The Zone diet is a diet popularized in books by biochemist Barry Sears. It advocates consuming calories from carbohydrates, protein and fat in a ratio of 40% / 30% / 30%.

The most important factor in Zone Diet is the hormonal balance you achieve while eating each prepared meal. With a food plan comprising an accurate balanced ratio of carbohydrates (40%), fat (30%) and proteins (30%); you actually get to eat foods, which control your body’s insulin production. This means that no meal or snack is forbidden in the Zone Diet and yet you can lose weight or fat while Zone dieting.

For those emphasizing weight loss, or for the matter, for those who want to stay away from cardiovascular sickness, diabetes and other chronic ailments, eating food that follow recommended recipes and staying in the Zone is a must.

Sears emphasizes a hormonal paradox contrary to the “low-fat” rationale, namely that low-fat diets increase the production of the hormone insulin, causing the body to store more fat. The example proposed by him is the cattle ranching practice of fattening livestock efficiently by feeding them lots of low-fat grain. He and others also point out the supposed irony that human diets in the West for the last twenty years have been full of low-fat carbohydrates, yet people are considered more obese now.

Additionally, Sears suggests fat consumption as essential for “burning” fat.

His rationale is: Monounsaturated fats in a meal contribute to a feeling of fullness and decrease the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed into the bloodstream. Slower carbohydrate absorption means lower insulin levels which means less stored fat and a faster transition to fat burning. If the body needs energy and can’t burn fat because of high insulin levels, a person feels tired as their brain starves and metabolism slows to compensate. This occurs because the brain runs on glucose and high insulin levels deplete blood glucose levels. Such a condition, rebound hypoglycemia, causes sweet cravings (which just starts the high-insulin cycle all over again).

Sears describes a Zone meal as follows: “Eat as much protein as the palm of your hand, as much nonstarchy raw vegetables as you can stand for the vitamins, enough carbohydrates to maintain mental clarity because the brain runs on glucose, and enough monounsaturated oils to keep feelings of hunger away.”

Zone Books Include:

1. Sears, Barry (1995). The Zone: A Dietary Road Map. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060987065. Sears’s initial book on the Zone diets.

2. Sears, Barry (1997). Mastering the Zone. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 006101124X. Sears urges substitution of raw vegetables for pastas, breads and refined sugars. More diagrams and flowcharts than in The Zone.

3. Sears, Barry (1999). The Anti-Aging Zone. Regan Books. ISBN 0060392436. Information on meditation, relaxation and exercise in addition to diet.

4. Sears, Barry; Kotz, Deborah (2000). A Week in the Zone: A Quick Course in the Healthiest Diet for You. Regan Books. ISBN 0060741902.

5. Sears, Barry (2000). The Soy Zone. Regan Books. ISBN 0060393106. Discusses Sears preference for soy protein as part of his balanced eating program. “The longest-living people in the world” living in Okinawa, Japan consume much greater amounts of soy protein and eat smaller meals than most other people.

6. Sears, Barry (2002). The Omega Rx Zone: The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil. Regan Books. ISBN 0060393130. Discusses “high-dose fish oil;” a newly-introduced invented pharmaceutical-grade fish oil that Sears touts as a medical miracle that will put the eicasonids in balance and reduce inflammation. Extra virgin olive oil is also promoted for its phytochemicals.

7. Sears, Barry (2005). The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health. Regan Books. ISBN 0060834145.

Zone Diet Testimonials:

TJH says:

I?ve used this diet in the past and lost 70 lbs. My mother and father used it and both lost significant weight and my father was able to stop taking blood pressure medication. The only draw back is the requirement to measure foods. It’s not so much a diet as it is a way of changing how you eat. If you do work out, then make sure to eat enough food for the amount of exercise. I really recommend this diet to anybody who is serious about getting healthy.

Mike says:

I went on the Zone Diet a couple years back. I went from 240 pounds down to 205. I?m a big believer in the Zone Diet. Unfortunately, due to my own fault, I am back to the 225 pound range. It is kind of a complicated diet to follow, with all the math and trying to combine foods to get to the correct “block” levels. But well worth it.

RJL says:

I lost > 70 lbs of fat and 14 inches off my waist following the Zone diet. All you have to do is look at the CrossFit site to see that the Zone diet works, it is the recommended diet of CrossFit. I would recommend it to anyone, excellent plan for changing your eating habits.

Kristin says:

I tried this diet when it first came out. It was really confusing and I was hungry constantly. I just couldn’t get the ratios correct. It worked for some friends, but it just wasn’t for me.

iwanttheweightgone says:

i tryed this diet a couple of years ago and it really works i went from 200 to 150. i can say it is very confusing and at first i didn’t understand how to get the ratios but after i found out how to do it the weight just started coming off.

makar says:

Was once seduced by this diet, till I researched it properly. Problem 1: if you stick to the ratios he recommends, it’s almost impossible to get enough calories to survive. So it’s literally impossible. Turns out Sears himself doesn’t stick to it, and is often overweight. Problem 2: the science really doesn’t stack up – he is an amateur and doesn?t understand his material. Problem 3: sticking to the ratios turns you into an anti-social food fanatic. There would have to be much stronger proof than he can muster to make it worth adopting such a disruptive plan. Keep clear – there are much better alternatives.