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Healthy Road Trip Snacks

More than 53% of Americans are expected to hit the road for their vacations this year 1. Flexibility of being able to go where you want, when you want, coupled with no baggage  restraints top the reasons why 2. Part of the fun of road trips is sampling new cuisines and hitting popular restaurants, but it’s important to be prepared and plan for the unexpected.  Being equipped with healthy snacks is not only handy in traffic and for “hangry” passengers, but will save you time, money, and counteract some of the inactivity and indulgences along the way.

It’s pretty easy to be in the Zone even on the road. The key is to remember to always balance your carbohydrates with protein and a little fat. Here are some snack ideas from each of the macronutrient groups. Some require a cooler but others need no refrigeration. The best part is that if you have to restock and there’s no grocery store in sight, you can find many of these items in convenience stores. This list will help you know which foods to choose.

Protein

Greek Yogurt: With anywhere from 12-20 grams of protein per serving this is pretty much Zone balanced with the amount of protein, carbs and fat (always good to still check labels). Look for the Greek yogurt tubes which eliminate the need for a spoon and are great way to avoid messes if you’re traveling with young kids. Freeze the sticks ahead of time to help with keeping things cool.

Jerky: Great protein option when you don’t have refrigeration that you can take on the go. Jerky has come a long way and you can find varieties with simple ingredients that are grass-fed, no nitrites, hormones, sugar, and low in sodium. Do try and drink water when eating them since they are a higher sodium food.

Hard-boiled egg whites: Assuming your passengers don’t mind the smell of eggs, egg whites are packed with protein and low in calories. Before you go, remove the yolk and then fill with hummus, guacamole, or even nut butters.

Tuna: No need for a can opener here. This comes in portable pouches for a convenient source of protein that doesn’t require refrigeration.

Cheese Sticks: Both kid and adult friendly these are perfectly portioned and when coupled with lower sugar fruits (think berries, apples, pears) they make the perfect Zone snack.

Deli meats: Roll-up a bunch of slices of lean deli meats for an easy and convenient protein choice on the go.

Edamame: For those looking for a plant-based source of protein, edamame is high in protein, high in fiber and supplies a bunch of vitamins and minerals too.

Carbohydrates

Veggie Sticks (Carrots, Cucumbers, Peppers, Celery, Snap Peas): Chopping vegetables may not fit in your to-do list before leaving, so go the prepared route and grab them in the refrigerated case at the store to save yourself some time.

Fruit: Although berries are one of our favorite fruits in the Zone, apples, oranges, clementines, and pears are probably the easiest fruits to bring since they don’t require refrigeration.

Pouches: Fruit and vegetables squeezers are not only are great for kids but are an easy and portable way to sneak in some fruits and veggies in a no-mess way for adults too. They don’t require refrigeration, but do check the labels to ensure they don’t contain any added sugar.

Baked Chickpeas: These are an easy and healthy snack you can make ahead and season to your liking if you’re looking for a snack with crunch.

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas. Blot them with a paper towel to dry. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil (1 tsp), and season to taste with salt and pepper or seasonings of your choosing. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until brown and crunchy.

Wasa Crackers: Although we recommend keeping grains and crackers to condiment sized portions, if you are looking for some crunchy carbs, Wasa crackers are good in a pinch. Each cracker is just about 1 Zone carbohydrate block.

Bread Alternatives: If you want a sandwich but are trying to avoid the bread, consider using the smaller versions of low-carb wraps or corn tortillas. Roll-up and cut into 1” pieces to make mini roll-ups you can share or swap the wrap for romaine lettuce for an added crunch.

Fat

Hummus: Great for dipping veggies and available in the individual containers so you can avoid the waste.

Guacamole: You can find mini versions of these in the store which supply about 100 calories and 3 grams of fat (~1 fat block in the Zone) per serving.

Nuts/Nut Butters: Nuts and nut butters make for a great snack choice, just be careful with your portions as they add up quick. You can find many brands selling single serve packages of nuts, but just be careful to read labels as what might appear as a single serving to you could easily add up to almost 3. Now you can find nuts in all kinds of flavors like wasabi or blueberry, but try and keep it plain as the flavored varieties generally have ingredients you should keep to a minimum, like sugar and corn syrup. Look for one or two ingredients in the Nutrition Facts max.

