The Zone Diet has reached popularity thanks to celebrity endorsements and heavy marketing. The diet provides an alternative for the extreme high protein and low carb diets that many Americans are adopting. Instead of eliminating specific food groups completely, the Zone Diet makes use of a 40-30-30 ratio of calories that are distributed between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The diet itself was designed by Dr. Barry Sears, and although it is considered to be a low-carb diet, it is not as extreme as other diet plans on the market.

Key Principles of the Zone Diet

The Zone Diet focuses on creating a hormonal balance in the body so that weight management becomes much easier. People interested in losing weight with the diet can choose healthy, low-fat foods and eat specific combinations of foods in order to encourage weight loss. The Zone Diet does follow a low-carbohydrate diet plan, and the goal is to keep the body in a specific ‘zone' so that it can make the most of each meal and eliminate the chances of gaining weight.

Key principles of the Zone Diet include:

• Choosing lean choices of protein whenever possible

• Drinking at least eight glasses of water per day

• Eliminating processed foods

• Reducing or eliminating salt in the diet

• Eating mono-unsaturated fats on a regular basis

• Eating fruits and nuts every day

• Eating leafy green vegetables for both lunch and dinner

• Making sure every meal or snack has a 40-30-30 ratio

Promises of the Zone Diet

The Zone Diet is designed to bring the body into balance and reduce the appetite naturally. The book and system can be used by almost anyone, with key benefits including:

• Eliminating cravings

• Reducing the compulsion to eat

• Keeping the body at a peak performance level

• Increasing energy and stamina

• Building strength

• Improving skin tone

• Improving mental clarity

• 1-2 pound weight low per week, average of 8-10 pounds per month

• Reduced levels of fatigue and lethargy

Is the Zone Diet Right for You?

A commitment to change your lifestyle is necessary to enjoy success with the Zone Diet. Following the diet requires making specific changes in eating, and following a strict schedule to make sure all meals and snacks are spread out throughout the day, and eaten in just the right combinations. The diet is best suited for people who have the time to plan ahead and prepare their meals. Since there is no room to eat processed or junk foods on the diet, transitioning towards healthy and natural foods instead is necessary. The Zone Diet can be adopted in stages, but does require a significant shift in eating and food choices on a day-to-day basis.

Bottom Line: If you're comfortable with adopting new recipes and calculating the content of each type of meal and snack, the Zone Diet will be a good choice. The principles of The Zone Diet will take time to get used to, but with an average weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week, it is a reasonable and healthy diet program to follow for the long term.