Zone Diet

ATTENTION! This article is for informational purposes only . The author of the article, limiting himself to reporting what is necessary for the nutritional system in question, refrains from any comment and does not intend to advise or advise against following it.

Things

Zone Diet – or as more recently we prefer to call it in Italy: ” Zone Food Method ” – is a dietary system based on specific criteria for choosing and managing food , which should have a beneficial impact on the human body by improving the general state of health.

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By “Zone” we mean a metabolic state in which the organism works at its maximum efficiency peak ; this circumstance must be sought in the weight loss – if necessary – and in the intake of specific nutritional elements that would improve the overall inflammatory balance .

In summary: in the Zone, the human machine should work at its best physiological potential, without hunger pangs , full of energy and with maximum efficiency during physical performance. Food is the most powerful drug we have available and we must take it as it were, in a controlled way and in the right proportions.

These are the prerequisites of the Zone diet, the most discussed diet of the early 2000s.

To know more:Zone Diet: How to Start GraduallyTo know more:Two Systems of the Zone Diet: Getting Started

Benefits

The founder of the Zone Diet, an American biochemist named Barry Sears , argues that by balancing the three energetic macronutrients – respectively carbohydrates, proteins and fats – it is possible to achieve an optimal physical and mental state. In addition, the area allows a significant reduction in body fat , should it be present in excess. All this would happen thanks to a fine hormonal control mediated by ‘ nutrition .

To know more:Italian Zone Diet

Zone Diet and Eicosanoid Control

Eicosanoids represent a group of hormones or the like comprising: prostaglandins , leukotrienes and thromboxanes , hydroxylated fatty acids , etc., produced in small quantities by every cell in our body.

They are very complex and have a short life ; this is because they perform their physiological function and are then degraded.

Many are their functions within our body. Like all hormones , eicosanoids, in addition to being chemical messengers, have antagonistic effects ; Simplifying, we could say that there are “good” (anti-inflammatory) and “bad” (pro-inflammatory) eicosanoids – although obviously this is a conceptual distortion , as inflammation is a very important body defense mechanism .

Since, in the human body , balance is synonymous with health, while imbalance is synonymous with disease, the area aims to achieve the perfect balance between the production of antagonistic eicosanoids , since both are used to carry out the natural functions of our body.

To know more:Zone Diet Example

Zone diet and control of insulin and glucagon hormones

Insulin , produced by the pancreas , is a strong anabolic hormone which has the function of storing nutrients within cells .

When we eat, there is a rise in blood sugar which stimulates the intervention of insulin , which, by conveying the nutrients into the cells, brings blood glucose levels back to normal .

When we take in too many calories and especially when these come from carbohydrates , there is a sharp jump in blood sugar , thus triggering an elevated insulin response which, after filling the liver and muscle reserves , stimulates liposynthesis and the storage of excess calories in the cells adipose in the form of fat . In other words, according to Barry Sears, excesses of insulin induce an accumulation of fat. In truth, however, this could not happen if there was not an excessof energetic macronutrients upstream of the reaction – regardless of whether they come from carbohydrates, amino acids or fatty acids.

Glucagon , on the other hand, is the antagonist of insulin , that is, it mobilizes the stored energy reserves. It is stimulated by a diet that is low in calories and especially low in carbohydrates . Like insulin, when it is secreted in excess , it damages the body.

The zone aims to control these two hormones through a balance between carbohydrates, proteins and fats, preventing excessive fluctuations in blood sugar, responsible for fattening and many diseases. To tell the truth, it must be specified that the Zone diet is based on an assessment of caloric needs that underestimate the real needs; for this reason, even when it does not have weight loss as its goal , it tends to make you lose weight . Its supporters claim that it is an effect of insulin control , but it is not .

In the first book by Barry Sears, “How to reach the Zone”, studies are reported that attest to how this nutritional regimen has led to an improvement in the psycho-physical conditions of patients affected by very serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus . It goes without saying that, in a pathological condition like this – almost always related to obesity – lowering food carbohydrates by 10-20% – the Zone, as we will see, provides for 40% – can lead to a lowering of blood sugar and triglyceridemia . . Moreover, having a slimming effect, there is also a metabolic normalization effect – in addition to blood glucose and triglyceridemia, also cholesterol , uricemia , blood pressure and systemic inflammation . However, this is not mainly due to the Zone diet, but to weight loss – also obtainable with other food systems – even if it is undeniable that other aspects of the system, such as the richness of essential fatty acids , antioxidants of various kinds, other vitamins and minerals , can contribute to the restoration of general homeostasis (however present, for example, also in the Mediterranean diet).

Video recipe:Zone Diet Cocoa BarsVideo recipe:Homemade Zone Diet Protein Cookies

Rules

• The right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats must be taken in every meal; the ratio in calories must be 40% -30% -30%;
• No more than 5 hours should elapse between meals. If there is a longer time, you need to have a snack. In this way the day is made up of at least 3 main meals and 2 snacks;
• It is necessary to reduce as much as possible the consumption of sweets, bread, pasta, rice and refined cereals with a high glycemic index , that is strong insulin stimulators;
• It is necessary to eat a lot of vegetables and fruitswith a low glycemic index , that is carbohydrates that gradually stimulate insulin;
• To have an adequate hormonal response, a snack must consist of at least one block of carbohydrates, proteins and fats;
• The last snack must be the one in the evening (before going to bed), unless you have had dinner within the previous two hours;
• As can be seen from the first rule, the Zone diet differs from the classic food pyramid which imposes carbohydrates ( pasta, bread, cereals, etc.) at its base . Compared to our Mediterranean diet, the zone diet suggests a carbohydrate content of 40% deriving mainly from fruit and vegetables , 30% proteins from lean meats and cheeses , fish , eggs , etc., and 30% unsaturated fats ( monounsaturated such as omega 9 from extra virgin olive oil , omega 3 from fish and omega 6 from oil seeds).