We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. The Zone diet aims to reduce inflammation and encourage healthy insulin levels.
It may help people balance their intake of protein and carbohydrate. It also encourages people to consume healthful fats and antioxidants , including omega-3 fats and polyphenol antioxidants in supplement form.
The diet recommends limiting caloric intake, but does not restrict calorie intake to a specific amount. Supporters say it can help a person lose weight, enhance their mental and physical health, and slow aging.
Inflammation plays a role in many conditions and diseases, ranging in severity from mild gastrointestinal or digestive issues, to type 2 diabetes , certain cancers , and other diseases. The Zone diet involves some basic rules :. Carbohydrates : Fruits and vegetables provide healthful carbs. People should avoid starchy foods and choose items that are low on the glycemic index GI.
Low GI foods take time to digest and are less likely to cause a blood sugar spike after eating. Carbs should make up two-thirds of any snack or meal. People can eat a small amount of grains, but most carbs should come from non-starchy vegetables and fruit.
Polyphenols : These are a type of antioxidant. Antioxidants help the body neutralize free radicals. Free radicals result from natural bodily processes and external sources, such as an unhealthful diet and smoking. As these molecules build up, they can cause oxidative stress. This can lead to inflammation and cell damage, which can increase the risk of diseases, including certain cancers.
Fruits and vegetables are good natural sources of antioxidants. Omega 3 : Studies suggest that omega-3 fats may help reduce or manage inflammation, although more evidence is needed to confirm precisely how it can help.
Oily fish, such as sardines, are a good source of omega-3 fats. The Zone diet recommends taking polyphenol antioxidant supplements and fish oil supplements daily. Before every meal or snack, a person should assess their hunger level. According to Sears , a person following the Zone diet can help keep the levels of diet-induced inflammation in their blood constantly balanced by choosing certain foods and avoiding others. He adds that it is blood chemistry, not diet philosophy that defines the Zone.
To reach the Zone, he says, a person must control their hormones through their diet. Get some more tips on antioxidant-rich foods here. The Zone diet prescribes a number of recipes.
Breakfast : Breakfast hash made with bacon and vegetables, or cocoa berry butter smoothie for vegetarians. Lunch : Zone PastaRX Orzo a low-carb orzo with chicken and green beans or curried spinach with tofu for a vegetarian option. Dinner : Almond chicken with vegetables or barbecue tempeh and vegetables for those who follow a vegetarian or plant-based diet.
For some of these recipes, people will need to purchase special ingredients, such as Zone PastaRx Orzo. A diabetes meal plan aims to help a person manage blood sugar levels. Click here for a 7-day plan. By restricting grains and starches and maximizing fruits and vegetables, those on the Zone diet will observe dramatic hormonal and anti-inflammatory benefits. If you balance your plate according to the Zone Diet blueprint, you end up with a Zone Food Pyramid that looks like the following:.
The Zone Food Pyramid helps assure an optimal protein-to-glycemic load balance for improved hormonal control. Furthermore, it assures you have ample polyphenol levels in your diet. Polyphenol intake is important in controlling the bacteria composition of our digestive system, as well as activating anti-inflammatory and anti-aging genes.
Collectively, these three distinct dietary components provide what is required to stay in the Zone. Each of the three components of the Zone program is powerful in its own right, but working together, they provide a powerful dietary roadmap to get you to the Zone where diet-induced inflammation can be controlled throughout your life.
We finally have the breakthroughs in molecular biology to understand the power of those words and the importance of being in the Zone. Losing excess body fat, maintaining wellness, improving athletic performance, or slowing the rate of aging are dependent on your ability to reduce diet-induced inflammation.
We understand that changing your diet can be difficult. At Zone Labs, we provide you the products, continuing dietary education, and personal support that makes dietary change possible for you.
Then use our recommended food and supplement products to get even better results to optimize your health and nutrition. What Is The Zone? Ask your doctor. Benefits of being in the Zone include: Losing excess body fat at the fastest possible rate Maintaining wellness for a longer period of time Performing better Thinking faster Controlling diet-induced inflammation is a life-long effort. This is the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in your body.
A lower value means you have more omega-3 fat in your blood, which is anti-inflammatory. The Zone Diet recommends a value between 1. This is a marker of your average blood sugar levels over the preceding three months. A lower value means you have less sugar in your blood. A higher HbA1c is linked to a higher risk of diabetes 5. The Zone Diet recommends that you take omega-3 supplements , such as fish oil, to maximize health benefits.
The Zone Diet also recommends taking polyphenol supplements, which are molecules found in plants that have antioxidant properties. The evidence behind polyphenols is mixed and although they may provide health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, they also have risks such as decreasing your iron absorption 7 , 8. The Zone Diet claims to control inflammation in your body.
However, it does recommend against options that are unfavorable, such as added sugar and processed foods. This can make the Zone Diet more appealing than other diets for people who struggle with food restrictions. The recommended food choices for the Zone Diet are quite similar to the Mediterranean Diet. The Mediterranean Diet is supported by evidence as being one of the best for your long-term health 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , The Zone Diet also provides you with flexibility, since there are two methods of following the diet.
The Zone Food Block method can also help fat loss because it controls how many calories you eat per day. It is well known that controlling your calorie intake helps with weight loss 14 , If you want to find out how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain and lose weight, you can find out here.
The Zone Diet has many benefits linked with the favorable foods in the diet. It is flexible and may help you lose weight by helping you restrict your calorie intake. 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 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 Although some research shows the diet may improve your blood values, more research is needed before researchers can say this significantly reduces inflammation in the body The study did find people on a Zone-based ratio lost more weight.
However, that difference could be due to higher protein intake Interestingly, the study also found no significant differences in blood values of sugar, fat and cholesterol between the two groups. This does not match the claims made by the Zone Diet and could mean the improved blood values found in other studies may be due to supplementing with omega-3 and polyphenols, rather than benefits from diet alone. The Zone Diet could be ideal for you if you want a diet that has similar food options to the Mediterranean Diet, but provides you with clear guidelines to follow.
Although the theory behind the diet may be linked with better health outcomes, there is not enough evidence to say the diet will reduce your risk of chronic disease, slow down aging, improve physical performance or help you think faster. If you want to try to build healthy eating habits, the Zone Diet may help get you started and help you practice portion control.
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