The zone diet

Popularized in books by Barry Sears, the Zone Diet advocates balancing protein, fat and carbohydrate ratios, rather than simply counting calories. According to the author, this diet meal plan is a way of eating food that complements the body's own evolution.

The Zone Diet aims for a 40:30:30 ratio of daily calories from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, respectively. This balances out insulin levels and leads to both improved health and weight loss.

The Zone Diet is not a quick fix plan, as Sears believes it takes time for the body to switch from fat storing to fat burning.

• Pros
• Publications
• Example recipes
• Verdict

Pros : Zone diet

• A long term diet meal plan rather than a quick fix
• Can have numerous positive effects on health
• Recommended by many health professionals
• Advocates eating a variety of healthy food choices

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Publications : Zone diet

The British version of the diet adopted by numerous celebrities including Madonna, Demi Moore, and Barry Manilow.

There are over 150 recipes designed to help you balance out your diet. Eating more protein and fat allows you to enter a Zone of optimum metabolic function and peak performance. Eating in this Zone will not only help you burn fat but also fight heart disease, diabetes, PMS, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and more.

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Example recipes : Zone diet

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

• 4 cups of cooked spaghetti squash [4C]
• 2 cups spaghetti sauce [4C]
• 4 oz. cooked ground turkey or turkey sausage [4P]
• 4 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded [4P]
• 1 cup cottage cheese [4P]

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Verdict : Zone diet

A diet plan review suggests that this is a good long term solution for many people. Recent research is demonstrating that increasing the proportion of protein in your diet can lead to weight loss, so for those who safely want to reduce their carbs, this might be the one to try.