How do you recognize a fad diet? When I asked myself this question, some generous people hurried to offer me free, quick, easily digestible answers. I chose the top ten from the list, and decided to match them with the Zone diet’s most common features.
The Zone Diet is completely built around meal ratios. It is more appropriate to call Zone a reduced carb diet rather than a low carb diet due to the fact that the average person consumes about 50-60% carbohydrates in their diet, but the Zone dieter consumes only 40%; at least a 10-20% difference between your average low carb diet.
For all its success stories, the American Heart Foundation still does not approve of the zone diet. This is due to its high protein content and lack of essential nutrients which are vital to the human body. They are also concerned about the lack of information and research about long term effects of undertaking the zone diet for long periods of time or permanently.
A critic of the Zone diet such as the AHA (American Heart Association) classifies the Zone Diet as high protein and does not recommend the Zone Diet for weight loss. They contend that the Zone Diet has not been proven effective in the long term for weight loss. The AHA issued an official recommendation warning against diets like the Zone Diet. They believe that the Zone Diet is hazardous as it restricts the intake of essential vitamins and minerals present in certain foods.
Aside from significant weight loss, since the Zone eliminates non-nutritious carbohydrates and emphasizes fruits and vegetables it is considered healthier than many diets. You are encouraged to eat often–every five hours. And being a low-calorie diet; a female dieter can consume about 1300 calories at most. Another great aspect of the Zone is that eating often will significantly reduce any craving for junk food, which is often the basis of weight gain.
The Zone Diet is suitable for people who have high cholesterol levels. According to Dr. Barry Sears, the developer of this diet program, what causes high cholesterol is eating too much carbohydrate that prompts the body to produce more insulin. It’s also suitable for people with diabetes. It lessens their carbohydrate intake, which controls their blood sugar at a manageable level.
The zone diet is a proven way of losing weight naturally through balancing the diet. By ensuring every meal is in the correct proportions, the diet proves that a healthy balanced lifestyle is good for you, and with the many zone diet delivery services now available, the diet is becoming more popular than ever.
The Zone diet is not about counting calories, it is about eating a precise ratio of carbs, protein and fat. So you no longer need to keep track of every single calorie you put into your mouth. And the Zone diet does not restrict you to eating fat free foods. Finally, you can enjoy real cheese, real butter and a juicy steak on occasion.
One way many Zone fans get around this is by using Zone Meal Delivery Services. There are several Zone meal delivery services, each offering different prices and different menu plans. If you decide to use a delivery service, make sure you choose one that fits your needs and pocketbook.
On the other hand, if you enjoy your daily dose of carbohydrates and aren’t in a big hurry to sacrifice them for the payoff of weight loss, the Zone Diet is probably a better choice for you than the Atkins or South Beach diets. With the Zone Diet you can actually consume more carbs per day than with those other two.
The Zone Diet has re-introduced common sense. Dr. Sears states that to achieve hormonal balance it is important to eat the right foods in the right proportion but also in the right quantity. His diet encourages eating snacks but the total daily caloric intake must be kept under a certain number. The Zone Diet spells out that to “stay in the zone” each meal must consist of 500 calories or less and each snack must be under 100 calories.
The Zone diet is called that because it talks about reaching a state of hormonal balance in the dieter’s body. This hormonal balance is called “the Zone.” The diet states that when your body is in the Zone, it can only then use your daily intake of calories to burn energy, and not to store fat.
Are there weight loss centers for The Zone Diet? No, they do not offer weight loss centers, but they do have online programs and message boards to allow you to get motivated and lose weight. Online programs can help you with motivation and guidance, however. Finding people who are part of The Zone Diet can allow you to commiserate with them and learn everything that you need to know, as well as receive motivation from people who know that the diet works.