Keep your hormones in check and you’ll keep your gut in line, too—or so goes the reasoning behind the Zone Diet. The Zone 1-2-3 method is the latest iteration of Dr. Barry Sears’s popular Zone Diet that first came out in the mid-1990s. Sears says he’s found the magic formula of carbs to protein that you need to turn your body into a fat-burning machine. But are his diet, food line, and related supplements all smoke and mirrors?
The Program: On the Zone 1-2-3 meal plan, you eat three meals and one snack a day, and also pop two supplements: a Zone OmegaRx omega-3 fatty acid pill and a Zone Polyphenol supplement. Sears and his team have created souped up versions of your favorite starches—breads, pastas, cookies, pretzels, to name a few—and replaced some of the carbs with specially formulated Zone Protein and fat. (Search: healthy carbs) At each meal, you’re supposed to eat one of these Zone Foods, in addition to a combination of vegetables, fruit, a low-fat protein, or legumes.
The Claim: According to Sears, cellular inflammation caused by insulin spikes your body experiences from eating too many refined carbs and high levels of omega-6 fatty acids is at the root of our weight problems. He claims that it flips a “master genetic switch” that promotes weight gain, and if you reduce cellular inflammation, your body can burn fat faster. To control this widespread inflammation, Sears says that you need to enter “the Zone”—a hormonal balance that you can achieve by eating a specific ratio of carbs to protein to fat (40:30:30), lowering your levels of omega-6 fatty acids, and regulating insulin levels. (Video: Get the ultimate fat burning breakfast)
The Facts: “The [nutritional] percentages in the Zone Diet aren’t really so terrible, although the protein intake is pretty high,” says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Too much protein can stress your kidneys and lead to dehydration. “Still, that breakdown doesn’t have any special magic to it either. And the hormones [that fluctuate during] a woman’s monthly cycle affect appetite control as much as any other hormone.” In fact, there’s little scientific evidence that the diet has any effect on hormones or metabolism, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. An even bigger blow to the Zone Diet: There’s no proof that eating a 40:30:30 ratio of carbs to protein to fat regulates insulin levels better than following traditional food guidelines. Plus, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that after a year on the Zone Diet, people lost only 3.5 pounds. (Want to drop 15 pounds in 32 days? Pick up a copy of The Flat Belly Diet! to find out how.)
While there’s evidence that omega-3 supplements may help lower the risk of heart disease and alleviate depression, the other add-ons of the Zone Diet have drawn criticism from some dietitians. You’re probably better off getting protein from whole food sources such as fish, skinless chicken, and low-fat dairy than from enhanced breads and pastas. Still, because the Zone Diet doesn’t cut out any major food groups, there are far worse options.
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