Zone Diet

The Zone Diet is based on the principle that one can burn excess fat and increase energy by maintaining insulin levels within a certain range--an assumption that has not been proven.

The 2 fundamental tenets of this diet are that the body must receive an adequate supply of low-fat protein at each meal and that macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) should be consumed in a ratio of 40-30-30, respectively. It is believed that consuming macronutrients in this ratio allows for precise glucose control.

Macronutrients are consumed in units called blocks in a 1:1 ratio at every meal or snack. Each meal consists of 3 blocks of each macronutrient and each snack consists of 1 block of each macronutrient. One carbohydrate unit consists of 9g of carbohydrates, one protein block consists of 7g of protein and one fat unit consists of 1.5g of fat. Carbohydrates consumed when following the Zone Diet should have a low glycemic index so that they raise blood glucose levels slowly producing a moderate insulin response.

A balanced diet does not include the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids and is discouraged because metabolizing them may be deleterious. In fact, omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated and in reasonable amounts, are safe to incorporate into a healthy, balanced diet.