What Is The Zone Diet?

Answer:
The main concept behind the Zone Diet is food

is like a medication that is used to achieve a desired hormonal response through the day. The targeted hormones are insulin, glucagons, and eicosanoids.

The Zone Diet consists of eating the right balance of carbohydrates and protein to produce glucagons instead of insulin. Glucagon aids in the formation of “good” eicosanoids, whereas insulin aids in the formation of “bad” eicosanoids which can cause various diseases.

In the Zone Diet, the proper ratio for food is three grams of proteins for every four grams of carbohydrates at every snack and meal, while never allowing any more than five hours between meals or snacks.

Protein amounts are based on lean body mass and the level of physical activity. Lean body mass is calculated using charts that measure height, hip, and abdomen in women, and measure, weight, wrist, and waist size in men.

It is important not to exceed the protein requirement, and to spread this amount throughout the day. Otherwise, insulin levels will be increased from digesting the protein. Carbohydrate and fat intake are measured by the amount of your protein intake. This in effect gives you a calorie limit on your diet, since protein has a maximum value. The Zone Diet claims to give you health benefits based on eicosanid activity.

As good as this sounds, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims. While higher levels of carbohydrates will keep ketosis from developing, because of the limits on proteins, carbohydrates, and fat, it is unlikely that people will avoid ketosis due to not enough calories and carbohydrates. Also, because of the limited protein in the diet, it is difficult to prevent the loss of muscle mass.

According to dieticians, there is no evidence to use activity level as the determination of protein intake. Without glucose, the body will burn fat for energy, and more protein is not required for activity. When the body breaks down protein for fuel, only the links between the molecules are broken. Only energy is needed to reform those links.

One other thing to keep in mind that your protein requirements are based on other nutrients you consume for energy. When you restrict carbohydrates, more protein consumption needs to take place in order to convert it to glucose for brain fuel. Excess protein at any meal can cause extra insulin which will make the protein be stored as fat.

Some of the basic scientific errors in the Zone Diet are as follows:

- Scientific results show that total protein intake should not be restricted, which this diet does.

- Basing the protein intake on lean body mass and activity level will restrict protein intake too much for most people who are limiting carbohydrates.

- All people have about the same glucose requirement from brain activity of about 120 grams per day. On the Zone Diet, people with low protein calculations will not get enough carbohydrates to avoid ketosis, and people with high protein calculations will get more than necessary.

- Because fat intake is based on the protein intake, for those with low calculations, restrictions will remove the body’s natural appetite control system that fat stimulates. Fat should not be restricted in the diet.