The Zone Diet is a low carb diet and has been a favourite among celebrities including Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Aniston. The Zone Diet promises to help you lose 5 pounds in the first two weeks, and then another pound for each week you’re on it.

Zone Diet Information: The Diet

The theory behind the Zone Diet is that by eating the right nutrients to keep your hormones balanced, you’ll be able to eat fewer calories without experiencing hunger dips or negative health effects. The Zone Diet aims to regulate the hormone insulin, which controls blood sugar levels and is responsible for making and keeping us fat – it’s also linked to diabetes.

The Zone Diet claims to be a moderate diet that does not ban any food groups. Moderate amounts of low glycaemic load carbs (carbs that don’t cause energy spikes and dips) are allowed – however these mostly come in the form of fruits and vegetables. The Zone Diet is high in lean protein and allows for moderate amounts of monounsaturated fats. The idea is that following a low fat diet causes the body to store more fat as a reserve, so by allowing yourself some healthy fats and restricting carbs, your body won’t hang onto excess fat and instead will burn it for energy.

Zone Diet Information: How It Works

The basis of the Zone Diet is to eat the right proportions of protein, fat and carbs – low carb, high protein and moderate fat. For each meal, 40% of the calories should come from carbs (but bear in mind that these will mainly be vegetables); 30 per cent from protein and 30 per cent from fat. To make it more complicated, you then have Zone Food Blocks representing the amount of food you can eat at each meal – and the number of blocks you’re allowed depends on your weight and height!

As a rule of thumb though, for each meal you should aim for enough protein to cover the palm of your hand (and about as thick as your hand), unlimited raw non starchy vegetables, fruit and then a small amount of fat and carbs – just enough to keep you feeling full and alert.

Besides the diet itself, the Zone Diet also focuses on getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids – in fact experts say that it was the Zone Diet that first made taking Omega 3 supplements popular – recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, 6 days a week, plus taking vitamin and mineral supplements.

Zone Diet Information: Good Foods

• Most fruits and vegetables (but starchy vegetables such as pumpkin, squash, peas and root vegetables should only be eaten in moderation – this accounts for most of your carb intake)
• Fish
• Skinless chicken and turkey
• Egg whites
• Low fat dairy
• Small amounts of healthy fats from foods like olive oil, nuts and avocadoes and canola oil
• Tiny portions of oatmeal, barley and grains

Zone Diet Information: Banned Foods

• Cereals
• Rice
• Pasta, noodles
• Potatoes
• Red meat
• Corn, carrots, bananas, raisons
• Bread, cakes, muffins, pastries
• Egg yolks
• Sweets, chocolate, jam
• Junk food
• Processed food
• Full cream dairy products

Zone Diet Information: Pros

• Cutting back on junk food and saturated fat and filling up on fruit and veg is a good idea
• The idea behind the Zone Diet that diets should not be about will power but rather about keeping yourself feeling full on healthier foods is a good one
• Following this diet will cut back your calorie intake and should result in some weight loss – however it’s likely to be short lived once you go off the diet

Zone Diet Information: Cons

• The calories consumed are worryingly low – just 1000 – 1300 calories
• Most experts are sceptical of the theory that controlling insulin helps you lose weight – they say it’s purely because you’re eating less calories – and there are far simpler and nicer ways to eat fewer calories
• You’ll feel tired and weak for the first few days of following the Zone Diet and possibly longer
• Nutrition experts say the diet does not provide the body with enough essential nutrients and recommends the consumption of too much meat – however it is possible to follow the Zone Diet as a vegetarian using Soy protein 
• Working out the percentages and Food Blocks of each food group in meals can be time consuming, complicated and expensive – you have to weigh and measure everything before eating it and you’ll need a Zone Diet book, measuring scales and possibly pre-packaged ready meals and supplements too
• A diet this restrictive isn’t sustainable
• Eating out becomes difficult as you’re counting percentages and Food Blocks

Zone Diet Information: What the Experts Say

'This diet is really just another low-carbohydrate diet with a different name and the reason for such rapid weight loss initially is the same as for the Atkins diet – a loss of stored carbohydrate,” says Blue Skies nutritionist and KeeptheDoctorAway.co.uk resident nutrition expert Sam Howells.

“Additionally, this is a pretty low calorie diet that would not be at all sensible for the majority of people, especially those that take part in any physical activity.”

Howells says that there is much debate about insulin’s role in hunger suppression and fat metabolism.
“Although it’s true that insulin plays a part, we must also remember that other factors determine hunger levels too, such as the fibre and protein content of a food,” she says.

“The recommendation of 30% fat, 30% protein and 40% carbohydrate is not far off that already being consumed by the majority of Westerners, but is this really healthy? Maybe not, when we consider that the Western world has the highest levels of heart disease and cancer!”

On the plus side, Howells says that this diet encourages the consumption of more ’healthy fats’ and will encourage the participant to consume more fruit and vegetables, which will increase their intake of vitamins, minerals and water.

“However, any diet which recommends that you take a multi-vitamin and mineral tablet suggests that the diet itself is not well balanced,' she concludes.