Overview of the Zone Diet

The Zone diet is one of many diet programs in the market today. This diet was developed by Dr. Barry Sears and was originally designed for people with diabetes. It has since been recognized as a diet beneficial to everyone.

Celebrities including former President Bill Clinton, Madonna, Brad Pitt and many others have adopted this diet.

The primary focus of The Zone diet is to control the hormone, insulin. This is why the diet was given its name. The theory is that insulin levels should be neither too high nor too low. Insulin should be in an ideal range known as The Zone.

Dr. Barry Sears claims that food is the most powerful drug known to man and should be treated as careful as any other drug. The food one eats is directly responsible for controlling insulin levels. Eating too much of a particular nutrient causes insulin levels to rise too high. Spending too much time between meals causes insulin levels to fall too low.

According to The Zone diet, when insulin levels rise too high, the body starts storing fat. When insulin levels fall too low, the body goes into starvation mode and retains any existing fat. Keeping insulin levels in the correct zone places the body in the ultimate fat-burning mode. The Zone diet allows the body to burn the maximum amount of fat while maintaining optimal health.

A well balanced diet that includes the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats is the basis of The Zone diet. Generally speaking, 40% of the diet should be carbohydrates, 30% should be protein, and 30% should be fat. The Zone is often, mistakenly, labeled as a "low-carb" diet. But, as you can see from the above ratio, its hardly a low-carb diet.

Carbohydrates are broken down into favorable carbohydrates and unfavorable carbohydrates. Favorable carbohydrates are primarily fruits and vegetables while unfavorable carbohydrates include pasta, white bread, and white rice. Naturally, favorable carbohydrates should make up the majority of the diet's overall carbohydrate consumption.

Protein should come primarily from fish, poultry and lean cuts of beef.

Fats should come from monounsaturated fat sources such as nuts and olives. Saturated fats should be reduced as much as possible. Trans fats should be eliminated entirely.

Hormonal control is the ultimate goal with The Zone diet. Maintaining appropriate insulin levels in turn balances other important hormones in the body. Dr. Sears claims that most diseases are caused by hormonal imbalance. Thus, The Zone diet is not just a diet for losing weight; it is a diet for a healthier lifestyle and a longer life.