Beverages

Don’t forget to stay hydrated along the way and try to keep soda, coffee and caffeine to a minimum. 

Water: This is one of the best ways to stay hydrated. With so many reusable bottles that keep beverages cold for hours its easy to have a refreshing beverage and fill up again along the way. Add some lime, lemon, or orange slices for flavor. If using bottled water consider this tip from one of our customers: "I freeze bottles of water and use those instead of ice packs in a small cooler. This way you can drink the nice cold water as it melts, or refreeze them at your destination. The best part is you don’t have to cart around the ice packs once you are through."- Paula B

Seltzer: A great way to get the carbonation of soda without the calories and additives.

All-in-One Zone Meal/Snack Ideas

Zone Shake Mix: Easy to portion out into baggies, just bring your shaker cup and grab a small container of 2% milk and you have an easy meal on the go.

ZoneRx Bars: A perfectly balanced Zone snack that hits the sweet spot.

References

  1. Stats: 100 Million Americans to Go on Family Vacation This Year. Available at: https://www.travelagentcentral.com/running-your-business/stats-100-million-americans-to-go-family-vacation-year. Accessed: July 17, 2019
  2. The Great American Road Trip: Shorter and More Popular Than Ever. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/16/travel/road-trips-in-the-united-states.html. Accessed: July 17, 2019.

