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The Zone Diet

Barry Sears' Zone Diet is not like most other diets. So often, you'll hear that the best way to eat is not a fad diet but simply a "well balanced diet." But what is a well balanced diet? In a way, the Zone system just outlines the parameters of what constitutes a well balanced diet.

Many dietitians and doctors are extremely conservative with respect to diet and would never endorse any fad diet, or even a specialized diet like the ketogenic (low carb) diet. However, you'd be hard pressed to find a health care professional that has a beef with the Zone.

One of the fundamental principles of the Zone is balancing the macronutrient ratios of each meal or snack in order to control blood sugar and the hormonal responses to food. The base ratio for the Zone is 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat. The system also stresses frequent small meals, eating lots of vegetables, eating healthy fats, avoiding junk foods, and getting carbohydrates from low glycemic sources. These recommendations are nothing new; the Zone excels in laying out a very structured framework for those general recommendations.

The simplest place to get started with the Zone are Sears' books: "Mastering the Zone" is probably the best reference; "A Week in the Zone" is an excellent starter manual, a condensed version of the program, like Cliff Notes for the Zone.

If you prefer to read about it online, click here to go to the ZonePerfect web site. If you like the Zone's block system, there is a nice online block chart here.

Another great online resource is the Crossfit web site, they have a great deal of experience with the Zone system and a very active online forum where you can ask questions. Crossfit also puts out an online periodical, the Crossfit Journal, and issue 21 has a concise outline of the Zone that will give you a great start.

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