If you're out looking for a good diet, one diet you may come across while you are looking is the Zone Diet. This is a diet that has been around for a few years, although it was not originally to be a weight loss diet. No doubt you are interested to find out more about this diet and whether or not it really does work. So, let's take a close look at the diet, the main goals, the pros and cons, and what health professionals seem to think about it. This way you can make an intelligent decision on whether it is a good diet for you to try.
Zone Diet Overview
The Zone Diet is a diet that was developed by Dr. Barry Sears; however, it was not really developed originally to be a diet that was for losing weight. It was actually made to be a change in lifestyle that would manipulate the body in such as way that it would promote health, energy, and a lean body as well. In this diet, food is treated like a drug, and it focuses on treating food like hormones, not as calories. It is also a diet that is quite restrictive as well, focusing on making sure that the diet includes 30% fats, 30% proteins, and 40% carbs. This diet became popular because of the book Sears wrote, called The Zone. You'll find that the diet is based on the idea that high levels of insulin can make you fat, and it focuses on making sure that your insulin level is kept in a specific "zone" which is done by eating a combination of fat, protein, and carbs.
People it Works For Best
This is a diet that works best for people who have the time to eat smaller meals throughout the day. Also, it was first developed for people who had heart disease and diabetes, so it works well for them as well. Those who love the idea of eating for taste and the experience may not find this diet to be the right one for them, since food is looked at as merely a drug.
Pros and Cons of the Zone Diet
You will find that there are many pros and cons to consider when you are trying to decide if the Zone diet is the right diet for your needs. It is important that you take a look at the following pros and cons and decide whether you can live with the cons because of the pros. If you are able to live without some of your favorite carbs, then this diet may be for you.
- Pro #1 - Neat Eating - Neat eating, which is eating small meals various times each day, is promoted in this diet, which is a definite pro. It is a great way to keep yourself feeling satisfied without overeating. Many people have found that diets that offer small portions several times a day can be very effective.
- Pro #2 - Fruits and Vegetables are Encouraged - Another pro of this diet is that it really does encourage you to eat vegetables and fruits as well. So, you at least get some of the important nutrients that your body needs so badly.
- Pro #3 - Low in Saturated fat - The diet is also low in saturated fat, which is a pro as well. Saturated fats can be very bad for your body, so a diet that does not contain much of them is important and helpful to your health.
- Pro #4 - Encourages the Drinking of Water - This diet also really pushes that you should drink plenty of water while you are on the diet as well. Water is very important and some diets overlook this. So, this is yet another pro of the Zone Diet.
- Con #1 - Never Really Been Tested - One of the main cons of the Zone Diet is that it really has never been tested. This means that there is no real independent research that shows that this diet really does work. So, you may be trying a diet that doesn't work at all.
- Con #2 - Limits Foods that Have Important Vitamins and Minerals in Them - Another problem with the Zone Diet is that it limits some of the foods that have very important vitamins and minerals in them. Some of the minerals and vitamins that you may miss out on include Vitamin D, iron, folic acid, calcium, Vitamin E, and Vitamin A.
- Con #3 - Can Make Eating a Bit Boring - Since this diet actually wants you to treat food like a drug you have to take, it can become a bit boring to eat, and some people may find that this mindset is almost traumatizing to them. Eating should be a pleasurable experience, but this diet takes a lot of the pleasure away from eating.
What You Can and Can't Eat on this Diet
You are allowed to eat proteins, carbs, and fats as well, but they must be done in the correct ration. Every time you eat, you have to make sure that you include fat, carbs, and protein, even if it is just a snack that you are eating. Also, you have to eat about every five hours as well. While you are allowed to have some alcohol on this diet, it is limited. You are not allowed to eat very much bread or pasta at all. Also, other bad carbs according to this diet include peas, bananas, and even watermelon. Dairy products and butter is not allowed in the diet either.
The Opinion of the Medical Community
Those in the medical field think that the calorie amounts that are part of the Zone Diet plan are on the low side. However, the snacks do make an impression with medical professionals, since they do help out. There is no real science that shows that this ration of foods is going to really make you lose weight, so some in the medical community are understandably dubious about whether or not this diet will really work.
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