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062524---Keto-Blog

Ketogenic Diets and Aging

Chances are, you or someone you know has tried the keto diet at some point in time. This high-fat, very low-carbohydrate eating plan appeals to many due to its promise of rapid weight loss. In this blog, Dr. Sears explores some of the latest scientific findings on ketogenic diets and provides caution before hopping on this trend. What is a Ketogenic Diet? The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate eating plan. This significant reduction in carbohydrates to induce a metabolic state is called ketosis. This only occurs when there is not enough carbohydrates in your liver to completely convert fatty acids to carbon dioxide and water. The normal conversion generates the chemical energy (ATP) that keeps us alive. In the absence of ketosis, each fatty acid generates 108 molecules of ATP when oxidized in the mitochondria. Ketone bodies make less ATP when they are metabolized by mitochondria. How much less? About five times less. This is like switching the gasoline in your car from high-octane fuel to low octane fuel as ketone bodies increase in the blood. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, ketones are not an ideal energy source for the brain, as glucose remains the preferred fuel for ATP production in brain cells. Lack of blood glucose is a highly stressful situation for the brain. This is why the body secretes the stress hormone cortisol from the adrenal glands during ketosis to breakdown protein and convert the amino acids into glucose for the brain. This explains why even under complete starvation for 38 days, the blood glucose levels never dropped below 68 mg/dL. This is still considered as a normal blood sugar level. Where did this blood glucose come from if there was none in the diet for 38 days? The answer is neo-glucogenesis primarily using lean body mass. Ketogenic Diets Pros and Cons Interest in ketogenic diets rises and falls about every 20 years. They’re very low-carbohydrate diets that claim that carbohydrates make you fat and keep you fat. This is simply not true. It is not carbohydrates per se but a disrupted metabolism that makes you fat. To be more specific, it is the inhibition of AMPK, the master regulator of your metabolism that makes you fat. Why? As AMPK activity increases, you burn stored fat faster. Frankly, I’ve always been amazed by the re-emergence of ketogenic diets. Eighteen years ago, I published the premier clinical study demonstrating that, under equal calorie intake in which all the food was provided to the subjects for six weeks, the Zone Diet was better than a ketogenic diet in reducing total weight, excess body fat, and inflammation. Now, a recent study revealed some more very concerning findings about the long-term effects of ketogenic diets. This new study indicated that following a keto diet causes a rise in senescent cells, popularly known as “zombie cells.” Zombie Cells are damaged cells that no longer divide but don't die. That’s bad enough, but zombie cells continue spreading inflammation throughout the body. As the number of zombie cells increases in your body, they become a living nightmare. Why? Zombie cells accelerate aging because they cause the earlier development of many chronic diseases. In this study they found that zombie cells in the animals began to appear while they were on a ketogenic diet. The zombie cells then disappeared when researchers changed the diet to a “non-ketogenic diet” (i.e., the Zone diet). And when the animals were given a Keto diet again, the zombie cells reappeared. Notice a trend? If you want to hear more about this study you can listen to our recent podcast at Dr.Sears.com. Based on earlier blogs, this adds to the list of downsides for following a ketogenic diet versus the Zone Diet. PROS Rapid initial weight loss: This is primarily due to the loss of retained water from the glycogen stores in the liver, which is rapidly used up to maintain blood sugar levels. Since these glycogen stores in the liver contain significant levels of retained water, much of the initial weight loss is water rather than stored body fat. If your main goal is loss retained water, this can be seen as a benefit. Of course, going to a sauna would also work. Reduced hunger: Ketogenic diets are rich in protein. Any increase in protein intake can help reduce hunger. CONS Production of acetone: One of the ketone bodies produced during ketosis is acetone, which is also the main chemical in nail polish. Increased calcium loss: A ketogenic diet can lead to higher calcium loss from bones. Limited fat utilization: High levels of dietary fat reduce the likelihood of using stored body fat for energy unless you also significantly restrict calories. Reduced energy levels: The lack of ATP production on a ketogenic diet can lead to easier fatigue during mild exercise. Damage from cheat meals: After seven days on a keto diet, a single high-carb cheat meal can damage blood vessels. Lack of polyphenols: This makes it difficult to activate genes that optimize metabolism by improving mitochondrial efficiency in converting fat into ATP. No long-term weight loss advantage: Long-term studies show no difference in weight loss between a ketogenic diet and a low-fat, high-carb diet. No short-term metabolic advantage: Careful studies demonstrate that fat loss on a ketogenic diet is the same as on a low-fat, high-carb diet with the same caloric intake. Compromised gut health: A lack of fermentable fiber from carbohydrates can lead to poor gut health and an increased risk of developing a leaky gut, which can cause significant inflammation. Furthermore, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) are the metabolic product of fermentable fiber. These SCFA are powerful epigenetic signaling agents that enhance gene transcription. Ketosis generates a different type of hydroxylated short fatty acid (3-hydroxyl butyrate, that has no effect on gene transcription. In addition, the lack of SCFA has significant negative consequences on the gut-brain axis. Cortisol build-up: To produce glucose for the brain, cortisol levels increase to breakdown protein to make sufficient glucose via neoglucogenesis. Excess cortisol can lead to insulin resistance that cause regain of some of initially loss body fat. In addition, increased cortisol levels cause a depressed immune system as well as destruction of memory cells in the hippocampus. The initial benefits of following the ketogenic diet result in some initial weight loss (primarily water weight rather than fat loss), long-term studies show no significant differences in overall weight loss. Now new findings show a ketogenic diet may lead to significant adverse health consequences by accelerating the formation of zombie cells. Call me crazy, but I feel the key to longevity and wellness comes down to better metabolic control instead of living in a constant state of ketosis. Following Metabolic Engineering® for a lifetime provides that pathway of losing body fat without ketosis. References 1. Johnston CS, Tjonn SL, Swan PD, White A, Hutchins H, and Sears B. “Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets.” Am J Clin Nutr 2006 83:1055-61. 2. White AM, Johnston CS, Swan PD, Tjonn SL, and Sears B. “Blood ketones are directly related to fatigue and perceived effort during exercise in overweight adults adhering to low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss: a pilot study.” J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 107:1792-1796. 3. Sung-Jen Wei, Joseph R Schell, E Sandra Chocron, Mahboubeh Varmazyad, Guogang Xu, Wan Hsi Chen, Gloria M Martinez, Felix F Dong, Prethish Sreenivas, Rolando Trevino Jr , Haiyan Jiang, Yan Du, Afaf Saliba, Wei Qian, Brandon Lorenzana, Alia Nazarullah, Jenny Chang, Kumar Sharma, Erin Munkácsy, Nobuo Horikoshi, David Gius. Ketogenic diet induces p53-dependent cellular senescence in multiple organs. Sci Adv. 2024 May 17;10(20):eado1463. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.ado1463. 4. Owen OE, Felig P, Morgan AP, Wahren J, Cahill GF Jr. Liver and kidney metabolism during prolonged starvation. J Clin Invest. 1969 Mar;48(3):574-83. doi: 10.1172/JCI106016. 5. Chriett, S., Dąbek, A., Wojtala, M. et al. Prominent action of butyrate over β-hydroxybutyrate as histone deacetylase inhibitor, transcriptional modulator and anti-inflammatory molecule. Sci Rep 9, 742 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-36941-9. 6. Silva YP, Bernardi A, Frozza RL. The Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids From Gut Microbiota in Gut-Brain Communication. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2020 Jan 31;11:25. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2020.00025. 

