A sensible look at The Zone

The Zone isn't a "diet" in the "weight loss" sense that other books use where you must eat this and eat that and follow the instruction sheet to a "T". Diet, in The Zone, refers to the original meaning of simply how and what you eat. It's a methodology of knowing what the requirements of your body are so that you can meet them in a way that works best for your body. It starts out by explaining HOW your body works and WHY it works that way, then it introduces the principles so that you can determine for yourself which foods to eat so that you feel your best.

In a nutshell, the whole premise of the book is that you need to keep your body nourished but not over-nourished. As you use your muscles throughout the day, your body requires protein to maintain your muscle mass. How much protein YOU require is determined by your lean body weight (ie: without fat) as well as your activity level. An athlete will naturally need more protein than your average couch potato. If you want to decrease your muscle mass, decrease your protein intake. If you'd like to maintain the muscles you have, only eat as much protein as is required to do so. And if you're into body building and want to increase your muscles, eat a little more protein so that you can maintain your current mass and that you have enough additional protein so that your body is able to create new muscle. The book rightly recommends that you never eat more protein than your body can handle.

On top of protein, everybody needs carbohydrates. Most people erroneously think of carbohydrates as being pasta, rice, bread, and sugars and that's one place they can make mistakes. Carbohydrates encompass the entire range of fruits and vegetables (in other words, stuff that you plant in the ground). Apples, oranges, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, mango, tomatoes, potatoes, rice, wheat, blueberries, etc. Pasta is a carbohydrate in that it is a processed form of wheat (durum semolina usually). Bread is exactly the same. Sugar is derived from the Sugar cane plant.

The difference between each of them is in how much carbohydrates are packed into each food. A pound of lettuce, which is over 90% water content, doesn't have as much carbohydrates as a pound of pasta. You can verify this for yourself next time you go to the grocery store. Pick up those packaged salads and look at the nutrition information panel. Note how many grams of carbs there are in the package. Find an equal weight package of pasta and note how many grams of carbs there are. You'd likely have to eat several heads of lettuce to equal a handful of pasta. Regardless of which source of carbohydrates you choose, you'll still need the same number of grams. The important thing to remember is that the number of grams of the particular food is NOT equal to the number of grams of carbohydrates in the food.

So protein maintains your muscles and carbohydrates gives you the energy as it gets converted into glucose to fuel your brain and muscle system. Where does fat come into play? The Zone recommends you eat only natural monounsaturated fats and that you steer clear away from all saturated fats (especially those derived from animal products). Extra virgin olive oil is promoted, as are avocados and flax seed oil. These are both excellent sources of high-quality, non-artery-clogging fat. How much you need depends on how much protein and carbohydrates you eat. To give you an idea, the typical amount of fat an average person should eat with a meal would be the equivalent of three whole cashews or a couple tablespoons of avocado. Again, the book stresses moderation. Eat too much fat and don't be surprised if you gain weight.

What you end up with is a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. How much you eat depends on your body. If you feel yourself sapped of energy after a meal, then chances are you've eaten too many carbs, so you should cut back the amount in the next meal. If you're hungry after a meal, then you might need to eat more carbs next time. That's where this book shines. It gives you a great starting point of eating healthy foods and then recommends that you adjust how much you eat to suit your individual body. The Zone differs from other books in that it's not a rigid structure. Rather, it's a framework that you use and modify to derive the best results.

It's amazing how many reviews posted here are ignorant of the basic concepts presented in the book. Those who have read the book know that 1 "block" of protein refers simply to 7 grams of protein. Similarly, 1 "block" of carbohydrates refers to 9 grams of carbohydrates. If a recipe calls for 3 ounces of chicken breast, some people misinterpret that and think "Okay, 3 ounces is about 85 grams' wow, that's a lot of protein!" In reality, chicken breast usually has about a 20% protein content. This means that 3 ounces of chicken breast will have only about 17 grams of actual protein. For carbohydrates, if you get out a weigh scale and measure 27 grams of alfalfa sprouts, you'll be seriously hungry and very irate. That's because you'd need to eat 33 CUPS of alfalfa sprouts to get 27 grams of carbohydrates! (Remember, alfalfa sprouts are 99% water!) A better way of getting 27 grams of carbs would be to eat about a dozen spears of steamed asparagus with 2 tomatoes and a cup of strawberries.

The Zone can be best summed up by quoting the opening paragraph in the first chapter: "' it's very similar to the advice your grandmother gave you about eating. Eat everything in moderation, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and have some protein at every meal."

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