Tuesday, September 30, 2008

How Can Zone Diet Recipes Help Me Lose Weight?

By Jessica A. Andersen

The Zone diet was developed by Dr. Barry Sears. The diet is one that follows the 40/30/30 plan. That translates into forty percent carbohydrates, thirty percent fat, and thirty percent protein. Dr. Sears advocates a balanced meal plan in order to avoid certain diseases and lose weight.

The Zone Diet lasers in on insulin production as the major precursor and cause of weight gain. Eating foods that cause a spike in insulin production cause weight gain. This happens because highly sugary foods spike insulin production. Insulin attacks the sugars and loads it into your cells storing it fat. These spikes in insulin production are negatively correlated with diabetes and heart disease. That is, they cause diabetes and heart disease.

The Zone diet is specific about the types of foods that help keep insulin in check. Carbohydrates like those found in fruits and vegetables are better than those found in anything made from white flour. Processed foods are a no-no since they contain plenty of empty calories that turn to fat in the body.

The traditional eating plan of three meals a day and two snacks are eaten on the Zone diet plan. The snacks are added to keep participants from experiencing hunger and overeating at the next meal. The snacks shouldn't be high in sugar or they will defeat the purpose of maintaining steady blood sugar levels. For the meals, a regular dinner size plate is divided into 40/30/30. The largest portion is carbohydrates and they are simple carbs like green vegetables, corn, cauliflower, and peppers. The size of the meat portion is about the size of the palm of the hand for a four ounce piece of chicken or steak. Excess fat needs to be trimmed before cooking.

Eating enough fat is very important because good fats slow digestion and provide steady energy. Slower digestion means that your body will work on digesting and you won't immediately feel hungry. The Zone Diet suggests good fats like olive and canola oil and recommends eating nuts as they contain good fats as well.

Avoid insulin spiking foods whenever possible. Sweets like candy, cakes, pies, chocolate treats and such are terrible. But be aware that other more common foods like breads, pasta noodles and heavy starches are similarly bad. Candy, breads, and pasta are addictive and its very easy to overeat when consuming these foods.

The Zone diet provides affordable pre-packed foods to help you get started and stick to the diet. Also, we can provide you with dozens of sources of zone diet recipes. With just a few changes to your weekly grocery list you'll be Zone Diet Compliant! In fact, your family probably won't even notice the change to their menu once you do the switch.

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