If you have diabetes, a healthy and balanced diet is an important part of your treatment plan. Some diabetics follow a special diet, known as the "Zone" diet, to help lower their blood glucose levels and lose weight. The Zone diet may be helpful for treating type 2 diabetes, but it is not designed specifically for diabetes, so you should talk to your doctor before beginning this or any other diet plan.
Zone Diet Theory
The Zone diet is a diet plan that focuses on the effects that different foods have in inflammation. The theory behind this diet is that chronic inflammation can contribute to many different health problems, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. Some of the ideas behind the Zone diet were elucidated in a 2004 issue of "Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders," in which the founder of the Zone diet explained that an imbalanced diet, especially one that had high levels of carbohydrates, could increase inflammation, in part due to increased insulin levels.
Zone Diet Guidelines
The Zone diet gets 40 percent of its calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent of its calories from protein and 30 percent of its calories from fat. There are other aspects to this diet as well, including especially prepared foods and an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and supplements that contain omega-3 fatty acids. However, the main theme behind the Zone diet is limits to carbohydrate intake.
Zone Diet As Diabetes Diet
If you have diabetes, the Zone diet may be appropriate for you. Although there is no specific "diabetes diet," one way that you can control your blood glucose levels is by moderating your carbohydrate intake. Most diabetics should get between 40 and 60 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, 30 percent or less of their calories from fats and the remaining calories from protein. This is very similar to the guidelines of the Zone diet, so this diet plan is compatible with a healthy diabetes diet.
Considerations
Although the Zone diet has many of the same guidelines as a good diet for diabetes, it was not designed as a diet plan for diabetes. Its effect on blood glucose levels and health outcomes in diabetics has not been analyzed. As a result, you should talk to your doctor before starting the Zone diet or any other weight loss plan.
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