Zone Perfect—How To Create The Best Zone Diet Meal Plan For Your Lifestyle

Zone Perfect Portions

To help its participants, the makers of the Zone Diet have divided the meals of any given day into blocks. The Zone Diet recommends that a woman should consume eleven blocks per day, which generally means three 3-block meals and two 1-block snacks daily. For men, the Zone Diet recommends that they consume fourteen blocks per day. This means that they should consume three 4-block meals per day, and two 1-block snacks per day.

In order to determine how many blocks a particular food is worth, a Zone Diet participant should consult their Enter The Zone books, where they will find a mini-block guide. This guide will prove to be an essential aid when in comes to constructing a zone diet eating plan. The mini-block guide tells not only how much of the food is worth one block, but also which category the food falls under (i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, or fats).

Let’s Cook A Three Block Zone Perfect Meal

If you were looking to construct a three-block meal as part of your zone diet meal plan, then you would start by choosing a food that you wanted to include in your meal. Chicken, which is one ounce per mini-block. Thus, to make a full block, you would need three mini-blocks of chicken. These three mini-blocks would be equivalent to one full block of protein.

Now that you have the protein part of your meal taken care of, it is time to decide on your carbohydrates. In order to form one block of carbohydrates, you need three mini-blocks. One mini-block of carbohydrates is equivalent to 1 cup of green beans, 2 cups of yellow squash, or 1 glass of wine. Thus, by adding these three items to your meal, you will be fulfilling the 1-block carbohydrate requirement of the zone diet meal plan.

Lastly, it is time to choose the fats that will comprise your zone diet meal plan. Three mini-blocks of fat are needed to make one block of fat. One mini-block of fat is the same as 1 teaspoon of slivered almonds, or 1/3 teaspoon of butter. By garnishing your chicken with almonds and adding a small amount of butter to your vegetables, you will have met the one block fat requirement for the meal.

Well, there you have it. A 3-block zone diet plan, made up of three-mini blocks of each protein, carbohydrates, and fat. By mixing up the various options in different combinations, you will never grow bored of your zone diet meal plan.

Eating A Zone Perfect Meal At A Restaurant

One of the hardest parts of dieting is giving up going out to dinner. The food, while deliciously prepared, is usually high in fat and calorie content. The makers of the Zone diet understand this, and provide some tips for Zone Diet participants who wish to dine out.

The first rule of following the Zone Diet when eating out is, to try and ignore the breadbasket that is placed in front of you at the beginning of the meal. Why waste your allowance of carbohydrates on rolls?

When it comes to ordering your zone diet meal plan itself, the Zone Diet experts recommend that you choose your protein source first and then create the rest of your meal around this choice. Chicken or fish is a good protein choice. You can fulfill your carbohydrate allotment by requesting that any potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread that comes with your meal be replaced with extra vegetables.

The most important rule of dining out on the Zone Diet is that you should never eat the entire meal—the portions are always humongous! Ask for part of your meal to be boxed so that you can bring it home with you. The leftovers can be eaten on another night.

In The Zone