The Zone Diet has been a popular dietary approach for several decades, encouraging followers to consume a specific ratio of protein, carbs, and fat at each meal. The diet aims to reduce inflammation in the body and offers a range of potential health benefits. This article provides a detailed overview of the Zone Diet, including its principles, how to follow it, its benefits, and potential drawbacks.
What is the Zone Diet?
The Zone Diet instructs its followers to adhere to a specific macronutrient ratio of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat. Carbohydrates should have a low glycemic index, providing a slow and steady release of sugar into the bloodstream. Protein sources should be lean, and fats should primarily be monounsaturated.
Dr. Barry Sears, an American biochemist, developed the Zone Diet more than 30 years ago. His best-selling book The Zone was published in 1995. Dr. Sears developed this diet after losing family members to early deaths from heart attacks, and felt that he was at risk unless he found a way to fight it.
The Zone Diet's primary claim is that it reduces inflammation in the body. Dr. Sears proposed that inflammation is the root cause of weight gain, illness, and accelerated aging. Proponents of the diet assert that reducing inflammation can lead to rapid fat loss, slowed aging, reduced risk of chronic diseases, and improved overall performance.
The Zone diet is an anti-inflammatory diet rather than a weight loss diet. The Zone diet aims to ensure your insulin and other pro-inflammatory hormones stay healthy by eating foods at every meal in the right proportions: 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat.
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How to Follow the Zone Diet
The Zone Diet is designed to be followed for a lifetime and does not involve specific phases. There are two primary methods for adhering to the diet: the hand-eye method and the Zone food block method.
The Hand-Eye Method
The hand-eye method is the simpler approach, particularly for beginners. It relies on using your hand and eye to estimate portion sizes and maintain the proper macronutrient ratios. It is also flexible and allows you to eat out at restaurants while on the Zone Diet, by using your hand and eyes as tools to choose options that fit Zone recommendations.
- Portion Control: Use your hand to determine portion sizes.
- Eating Frequency: Eat five times a day (three meals and two snacks) and never go more than five hours without eating.
- Plate Composition: Divide your plate into thirds:
- One-third lean protein: A portion roughly the size and thickness of your palm.
- Two-thirds carbohydrates: Fill the remaining space with low-glycemic index carbohydrates.
- A little fat: Add a small amount of monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, avocado, or almonds.
The Zone Food Block Method
Zone food blocks allow you to personalize the Zone Diet to your body by calculating how many grams of protein, carbs and fat you can have per day.
The number of Zone blocks you should eat per day depends on your weight, height, waist and hip measurements. You can calculate your number here. The average male eats 14 Zone blocks per day, while the average female eats 11 Zone blocks per day. A main meal such as breakfast, lunch or dinner contains three to five Zone blocks, while a snack always contains one Zone block. Each Zone block is made of a protein block, a fat block and a carb block.
Each Zone block is composed of:
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- Protein block: Contains 7 grams of protein.
- Carb block: Contains 9 grams of carbs.
- Fat block: Contains 1.5 grams of fat.
What Foods Can You Eat on the Zone Diet?
A lot of the favorable Zone Diet food choices are similar to those of the Mediterranean Diet, which is one of the healthiest diets on the planet. In fact, the creator of the Zone Diet has recently released a new book called The Mediterranean Zone, in which he covers the similarities and benefits of the two diets.
The Zone Diet encourages a balanced intake of lean protein, low-glycemic index carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
- Protein: Lean beef, pork, lamb, veal, game, skinless chicken and turkey breast, fish and shellfish, vegetarian protein (tofu, soy products), egg whites, low-fat cheeses, low-fat milk, and yogurt.
- Fat: Avocados, nuts (macadamia, peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios), peanut butter, tahini, and oils like canola, sesame, peanut, and olive oil.
- Carbs: Berries, apples, oranges, plums, cucumbers, peppers, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow squash, chickpeas, oatmeal, and barley.
What Can’t You Eat on the Zone Diet?
While nothing is strictly banned, certain foods are discouraged due to their potential to promote inflammation.
- High-sugar fruits: Bananas, grapes, raisins, dried fruits, and mangoes.
- High-sugar or starchy vegetables: Peas, corn, carrots, and potatoes.
- Refined and processed carbs: Bread, bagels, pasta, noodles, and white-flour products.
- Other processed foods: Breakfast cereals and muffins.
- Foods with added sugar: Candy, cakes, and cookies.
- Soft drinks: Both sugar-sweetened and sugar-free options.
- Coffee and tea: Limit consumption, as water is the preferred beverage.
Sample Meal Plans
When you’re following the Zone Diet, you will eat three meals and two snacks daily. Each meal should contain no more than 400 calories.
Sample Food Block Meal Plan for Men (14 Food Blocks)
- Breakfast (4 food blocks): Scrambled eggs with turkey bacon, vegetables, and fruit.
- 2 eggs, scrambled
- 3 strips turkey bacon
- 1 ounce of low-fat cheese
- 1 apple
- 3 1/2 cups (630 grams) of spinach, cooked
- 1 cup (156 grams) mushrooms, boiled
- 1/4 cup (53 grams) onions, boiled
- 1 1/3 teaspoons (6.6 ml) olive oil
- Lunch (4 food blocks): Grilled chicken and egg salad with fruit.
