The Zone Diet is a real one food strategy conceived in the early 1990s by Dr. Barry Sears, an American scientist with a degree in biochemistry but specialized in tumor therapies and dietary control of hormonal responses. What is the Zone Diet and how does the weekly menu work to lose weight of this well-known food strategy promises benefits to the whole organism?
We must try to understand what is meant by “Zone“. It is nothing more than the maximum point that can and must be reached to feel good, both physically and mentally. Let’s find out together.
Among the many diets aimed at recovering lost physical form and at decrease in extra pounds, one of the best known and cited is undoubtedly the zone diet, a particular food strategy developed as we anticipated by the American biochemist Barry Sears who, studying eicosanoids (or hormones that act in many fundamental body functions), discovered how these intervene to maintain the correct balance of the organism. Precisely in the face of this discovery, Sears himself decided to develop a food strategy to regulate the production of these hormones, guaranteeing greater health and well-being for the whole body: the zone diet of which we propose a weekly menu for lose weight.
Zone diet: what does it consist of?
As already mentioned, Dr. Barry Sears has tried to develop a natural diet based on a correct way of eating from a hormonal and genetic point of view to ensure the efficiency of the organism. In other words, the founder of the zone diet has identified the key to achieving an optimal physical and mental state in the right ratio of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, a form of balance that allows you to produce a precise hormonal secretion and reduce body fat.
As mentioned, the zone diet was born as a consequence of the discovery of how some hormones (eicosanoids, insulin, glucagon) act on the body.
In particular, eicosanoids perform an important function for:
the cardiovascular system; kidney functions; blood clotting, increased immune response; fight inflammation.
However, there are also “bad” eicosanoids which in turn, if in excess, cause problems such as: allergic reactions; inflammations; increased LDL cholesterol; cell proliferation; pressure disturbances; etc.
Similarly, insulin and glucagon can also greatly affect the general well-being of the body, acting in the control of blood sugars and regulating the levels of glucose in the cells (insulin allows its use while glucagon helps its release) . The purpose of the zone diet, therefore, is to regulate and maintain these hormones in balance thanks to nutrition, guaranteeing the body all-round health and well-being. But how exactly does it work?
How does the Zone Diet work?
First of all it is good to say that the Zone Diet is a type diet iperproteico and low in carbohydrates (a bit like the low-calorie diet or the crossfit diet) and which, precisely in reference to what has been said, is based on the maintenance of specific proportions for the introduction of the various macronutrients into the body.
Specifically, according to the zone diet, the correct quantities in each meal are: 40, 30, 30: 40% carbohydrates, 30% proteins and the remaining 30% fats. Percentages that aim to maintain a balance between the different hormones and, therefore, the well-being of the body. In particular, the recommended foods are:
proteins: such as white meats (chicken, turkey, rabbit), fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon), eggs, legumes;
carbohydrates: fruit and vegetables to be preferred, limiting, instead, pasta, bread and rice;
fats: extra virgin olive oil, walnuts and hazelnuts are better.
What is blocking in the zone diet?
It is nothing more than a unit of measurement made up of carbohydrates (eg bread, pasta, fruit, vegetables), proteins (meat, fish, eggs and derivatives), fats (oil, dried fruit). In the accompanying manual, the foods are represented by the reference weight (miniblock) so that the composition of the meals becomes simple and understandable.
The zone diet follows another very specific rules (exactly as it happens for other types of diets, such as the fractional diet) including:
the distribution of meals over 24 hours (do not let more than 4 or 5 hours pass between lunch and snack and no more than three hours between this and dinner);
have breakfast within half an hour of waking up; eat a snack half an hour before bedtime; carry out regular physical activity; supplement the diet with omega 3. In addition to the application of the block system.
Zone diet: example of a weekly menu to lose weight
But let’s see better how a daily menu could be composed in line with the principles and rules described for the zone diet.
Monday – Breakfast: milk with coffee, soy biscuits and oats.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: pasta with meat sauce, salad, a fruit.
Snack: fresh seasonal fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: bresaola with vegetables, wholemeal bread, a fruit.
Tuesday- Breakfast: a cooked ham toast, a thin slice and a cup of tea.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: grilled swordfish, vegetables, wholemeal bread, seasonal fruit.
Snack: fresh fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: vegetable soup, grilled turkey, vegetables, wholemeal bread, seasonal fruit.
Wednesday – Breakfast: milk with coffee, soy biscuits and oats.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: smoked salmon, pear and parmesan carpaccio, wholemeal bread. A fruit.
Snack: fresh fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: salad with bean sprouts, shrimp, low-fat cheese, wholemeal bread, a fruit.
Thursday – Breakfast: cottage cheese with fresh fruit, a coffee.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: bresaola with vegetables, wholemeal bread, a fruit.
Snack: fresh seasonal fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: a plate of soup with oats, lean ham and salad, a fruit.
Friday – Breakfast: ricotta with fresh seasonal fruit, a coffee.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: grilled chicken, vegetables, wholemeal bread, fruit.
Snack: fresh seasonal fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: soup with rice, turkey breast with mixed vegetables, seasonal fruit.
Saturday – Breakfast: a toast with ham and a thin slice, a cup of tea.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: sole and vegetables, wholemeal bread, seasonal fruit
Snack: fresh fruit and parmesan.
Dinner: vegetable soup with low-fat cheese, wholemeal bread, seasonal fruit.
Sunday – Breakfast: cottage cheese with fresh fruit, a coffee.
Snack: skimmed white yogurt.
Lunch: seafood risotto, bresaola with vegetables, seasonal fruit.
Snack: fresh fruit and parmesan
Dinner: minestrone with pasta, beef and fruit salad. 1 1/2 teaspoons of TIC sweetener.
All the benefits of the Zone Diet
a major weight loss; improvement of cognitive performance; the clear reduction of hunger pangs during the day; decrease in the incidence of chronic diseases related to the metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, etc .;
increased energy levels; improvement of physical performance.
a set of benefits which lead to an improvement in one’s well-being and, therefore, in the quality of one’s life. But be careful. Because even the zone diet, like any other type of food strategy, can have contraindications to which it is good to pay attention.
Zone diet: contraindications
The main ones are undoubtedly those related to the balance and balancing of all the nutrients necessary for the functioning of the body. In particular, the excess of proteins at the expense of carbohydrates. Point of greatest debate even among nutritionists and from which several studies have emerged.
Despite the fact that even on the net you can find testimonies of great fans of this food strategy (such as the actress Renée Zellweger) before undertaking it it is always necessary to consult with a doctor and / or nutritionist.
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