Is the Sample Zone Diet for You?

It's impossible to give a quick sample Zone Diet recipe.

That's because you can eat a wide variety of foods, and mix and match them to a large degree depending on what you like best and what's convenient for you. You can make a large number of delicious Zone meals. Or you can do as I do, and keep it simple, eating Zone balanced convenient foods.

You must avoid, or reduce to very small amounts, high glycemic foods such as anything with sugar, starch and grains. You should know you shouldn't be eating sugar foods. It's not so well known these days that starchy foods such as potatoes are also fattening. And so are all grains except slow-cooked oatmeal.

Yes, I know that sounds like a contradiction of everything you've read, but you must understand it to eat the Zone Diet. The average American diet is way overloaded with high glycemic carbohydrates, and grains -- even whole grains -- are high glycemic carbohydrates. Cut them off or down to salad croutons.

Every Sample Zone Diet meal is 40/30/30 Nutrition

The basis of the Zone Diet is eating a healthy balance of the three macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein and fat -- in the percentages that most closely approximate what our primitive ancestors probably ate. According to Dr. Sears, that's 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat.

In addition, he defines the healthiest choices to make, but realizes that most people are not in a position to eat 100% "pure" organic food.

So you just have to do the best you can, depending on what's available where you live.

Sears has done a lot to organize this for us, by breaking foods down into "blocks." For every block of carbohydrate you eat, you should also eat a block of protein and a block of fat. You keep your blocks the same, and you'll automatically be eating in the Zone percentages.

How many blocks? For most men, it's sixteen blocks a day, and thirteen for most women. If you're very active, you need more. If you're very inactive, less.

That works out to normally four blocks per meal for men, plus a two-block snack in the afternoon and just before bedtime. However, never eat more than four blocks at a time. If you are an active athlete working out a lot, add more snacks through the day.

Women normally should eat three blocks per meal and a one block snack in the afternoon and before going to bed.

These do vary according to your size and activity. The Zone books contain precise instructions for figuring your protein requirements.

sample of zone diet

You Can Eat a Bigger Sample Zone Diet the More Physically Active You Are

You can eat a wide range of meat, poultry, eggs, dairy and fish for your protein requirements.

For vegetables, you can eat almost anything in large quantity except the few vegetables that have a high glycemic index, such as carrots.

For fruits, you can eat almost anything but be careful not to consume the very sweet, high glycemic index fruits in large quantities, such as watermelon, mango and papaya.

For fat, you should eat monosaturated oil such as olive oil, almond butter, nuts (except peanuts, which are legumes, not true nuts), and avocado. Avoid all trans and partially hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils such as corn oil.

Then make it as easy or as complicated as you wish. Me, I enjoy sitting down to four pieces of low fat string cheese, two cups of red or black grapes and twenty-four almonds. Simple and easy.

Other people can cook up gourmet meals. You can find many recipes to sample Zone Diet meals on the Internet and in the Zone books.

Next: Zone Diet Delivered -- the many benefits of getting Zone Diet meals delivered to your home.