- 3 ounces (84 grams) grilled chicken, skinless
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- Up to 2 heads of iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup (70 grams) raw mushrooms
- 1 cup (104 grams) raw cucumber, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 tablespoons avocado
- 1/2 teaspoon walnuts
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vinegar dressing
- 2 plums
- Mid-Afternoon Snack (1 food block): Boiled egg, nuts, and fruit.
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 3 almonds
- 1/2 apple
- Dinner (4 food blocks): Grilled salmon, lettuce, and sweet potatoes.
- 6 ounces (170 grams) salmon, grilled
- 1 cup (200 grams) of sweet potatoes, baked
- Up to 1 head of iceberg lettuce
- 1/4 cup (37 grams) tomato, raw
- 1 cup (104 grams) raw cucumber, sliced
- 2 tablespoons avocado
- 2/3 teaspoon (3.3 ml) olive oil
- Pre-Bedtime Snack (1 food block): Cottage cheese, nuts, and fruit.
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) cottage cheese
- 6 peanuts
- 1/2 orange
Sample Food Block Meal Plan for Women (11 Food Blocks)
- Breakfast (3 food blocks): Scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and fruit.
- 2 eggs, scrambled
- 3 strips turkey bacon
- 1/2 apple
- 1 cup (156 grams) mushrooms, boiled
- 3 1/2 cups (630 grams) spinach, cooked
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil
- Lunch (3 food blocks): Grilled chicken and egg salad with fruit.
- 2 ounces (57 grams) grilled chicken, skinless
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- Up to 2 heads of iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup (70 grams) raw mushrooms
- 1 cup (104 grams) raw cucumber, sliced
- 1 sliced red pepper
- 2 tablespoons avocado
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vinegar dressing
- 1 plum
- Mid-Afternoon Snack (1 food block): Boiled egg, nuts, and fruit.
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 3 almonds
- 1/2 apple
- Dinner (3 food blocks): Grilled salmon, lettuce, and sweet potatoes.
- 4 oz (113 grams) salmon, grilled
- 2/3 cup (67 grams) of sweet potatoes, baked
- Up to 1 head of iceberg lettuce
- 1/4 cup (37 grams) raw tomato
- 1 cup (104 grams) raw cucumber, sliced
- 2 tablespoons avocado
- 1/3 teaspoon (3.3 ml) olive oil
- Pre-Bedtime Snack (1 food block): Cottage cheese, nuts, and fruit.
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) cottage cheese
- 6 peanuts
- 1/2 orange
Potential Benefits of the Zone Diet
The Zone Diet claims to optimize your hormones to allow your body to enter a state called “the Zone.” This is where your body is optimized to control inflammation from your diet.
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The purported benefits of being in “the Zone” are:
- Losing extra body fat as fast as possible
- Maintaining wellness into older age
- Slowing down the rate of aging
- Performing better and thinking faster
Blood Value Targets
Dr. Sears recommends testing three blood values to determine whether you are in “the Zone.”
- TG/HDL ratio: This is the ratio of “bad” fats known as triglycerides to “good” HDL cholesterol in your blood. The Zone Diet recommends less than 1 as a good value.
- AA/EPA ratio: This is the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in your body. The Zone Diet recommends a value between 1.5-3.
- HbA1c: This measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. The Zone Diet recommends a value of less than 5%.
Supplements
The Zone Diet recommends that you take omega-3 supplements, such as fish oil, to maximize health benefits. They decrease the “bad” LDL cholesterol in your body, and may reduce your risk of other chronic health diseases (6).
The Zone Diet also recommends taking polyphenol supplements, which are molecules found in plants that have antioxidant properties.
General Health Benefits
The Zone Diet shares similarities with the Mediterranean Diet, which is widely recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns. It provides flexibility and may help you lose weight by helping you restrict your calorie intake.
Potential Downsides of the Zone Diet
First, the Zone Diet makes many strong health claims that are based on the theory behind the diet. However, there is little evidence to support that the theory produces the purported results (16).
For example, the Zone Diet claims to improve performance. However, a study on athletes following the diet found that, although they lost weight, they also lost endurance and were exhausted faster than others (17).
There is also little evidence that supports the Zone Diet’s 40% carb, 30% protein and 30% fat ratio as the optimal ratio for fat loss and health benefits.
Another study compared the effects of a Zone-type diet that had 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat to the effects of a diet that had 60% carbs, 15% protein and 25% fat (19).
The study did find people on a Zone-based ratio lost more weight. However, that difference could be due to higher protein intake (20).
Interestingly, the study also found no significant differences in blood values of sugar, fat and cholesterol between the two groups.
Who Should Not Try the Zone Diet?
People with an eating disorder or a history of disordered eating should not follow this diet. Otherwise, almost anyone can follow this diet. Vegan friendly. Given the diet’s emphasis on lean protein as a high percentage of your caloric intake, it may be difficult to reach that 30% protein goal. Vegetarian friendly. Vegetarians can certainly follow the Zone diet. Gluten-free friendly. Because common gluten-containing grains, such as wheat, barley and rye, are discouraged on the Zone diet, it’s an easy choice for individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. Halal friendly. Red meat is avoided on the Zone diet, so you’ll only need to avoid shellfish and foods containing alcohol to maintain a halal diet. Kosher friendly. Although red meat is generally abstained from while on the Zone diet, you will need to keep foods containing fowl and milk separate from one another.