Zone Diet 1.0

Barry Sears Zone Diet is designed to maintain your insulin levels within steady limits - "in the zone" - by eating a careful balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat, at each meal and snack.

The Zone Diet is not a high protein diet, rather an adequate protein diet, in which (unlike the Atkins Diet) saturated fats are kept to a minimum.

The Zone Diet recommends moderate quantities of low-fat protein (about 85g for women and about 115g per day for men). It is not a ketogenic diet as it contains enough carbohydrate to avoid the state of ketosis induced by other low-carb diets.

In addition, it strongly recommends fruit and vegetables, which makes it a healthy diet to follow in the longer term. Portion and serving sizes are restricted, with most daily menus containing between 1200-1500 calories.

Food Blocks to Keep You "in the Zone":

The diet divides food into blocks. For example, one block of protein contains 7g of low-fat protein, like lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, egg whites or soy. Each protein block should be balanced with a carbohydrate block containing 9g of complex carbohydrate with vegetables and fruits preferred to bread and other starchy carbs because they are more nutritious and contain more vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber. For better blood sugar control each protein and carbohydrate block must be eaten with a 1.5g block of fat.