Getting into the Zone Diet: How to Make it Work for You

by | Updated: December 2nd, 2016 | Read time: 2 minutes

The Zone diet was created by Dr. Barry Sears, a former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He designed the Zone diet to achieve weight loss and health by balancing the correct proportions of protein, carbohydrate and fat.

The Zone Diet

 

The diet is based on what Dr. Sears calls Zone Food Blocks. One Zone Block of protein contains 7 grams of protein, one Zone Block of carbohydrate contains 9 grams of net carbs (total carbohydrates minus fiber), and one Zone Block of fat contains 1.5 grams of fat.

The number of blocks is based on gender. A woman usually needs three Zone Food Blocks of protein, carbohydrate and fat at each meal, while men usually require four.

Another way to look at the Zone diet is to divide your plate into sections:

One-third of your plate should contain low-fat protein such as fish or soybean or chicken

Two-thirds of your plate should be carbohydrates such as vegetables and fruit.

And on top, go for a small amount of healthy fats such as olive oil on your veggies or guacamole or nuts.

Bonus tip: When you’re on the go or at work, have Zone bars available to avoid temptation. They come in flavors such as Dark Chocolate Almond.