Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about what the zone diet actually is, how it works, benefits, how to make it easier, and more.
What Is the Zone Diet?
The Zone Diet is an anti-inflammatory diet created by Dr. Sears, a dietary hormone response expert, in 1998. It involves structuring your meals to include a specific balance of carbohydrates, protein and fats, and can be combined with many other traditional dietary programs. The Zone Diet is considered a long-term eating plan, not a quick-fix diet. “It’s going back to the original Greek root of the word diet, which means way of life,” Sears says.
Why Is It Called the Zone Diet?
According to Sears, this specific way of eating is geared at keeping inflammation “in a zone” that’s not too high, but not too low. Sears explains that we need some level of inflammation to be able to fight off microbiome invasions and to allow any physical injuries sustained heal. But if we have too much, it begins to attack our body. “So keeping inflammation in that zone is really the key toward treating chronic disease,” he adds.
How Does the Zone Diet Work?
All you need to do the diet, per Sears, is “one hand, one eye, and one watch.” The first step is to visually balance your plate: one-third should contain a lean protein (no larger than the palm of your hand); two-thirds should be colorful fruits and vegetables (good carbs). Then, add add a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat—ideally olive oil, “because it’s rich in polyphenols (antioxidant-rich micronutrients) that basically will add to the polyphenol mix of the diet,” Sears says. “It’s that simple!” If you like tracking your foods in an app like MyFitnessPal that calculates nutrients, here are the numbers you are looking for: 40% of your calories coming from carbohydrates, a.k.a fruits and vegetables, 30% coming from protein and 30% from fat. “At one meal, if you have 25 grams of protein, about half of that should be fat, monounsaturated fat, maybe 12 grams and maybe about 30 to 35 grams of carbohydrates, primarily non-starchy vegetables,” Sears says. If you’re using carbohydrates as your fruits and vegetables, with the emphasis on vegetables, the number of calories you’re consuming is very low. “Those meals should be about the 400 calories, but there are very large meals in terms of size,” he says. Sears says that the trendy concept of intermittent fasting is essentially a bookkeeping way of trying to reduce calories. But by doing the Zone Diet, you end up automatically reducing calories by balancing your plate “because it’s the hormones that those proteins and carbohydrates generate that keep you satiated so you aren’t hungry. And if you aren’t hungry, you eat less calories. If you eat less calories, you live longer,” Sears explains.
How Do I know If the Zone Diet Is Working for Me?
You look at your watch. “If you have no hunger five hours later, that meal was a hormonal winner for you,” says Sears.
What Are the benefits of the Zone Diet?
Reduction in inflammation
“Why is that important? That’s the driver of chronic disease,” he says.
Longevity
“There was a recent study that demonstrated that if you eat 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day—that’s two kilograms of raw fruits and vegetables—that your likelihood of death decreases by about 31% decrease. Your likelihood of getting dying from cardiovascular disease decreases by 25% and dying of stroke also decreases by about 25%,” he says, adding that this is due to the polyphenols found inside these foods. “Even though it’s a calorie-restricted program, it’s virtually impossible to eat all the food because on the Zone program, you’re eating about 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. That’s a lot of fruit. That’s a lot of vegetables. And so what your consuming for the average female is about maybe 1,200 calories per day and 1,500 for the average male,” he says. What you’re looking to do with your meals, says Sears, is to say, ‘I’m controlling the hormones so I can maintain enough adequate protein coming in so I can maintain my muscle mass. But basically balancing that protein with the right type of carbohydrates. So I don’t overproduce the hormone insulin."
All These Numbers Sound Complicated. Any tips to Make the Zone Diet Easier?
The secret, Sears says, is finding the low-fat protein, fruits, and vegetables that you like to eat, and learning how to balance that plate. Then put together about 10 different meals, which you can rotate around. “People rarely eat more than 10 different meals at home. They’ll eat two different breakfasts, three different lunches and five different dinners. And if they go out to eat they might go to the same restaurants over and over again eating the same meals,” he says. So you don’t have to drive yourself crazy trying to perfect hundreds of recipes to make at home.
What Foods Can You Eat On the Zone Diet?
Remembering that the proper balance is key, here are some good Zone Diet foods:
TomatoesKaleSpinachArugulaCelery BroccoliCauliflowerCarrotsBrussels sprouts Cucumbers Green BeansEggplantZucchiniSquashOnionsChickenShrimpTunaTofuEggsTurkeySalmonApplesOrangesAvocadosNutsOlive oil
What Foods Should You Limit On the Zone Diet?
High-glycemic carbohydrates. “They enter the bloodstream very quickly as glucose. And then will basically pump up insulin,” he says. “In terms of what we call ‘whole grains,’ whole grains are whole because they contain polyphenols. But the rate of entry of the carbohydrates in the blood is no different than a piece of Wonder bread,” he adds. So Sears says to keep the amount of starches that you eat to a maximum of around one serving per day. “We want about eight servings of vegetables, two servings of fruit, one at most and and ideally zero of the grains and starches.”
What Are Some Zone Diet Meals?
Breakfast
Greek yogurt with some almonds as a healthy fat source. Another option is slow-cooked oatmeal and an egg white omelet. “You’re balancing protein to carbohydrate and then add some guacamole to the top of the egg white omelet.” Both of these should keep you full for five hours.
Lunch
A chicken Caesar salad. “You get the 25 grams of protein with the chicken breast and the salad. But the salad doesn’t have carbohydrates. So with that, you’d have another two to three servings of vegetables on the side."
Dinner
Think three servings of non-starchy vegetables, things like broccoli, artichokes, asparagus, cauliflowers. And then for protein, salmon or chicken.
Can Vegans and Vegetarians Do the Zone Diet?
Yes. Both groups eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. So, according to Sears, 2/3 of their plate is already completed. Vegetarians can add in eggs and dairy products for their protein sources and vegans can opt for a soybean protein product.
Can You Do the Zone Diet and the Keto Diet?
No.This way of eating doesn’t place its focus on fruits and vegetables, Sears says, which he deems as being key for gut health. He also says people following a Ketogenic diet plan need to make sure that they are getting enough beneficial bacteria-feeding fiber, which can be tough to do. A Mediterranean diet is good pairing with the Zone diet.
What Can You Eat At a Restaurant On the Zone Diet?
If you’re big on eating out, have a restaurant modify a dish until it works for you on this plan. People tend to go to the same 5 to 10 restaurants on repeat, which is a benefit to those doing this program. “They might have a menu with hundreds of meals, but you eat the same one every time. So you keep telling them to adjust the meal, take off some of the grains and starches, add some more vegetables until you find what’s the right meal for you at that restaurant.” Then you can keep including that into your weekly repertoire. Check out 100+ foods you can eat on the Mediterranean diet.
