Menu for the Zone Diet

The Zone

The Zone Diet plan began as a book written by Dr. Barry Sears in 1996. His eating plan focused on a balance of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat to be included in each of the three meals and two snacks permitted throughout your day.

The three basics of this eating plan are:

• The proper portions of fat, protein and carbohydrates
• The correct timing of your meals
• Control of your meal portions

There are no forbidden foods in this low carbohydrate plan; however it is important to watch portion sizes. Meals and snacks are to be spaced five hours apart with your first meal, breakfast, to be eaten within an hour of getting out of bed. A meal is not to exceed 500 calories and a snack should not exceed 100 calories. While this may sound restrictive, it will actually total about 1700 calories.

While no foods are excluded from the program, certain foods should be limited. These include:

• Sugar, including that found in many fruits and vegetables like bananas, grapes and raisins, or carrots, corn and peas
• Starchy foods like pasta, potatoes and bread
• Alcohol
• Caffeine

Consider healthier alternatives to these foods, but if you must have them, consume them in moderation. It is also important to drink at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day.

Benefits of the Zone Diet

This balance of foods eaten at the right times of the day (even if you are not hungry) helps your insulin levels to stay balanced. Other benefits of this eating plan include more energy; more focus mentally, a reduction in hunger and food cravings as well as better overall health.

The Zone Diet is also thought to be an excellent plan for people with Type II Diabetes as well as being beneficial in preventing cardiovascular disease. However, if you have any health issues you should consult your doctor before starting this, or any other diet plan.

Dr. Sears also recommends including exercise while following his eating plan. Exercise in moderation has many benefits of its own including being an effective way to burn calories and lose weight. Indeed, this recommendation is smart no matter what type of diet plan you choose to follow.

Menu for the Zone Diet

Now that you understand the basics, you are ready to look at some sample menus. Here is a sample menu for three days to give you an idea of the foods you can enjoy while on the Zone Diet.

Day One

• Breakfast:
  • Egg white and asparagus omelet cooked in olive oil
  • Oatmeal
  • Fresh strawberries

• Lunch:
  • Broiled chicken breast
  • Mixed salad greens with tomato and olive oil salad dressing
  • Sliced pear

• Dinner:
  • Salmon poached in orange juice
  • Summer squash and zucchini sautéed in butter
  • Blueberries

Day Two

• Breakfast:
  • French toast made with low carb bread and egg whites, topped with light syrup
  • Turkey bacon
  • An orange

• Lunch:
  • Pita pocked stuffed with deli ham, low fat cheese, mustard, lettuce, tomato and alfalfa sprouts
  • Lettuce and spinach salad with cucumber, tomato and broccoli, topped with olive oil and vinegar dressing.

• Dinner:
  • Eggplant Parmesan
  • Baby spinach salad with strawberries and blackberries, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Day Three

• Breakfast:
  • Breakfast burrito with scrambled egg substitute, turkey bacon and cheese in a tortilla
  • Fresh blueberries

• Lunch:
  • Chicken fajita
  • Avocado and cottage cheese salad

• Dinner:
  • Shrimp stir-fry with snow peas, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and bean sprouts
  • Strawberries with cottage cheese

Snacks

• Mozzarella cheese and an orange
• Pudding
• Frozen blueberry yogurt
• Chicken salad
• Berry banana slush
• Almond oatmeal cookies

There are many places to find Zone Diet recipes. One great resource is Zone Diet Recipes.com.

Here are some other places that will give you menu ideas as well:

• Weight Loss Resources has a sample menu for one day that you can try yourself.

• Zone Diet Information also has a sample menu plan for you to check out.

When you see these menu plans you will quickly see that the Zone Diet has a terrific variety of foods for you to eat. For more information on this plan it is a good idea to get the book, The Zone and read more about what this eating plan can do for you. There are also many other books available from Amazon with Zone Diet recipes and much more.