Bestselling author and physician Dr. Barry Sears developed the Zone Diet in the 1970s. The original book, "Enter the Zone," focused on balancing hormones and reducing inflammation by eating specific food combinations. Through the years, Dr. Sears refined his diet and published more books. Despite the popularity of the diet, established medical organizations such as the Mayo Clinic indicate that the most successful way to lose weight is not to focus on a low-carbohydrate diet but rather on healthy eating at appropriate caloric levels.
History
Dr. Sears initially tested his diet on elite athletes. His research on molecular structures led him to conclude that balancing hormonal and blood glucose levels through diet could enhance health and lead to weight loss. Angie Seaman, in a presentation at the University of Lethbridge, indicated Sears first desired to develop a pharmaceutical drug that would reverse and cure coronary heart disease and hardening of the arteries, or arteriosclerosis. Over time, Sears developed a program that used food instead of drugs to achieve specific weight loss results through balancing hormones.
The Plan
The word "zone" as used by Dr. Sears comes from the training and performance arena; athletes use the word in the context of learning to find a way to perform their best by proper training and goal setting. The Zone, with reference to the diet, has to do with finding a way to keep your insulin levels and hormones in the correct range by eating the right balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The Zone Diet recommends getting 30 percent of your calories from fat, 30 percent from proteins and only 40 percent from carbohydrates. The carbohydrate intake is below the range recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is between 45 and 65 percent of total calories. The fat intake and protein intake on the program are within the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Food Choices
The Zone Diet Plan requires you to make careful food choices and keep your macronutrient intake for each meal at 40/30/30. Sears recommends focusing your 40 percent carbohydrate intake on foods from the vegetables, whole grains and fruit groups instead of relying on refined grains or sugar. A person following the diet would eat a lean protein at every meal and snack. Foods recommended include egg white omelets, reduced-calorie dairy, fish and chicken. Recommended choices to keep your fat intake at exactly 30 percent include peanut butter, avocado, canola oil, olive oil, seeds and fatty fruits such as avocados.
Considerations
The Zone Diet may help you lose weight if you keep your caloric intake low, but the strict focus on food ratio choices may be difficult to maintain long-term. A study published in the March 2007 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" examined several popular diets, including the Zone Diet. The researchers found that the average weight loss on the Zone Diet over a 12-month period was about 3 1/2 lbs. Before committing to the Zone Diet, try other more well-balanced programs such as those featured on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's ChooseMyPlate website.
References
- Dr. Sears Zone Diet: The Science Behind It
- MayoClinic.com: Low-Carb Diet
- University of Lethbridge; Enter the Zone; Angie Seaman
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- Zone Diet Info: An Overview About the Zone Diet
- "Journal of the American Medical Association"; Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women; Christopher D. Gardner et al.; March 2007
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