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050824---Tofu-Blog

Tofu: Tips and Recipes Ideas

I have been eating tofu for a very long time, much longer than the 30 or so years I have been following the Zone Diet. Back then many of my favorite recipes came from the Tassajara cookbooks by Edward Espe Brown, the celebrated chef from the kitchen at California’s famous Zen Mountain Center, and cookbooks by Louise Hagler, a.k.a. Wendy Louise, a well-known authority on vegetarian cooking who is associated with a community in Tennessee known as The Farm. Those books are still among the best resources for tofu recipes. My mantra has always been if you don’t like something, don’t eat it. Keep this in mind if you’re new to tofu, start slowly by combining it with flavors and foods you like.    Tips and Suggestions    Firm-sprouted tofu is my preference for the Zone Diet. Unlike traditional tofu, which contains significant amounts of both protein and carbohydrate, sprouted has almost no carbohydrates. It’s lighter tasting, refreshing, and very filling.   Freezing tofu results in a chewy, sponge-like texture. I don’t recommend freezing, but some people prefer it when using tofu to substitute for meat in a recipe.    Baked tofu comes in a variety of flavors and makes an excellent quick meal with some vegetables and fruit added. It’s also great in salads.     Tofu made it into the book “The Top 100 Zone Foods” by Barry Sears.    Some recipes call for draining the tofu first. I find that usually isn’t necessary.   Tofu takes on the flavor of whatever is added to it.    Add nutritional yeast flakes to give a cheesy flavor to vegan tofu scrambles and dips. It’s also rich in protein and vitamin B12.   Cherry Vanilla Tofu “Ice Cream”   Tip: This doesn’t freeze or store well, so prepare only the amount you plan to serve immediately.   Using an immersion blender or a food processor blend equal parts of frozen dark cherries and firm tofu, plus some vanilla extract (preferably alcohol-free for best flavor). Serve immediately.  Tofu Scramble  This is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and we’ve even brought it on long day hikes for a snack.   Crumble some firm tofu and stir in a generous amount of seasonings, taking care not to overdo it with the salt. Heat in a well-seasoned or nonstick skillet with a little Zone-friendly oil to the desired doneness.    Optional: If time allows, sauté some chopped onion in the skillet before adding the tofu and seasonings.    My favorite seasoning combination for this dish at my house is onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, paprika, some oregano or thyme, nutritional yeast flakes, salt, and ground black pepper. The yellow color of the turmeric makes it somewhat like scrambled eggs.   Tofu Veggie Almond Pasta Salad   Dressing: Thin some smooth almond butter by stirring in some water, a little vinegar, and either soy sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (an unfermented soy sauce found in the health food section of most grocery stores).    Toss together cooked Dr. Sears’ Zone PastaRx Fusilli, tofu cut into cubes, matchstick cut red bell pepper, chopped green parts of scallions (a.k.a. green onions), and the almond butter dressing. Serve immediately or chill to serve later. It will keep well in the fridge for two or three days.   Use your imagination and see what you can come up with.  Experiment and have fun with it. Try using tofu to make cheesecakes, whipped desserts, tofu chocolate pudding, tofu “cream” based soups, tofu pot pie (think chicken pot pie), tofu burgers, tofu burritos, Buffalo tofu (like Buffalo wings), layered Mediterranean dips, tofu “meatballs”, grilled tofu, and more.    Enjoy! 

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