Zone Diet: Balanced And Recommendable?

Even if the followers are numerous, the Zone diet is a very restrictive diet based on insufficient scientific bases that cannot guarantee an improvement in the state of health of the patients.

If you’ve ever made the decision to change your diet, you’ve no doubt noticed the tremendous amount of information on the principles of a healthy and balanced diet. The Zone diet is one of many existing diets, but it is a controversial proposition.

Many international public figures have opted for this food program. But as was to be expected, this regime finds both defenders and detractors.

The 40-30-30 formula, the flagship nutritional concept of this diet, is the basis of the debate.  According to this diet, each meal should consist of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

Is the Zone diet balanced? 

Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are macronutrients that we need to consume every day.

In the past, specialists explained that food balance was possible thanks to a specific distribution. The proportions were as follows: 15-20% protein, 20-25% fat, and 50-60% carbohydrate.

Barry Sears, an American doctor behind several studies in biochemistry and several surveys on lipids, opposed the idea. His conclusion was as follows: this distribution leads to different pathologies, which is why it is not appropriate.

He thus proposed the 40-30-30 formula. This is the ideal equation allowing, according to him, a balanced distribution of macronutrients. Thanks to this formula, the patient can conquer The Zone , that is to say the maximum state of acceleration of the metabolism where insulin is at the most stable level.

The importance of insulin

The main goal of the Zone diet is to break down nutrients.  Because an excess of carbohydrates can increase the concentration of insulin in the blood. This diagnosis can cause us to suffer from many diseases.

Hyperinsulinemia causes the following problems:

• Overweight
• Tired
• Cardiovascular and respiratory difficulties
• Convulsions
• Brain damage
• Arterial hypertension

Some benefits of the Zone diet

The 40-30-30 formula is a constant in the diet. It concerns all the meals of the day. It is also strongly recommended not to allow more than five hours to elapse between meals. Another fundamental condition: the carbohydrates consumed must have a low glycemic index. Refined sugars are therefore excluded from this diet.

This diet thus limits the consumption of carbohydrates and encourages the reduction of insulin. The repercussions on the organism are as follows:

• The body uses fat as its main source of energy
• Insulin transports nutrients inside cells more efficiently
• The patient feels more full
• The patient loses weight
• The individual has more energy to face his routine

Some basic tips 

You must take into account the following basic principles for the Zone diet to be effective.

• Always eat breakfast.
• Don’t let more than an hour pass between waking up and having breakfast.
• Eat every five hours, even if you are not hungry.
• Consume monounsaturated fats containing omega-3s, such as olive oil, avocados, dried fruits …
• Carbohydrates consumed should have a low glycemic index, such as seeds, vegetables and fruits.
• Eat protein with each meal, as the balance of blood sugar levels depends on this last point.

Adverse effects 

Every regime has its detractors and the Zone regime is no exception to this rule. There are many questions that this regime does not answer.

Many specialists have taken it upon themselves to dismantle the “wonders” of Dr. Sears. The author of the book  Mi dieta cojea   published in 2016, Aitor Sánchez García, is one of its specialists. For him, Dr. Sears’ diet is an economically motivated lie.

Also a dietitian and food specialist, Aitor Sánchez García says the Zone diet requires a large food industry to meet the 40-30-30 formula.

Thus, the flagship formula of the Zone diet is, according to him, impossible to respect as part of a healthy diet. He claims that this diet is high protein and low in calories, and that the scientific basis is insufficient to say that this diet improves the physical and mental state of its followers.

Other questions

This diet completely excludes carbohydrates from flour. The macronutrient breakdown proposed by Dr Sears may not be far-fetched, but one thing is for sure.

To lose weight and have a better quality of life, you don’t need to exclude certain foods. We can thus consume all food groups in reasonable quantities, except in the case of medical contraindications.

This diet is very restrictive, it takes a lot of will to follow it to the letter. You must therefore ask yourself whether the requirements imposed by this plan meet your needs.