone Diet involve?
If the theory sounds simple, the reality is far more
complicated. First off, you’ll need plenty of patience, a head
for science and the desire to learn more about ‘zoning’, either
by looking at the Zone website or indulging in some bedtime
reading, courtesy of creator Barry Sears.
The idea is that to reach ‘The Zone’, every meal and snack
should provide 40 percent of calories from carbohydrate, 30 per
cent from protein and 30 per cent from fat. This is what some
Zone fans call the 40:30:30 ratio.
To help with this, ‘Zone Food Blocks’ have been developed,
where each ‘block’ contains a standardised amount of
carbohydrate, protein or fat. To lose weight, a certain number
of blocks are allocated for each meal and snack.
The number of Zone Food Blocks you should have each day is
calculated according to your weight, height and waist and hip
circumferences. Generally, the bigger you are, the more blocks
you are allowed. For example, a woman who weighs 10st, is 5ft
2in, has a 28in waist and 37in hips should have 12 blocks a day
(four for breakfast, three each for lunch and dinner, one for an
afternoon snack and one for an evening snack). Meanwhile, a
larger woman who weighs 12st, is 5ft 10in, has a 30in waist and
40in hips needs 14 blocks (four for each main meal and one each
as an afternoon snack and an evening snack).
With help from Weight Loss Resources or the Zone’s website,
Zone Perfect, calculating the daily number of blocks you should
have – and how they should be divided throughout the day – is
the easy bit. Creating meals and snacks that have the correct
number of Zone Foods Blocks is the hard bit! No surprises then
that you really need a Zone Diet book to help you put meals
together. And if that’s still too much like hard work, there are
many pre-packaged Zone Diet meals and snacks for delivery that
you can order over the Internet – at a fairly hefty price!
This sounds like hard work! Is there an easier way to follow
it?
Although the creator of the diet is quite adamant that for
best effects you should really stick to counting Food Blocks,
it’s still possible to follow the basic principles of the diet
without going through this complicated process.
In simple terms, the Zone diet involves cutting out most
carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, rice, potatoes, pasta,
noodles, bread, bagels, croissants, muffins, crisps, pastries,
pies, chocolate, sweets, sugar and preserves, as these have the
greatest effect on blood sugar levels and therefore insulin
levels. Most fruit and vegetables, however, are allowed. Low-fat
protein-rich foods such as skinless chicken, turkey and fish
should be eaten with every meal. Meanwhile, eating fewer foods
that contain saturates and choosing foods that are rich in
monounsaturates, such as olive oil, avocado and nuts, is
recommended.
To make the Zone Diet even easier to follow, the creator
recommends dividing your plate into three equal sized sections
and then filling one section with low-fat protein such as
chicken – making sure it’s no larger or thicker than the palm of
your hand – and the remaining two sections with vegetables and
fruit. Adding a little olive oil, avocado or a few nuts will
help to boost intakes of monounsaturates!
So how much weight can I expect to lose?
Advocates of the Zone Diet claim you can lose at least 5lb in
the first two weeks, followed by 1-1.5lb every week after this.
What do the experts say?
Achieving a 40:30:30 ratio is certainly a departure from
current healthy eating guidelines, which recommend 50 percent of
our calories should come from carbohydrate, 15 percent from
protein and 35 percent from fat. While most nutrition experts
agree with the advice to eat less fat, especially saturates, and
to fill up on fruit and veg, most remain sceptical about the
theory that weight loss is due to regulating insulin levels.
They still believe that eating fewer carbohydrate-rich foods
results in a calorie deficit – in other words, any weight loss
that occurs is due to taking in fewer calories than the body
uses up. In fact, if followed properly, the diet provides around
1,000 to 1,300 calories a day, thanks mainly to cutting out most
high-calorie sugary and starchy foods – and replacing them with
low-calorie vegetables and fruit. And if you’re still not
convinced, maybe this example will help: swap a large Danish
pastry, containing around 650 calories, for a 50-calorie apple
and you’ll save a staggering 600 calories. Do this every day for
a week and you’d expect to lose more than 1lb in a week!
Are there any pros?
The Zone Diet generally has fewer dietary restrictions than
many other low-carb plans and recommends eating more fruit and
vegetables. It also encourages you to cut out a lot of the
‘junk’ or low-nutrient carbs in your diet such as crisps, cakes,
biscuits and chocolate. Eating fewer fatty foods – and swapping
foods that are high in saturates for those containing
monounsaturates – is sensible, heart-healthy advice, too.
And the cons?
Unfortunately, the Zone Diet is very complicated and
time-consuming if you’re going to follow it properly. You’ll
need to invest in a Zone diet book and a decent set of measuring
scales and spoons if you don’t already have them. It also
recommends eliminating some very nutritious foods, which are not
only a good source of carbohydrate but are also packed with
fibre and important vitamins and minerals. For example,
wholegrain cereals are packed with fibre, B vitamins and iron,
while cheese is an excellent source of calcium and zinc. It can
also be really expensive if you decide to purchase pre-packaged
Zone products! As for eating out – if you’re counting Food
Blocks, you might as well forget it.
Juliette’s verdict
The Zone diet is undoubtedly hard work and in my opinion
turns mealtimes into a chore rather than a pleasure. While the
creator of the diet suggests that Zone Food Blocks help to make
the diet easier to follow, I have to disagree – trying to get
your head around blocks of carbohydrate, protein and fat after a
busy day in the office or with the children is just not
feasible! And I certainly don’t believe in weighing and
measuring every single ingredient before preparing it.
Ultimately, the diet is low in calories and this is why it
results in weight loss. However, there are far easier and more
pleasurable ways to lower your calorie intake – healthy eating
with smaller portion sizes, for example!
More Information
You can use Weight Loss Resources to follow the Zone diet by
setting your target nutrition profile (in the Food Diary) to the
40:30:30 ratio. 40% of calories from carbohydrate, 30% from
protein and 30% from fat. Start a free trial to try it out.
Alternatively log on to the
Zone Perfect web site for more
information.
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