The Zone diet balances carbohydrates, fats and protein according to a specific ratio. By limiting carbohydrates, you cut back on the amount of insulin produced in the body; too much insulin causes your body to change carbohydrates into fat and store them, causing weight gain. The hormone glucagon counteracts this effect. By limiting the kinds of carbohydrates you eat and balancing them with protein at each meal, you can keep insulin and glucagon in balance. Since desserts are mostly carbohydrates, you can eat them on the diet only if they do not cause a big spike in fat-storing insulin.
The Zone
The Zone diet is the brainchild of Barry Sears, a former researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who holds patents in the area of cancer treatments and dietary control of hormonal responses. The diet allows of three meals and two snacks daily, all with the ratio of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat and 30 percent protein. No meal or snack is forbidden on the diet, but meals should not exceed 500 calories and snacks should be no more than 100 calories. The mainstays of the diet include fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, sufficient low-fat protein and eight glasses of water daily. Monounsaturated fats are substituted for saturated ones and large amounts of salt and processed foods are discouraged.
Pleasures Without Guilt
As long as you include sufficient protein to balance the oversecretion of insulin, you can treat yourself to most forbidden desserts, according to Sears in his book, "Enter The Zone." However, he does warn against doing this very often. For example, you can have 1/2 cup of premium ice cream as long as you pair it with 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese or 4 ounces of sliced turkey. Eating a candy bar requires the addition of 2/3 cup of low-fat cottage cheese or 3 ounces sliced turkey. One small piece of Boston cream pie should have as its companion 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese or 4 ounces of sliced turkey.
Yogurt Berry Bowl
Fruits, along with a protein source, are often used for desserts. The following recipe from Sears' book, "Mastering The Zone," serves four people: 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, 1 cup each of blueberries, raspberries and sliced strawberries, 4 teaspoons slivered almonds. Combine all the ingredients except the almonds and blend them together in a mixing bowl. Divide the mixture among four dishes, sprinkle with the almonds and chill before serving.
Sweetened Peaches
For this treat from "Mastering The Zone" that serves four, you will need 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese, 2 teaspoons sugar; 2 1/4 cups canned, sliced peaches; 1 1/3 teaspoons olive oil and 5 tablespoons water, divided. Heat the olive oil and sugar in a nonstick pan until sugar melts, then add peaches and stir to coat with sugar. Add 3 tablespoons water, stirring occasionally to loosen peaches, cooking them until they are lightly browned. Place the cottage cheese in serving dishes, remove the peaches from pan and add them on top of the cottage cheese. Add the other 2 tablespoons of water to the pan to create a thin sauce; pour it over the peaches.
Strawberry-Yogurt Jelly
The recipe for Strawberry-Yogurt Jelly comes from "Mastering The Zone." Take 2 envelopes of Knox unflavored gelatin and combine with 1/2 cup water over low heat until dissolved. Remove and cool to room temperature. Combine 1 cup low-fat yogurt, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 cup strawberries that have been hulled and pureed in a mixing bowl. When the gelatin is at room temperature, add the yogurt mixture to it and stir until mixture is consistent. Pour into 4 serving glasses and refrigerate until set, approximately 2 hours. Sprinkle 4 crushed macadamia nuts evenly among the 3 glasses before serving.
References
- ZoneDietInfo: An Overview About the Zone Diet
- "Enter The Zone"; Barry Sears, Ph.D with Bill Lawren; 1995
- "Mastering the Zone"; Barry Sears, Ph.D; 1997
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