Zone diet
The Zone diet, developed by biochemist Barry Sears, focuses on achieving an optimal balance of macronutrients to regulate hormone levels and promote fat burning. Specifically, the diet recommends that 40% of daily caloric intake come from carbohydrates, 30% from proteins, and 30% from monounsaturated fats. This balance is said to help maintain moderate insulin levels, preventing the body from storing excess calories as fat and enhancing overall metabolic efficiency. Unlike traditional low-fat diets, the Zone diet emphasizes the importance of healthy fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids, while discouraging excessive consumption of omega-6 fatty acids.
While not vegetarian, the Zone diet can be adapted to include vegetarian options based on soy protein. It does not set strict limits on food quantities but encourages moderation in total calorie intake. Although it has garnered popularity among some celebrities and has been noted for its ease of adherence, the American Heart Association has expressed concerns regarding the long-term health effects of the diet, prompting a lack of endorsement as heart-healthy. Overall, the Zone diet aims not only for weight loss but also for improved mental and physical well-being.
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Subject Terms
Zone diet
A mixed carbohydrate, protein, and lower-fat fad diet designed to help a person’s body function more efficiently and possibly aid in weight loss
Inventor Dr. Barry Sears (1947- )
Date Introduced in 1995
The Zone diet has generated much controversy. Barry Sears has insisted that his diet is healthy and balanced and helps people’s bodies burn rather than store fat. Critics, including the American Heart Association, do not endorse the Zone diet as heart-healthy.
The "zone" in the Zone diet is the term coined by the diet’s inventor, biochemist Barry Sears, to describe the optimal combination of carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake that causes the body to release chemicals called eicosanoids. These chemicals tell the body to burn rather than store fat. The Zone diet recommends that 40 percent of daily calorie intake derive from carbohydrates, 30 percent from proteins, and 30 percent from monounsaturated fats. At these proportions, Sears states the body is in the proper hormone balance. Insulin levels are neither too low nor too high, the body does not receive any chemical messages to store excess calories as fat, and the body can operate with a high degree of chemical efficiency.
The Zone diet is not a low-fat diet, as are many diet programs; it is a lower-fat diet. According to Sears, low-fat diets are actually counterproductive because they confuse the body into storing fat. The body thinks it will not receive sufficient amounts of calories from fats and must therefore store the fat calories it possesses. Sears developed the Zone diet to be lower in monounsaturated fats, which decreases the rate at which carbohydrates are absorbed by the body and converted into insulin. Moderate production levels of insulin cause the body to store less fat. Less fat storage translates into moderate weight loss over time. Sears makes distinctions among types of fat in the Zone diet, with particular emphasis on the beneficial intake of omega-3 fatty acids in proportion to omega-6 fatty acids.
The Zone diet does not stress amounts of daily food consumption, though Sears does recommend that people moderate their total daily calorie intake. His diet is based on the premise that people should consume moderate amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, in proper 40:30:30 proportion in order to feel better mentally and physically, and to lose weight. The Zone diet is not a vegetarian diet, which Sears criticizes as being too low in protein. The American Heart Association has cited a lack of information on the long-term effects of the Zone diet as the reason for not endorsing it as heart-healthy.
Impact
The Zone diet is easy to follow and has attracted a number of Hollywood celebrities among its followers. Sears has continued to study the effects of his Zone diet and has created a vegetarian-friendly Zone diet based on soy protein. He continues to publish Zone diet guides.
Bibliography
"Long-Term Benefits of Popular Diets are Less than Evident." American Heart Association News, American Heart Association, 11 Nov. 2014, http://news.heart.org/long-term-benefits-popular-diets-less-evident/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016.
Sears, Barry. The Anti-Inflammation Zone: Reversing the Silent Epidemic That’s Destroying Our Health. New York. ReganBooks, 2005.
Sears, Barry. The Zone: A Dietary Road Map. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
"What is the Zone?" DrSears.com, 2016, http://www.drsears.com/zone/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016.
Zone Labs, 2016, http://www.zonediet.com/. Accessed 21 Nov. 2016.