The Zone system, or what is better known as the Zone diet, was created by Dr. Barry Sears, a former research scientist at the Boston University Medical Center. The Zone diet uses nutrient ratios to promote weight loss. While on the Zone diet, every meal you eat must consist of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and 30 percent protein.
Physiology
The theory behind the Zone diet is that insulin resistance is the cause of weight gain and the inability to lose excess weight. Dr. Sears proposed that excess intake of carbohydrates causes an excess production of the hormone insulin, which allows your body to properly use and store glucose. When there is too much insulin in your body, it can cause a disruption in the way your body uses glucose, leading to weight gain. Dr. Sears further proposed that the way to control insulin production is to eat the macronutrients in a certain balance as well as reduce the total number of carbohydrates you eat.
Carbohydrates
In addition to lowering the total amount of carbohydrates you eat, the Zone diet also focuses on the type of carbohydrates. The plan encourages low glycemic carbohydrates, which have a less dramatic effect on your blood sugar than high glycemic carbohydrates. Encouraged carbohydrates include vegetables, fruits, grains, lean meat and fish. The Health Services at Columbia notes that low glycemic carbohydrates are generally low in calories, so following a low glycemic diet is essentially following a low calorie diet as well.
Essential Fatty Acids
The Zone diet also stresses the importance of essential fatty acids and amino acids. Dr. Sears claims that increasing your intake of essential fatty acids can reduce any widespread inflammation in your body, which makes it easier for your body to use stored fat as energy. When your body releases stored fat, it promotes weight loss.
Criticisms
One of the major criticisms of the Zone diet is that it is too complicated. Every meal and snack you eat must contain exactly 40 percent carbohydrates and 30 percent each of fat and protein. This requires a lot of planning and can make it difficult to eat on the go. Another criticism of the Zone diet is that it has too few calories. If you restrict your calorie intake too much, it can actually cause your metabolic rate to slow down, which can lead to weight gain. EveryDiet.org also notes that the low amount of calories would not be able to sustain a fairly active person.
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