Dr. Barry Sears developed The Zone Diet. The aim of the Zone diet is to prevent diet-induced inflammation, according to the Zone website, which causes your body to hold onto calories in the form of fat. Eating carefully balanced meals that include low-glycemic index foods helps to reduce inflammation. Foods with a low-glycemic index take the body longer to digest, allowing for a slower release of sugar into the bloodstream. The glycemic load takes into account how much carbohydrate is in a food item. The Zone glycemic load list not only helps you control blood sugar levels but also total caloric intake.
Vegetables
The vegetable choices on the Zone diet are low in carbohydrates and have an overall low-glycemic load. The low carbohydrate content allows for a larger serving size to help you feel more satisfied on the diet. Low-glycemic load vegetable choices and single serving sizes include four large artichokes, 1 cup of cooked asparagus spears, 1 1/2 cups of cooked green beans, 3 cups cooked or 4 cups raw broccoli, 4 cups of raw or cooked cauliflower, 2 cups cooked collard greens, 1 1/2 cups cooked Brussels sprouts, 3 1/2 cups cooked or 20 cups raw spinach, 2 cups of cooked yellow squash or zucchini, 4 cups cooked turnip greens, two raw tomatoes, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 10 cups of romaine lettuce chopped, 4 cups sliced cucumbers and 10 cups of alfalfa sprouts. On the Zone diet, men can have four servings of low-glycemic load carbohydrates at each meal and women can have three servings.
Fruits
Fruits contain more carbohydrates and Zone serving sizes are smaller than typical fruit serving sizes. Low-glycemic load fruits allowed on the Zone diet include half an apple, 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce, three fresh apricots, 1/2 cup of blueberries, eight cherries, one kiwi, half an orange, 1 cup of strawberries or raspberries, 1/2 cup of grapes, one plum, one fresh peach, 1/2 cup of unsweetened canned peaches, one tangerine and 1/2 a pear.
Legumes
Legumes are high in fiber and have a low-glycemic index. However, legumes also have more carbohydrates per serving than vegetables and serving sizes are small on the Zone diet. Low-glycemic load legumes allowed on the Zone diet include 1/4 cup cooked black beans, 1/4 cup cooked lentils and 1/4 cup of hummus.
Grains
Low-glycemic load grain choices on the Zone diet include 1/2 tbsp. of dried barley and 1/3 cup of slow-cooked oatmeal.
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