The Zone Diet – What's a Zone?
The Zone Diet is considered to be a low carb diet. It supposedly controls your hormonal levels and preserves your overall health. Carbohydrates will make up 40% of your meal, protein will be 30% and fats will take up the last 30% of your diet.
You will supposedly lose weight by balancing out your blood insulin level. You do not want to take in more then 500 calories per meal and no more then 100 calories per snack. This diet helps reduce your chances of getting heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
What do you eat on the Zone Diet?
While doing the Zone Diet you want to eat a small amount of protein with every meal and with every snack. Your protein should be about the size of your palm. You should have one snack late in the afternoon and one snack late in the evening. When eating vegetables, lentils, beans, fruits, and whole grains you'll make the serving twice the size of your protein serving.
You may also have a small portion of the following carbohydrates: brown rice, pasta, mango, banana, cereal, carrots, and all fruit juices. You want to have egg whites and egg substitutes instead of whole eggs. Use non-fat or low fat cheeses and milk. Olive oil and canola oil are fine, macadamia nuts and avocados are good for saturated fats.
What do you avoid on the Zone Diet?
You will want to avoid the following while doing to the Zone Diet: simple sugars and refined carbohydrates like bread, pasta, tortillas, cereals, candy, soda, and desserts. Fruits, grains, and vegetables that are high on the glycemic index should be avoided; like papayas, mangoes, corn, carrots, potatoes, and rice. Red meats and whole fat dairy products that are high in saturated fat should not be consumed. Egg yolks and organ meats are also on the list of foods to avoid.
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What exercises are a part of the Zone Diet?
While doing the Zone Diet exercise is strongly encouraged. You want to do aerobic exercises 6 days a week, do some strength training for three days, and then some stretches on the other three days. Stretching is not to increase weight loss but to help your tendons and ligaments become longer, thus limiting your chances for injuries that can cause you to stop working out.
An example of a day of working out would be three minutes of weight training, eleven minutes of walking in place, then three minutes of weight training, another eleven minutes of walking in place, and finally another three minutes of weight training.
Who is the Zone Diet Best for?
This diet may be good for those who are suffering from blood sugar problems and diabetes. It can also help those people who eat carbohydrates and feel sluggish after eating them. Since this diet has a combination of fat and protein in every meal; chances are you will not going to get hungry often. Remember to snack throughout the day or have a small snack before working out so you have plenty of energy.
- Fresh, Never-Frozen Meals: A new menu of 30+ dietitian-designed options every week.
- Cooked to Perfection: Prepared by gourmet chefs and delivered fresh to you.
- Zero Prep, No Mess: Just heat and enjoy in minutes.