Zone Living Articles
What 30 Grams of Protein Looks Like
To gain the most metabolic advantages from your diet, Dr. Sears recommends a Zone meal be no more than 400 total calories to help stabilize blood sugar and insulin levels and minimize inflammation. Those 400 calories should be made up of approximately 30 grams of protein, less than 12 grams of fat, and 40 grams of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus fiber). Ideally your carbohydrate choices should be primarily from non-starchy vegetables which are rich in fermentable fiber and high in polyphenols to balance the hormones in the blood. A perfectly balanced Zone meal should control hunger and fatigue for 4-5 hours by stabilizing blood sugar levels. Here we’ll visually show you what that amount of protein can look like. No Time To Count Your Macros? Here's A Simple Way to Zone Your Plate Divide your plate into 3 sections. Use the “hand-eye” method or visuals above to estimate the appropriate portion size of lean protein and “favorable” carbohydrates for your meal. A serving of low-fat protein should be about the size and thickness of your palm. The rest of your plate is balanced with primarily low glycemic vegetables and small amount of fruits and legumes. The last thing to add before it’s truly a Zone meal – a small amount of “good” fat. “Good” fats are monounsaturated like Extra Virgin Olive Oil or slivered almonds. Looking for a Quick Zone Meal? Think Zone Foods. Zone PastaRx is a great option with a side of 2-3 servings of your favorite vegetables. Top that with a drizzle of olive oil and you are good to go! If you’re in a rush our ZoneRx Shakes and ZoneRx Bars make for a quick meals or snack option!
Why Dietary Protein Is the Key to Weight Loss
The new generation of injectable weight loss drugs has captured national attention. Of course, it is always helpful to read the fine print. These drugs do cause weight loss, but nearly 40 percent of that loss is lean body muscle. Your metabolic efficiency decreases when you lose lean body mass (like that found in your organs). Consequently, once you stop taking these injectable drugs, the weight loss rapidly returns, but primarily as increased body fat. Essentially, these injectable weight loss drugs are “forever” drugs. Great news for the drug companies, but not so good for the patient because the same drugs cause numerous side effects. Finding a Dietary Alternative The first thing is to understand that these injectable weight loss drugs use the metabolic pathways that have existed for millions of years. The second thing to realize is that dietary protein is the natural stimulus for releasing the hormones that suppress appetite. Finally, to achieve fat loss, you must reduce insulin resistance (1). So, could a dietary system providing adequate dietary protein and decreasing insulin resistance provide a pathway for fat loss without losing lean body mass? Fortunately, such a dietary system has been shown to do that. That dietary system is the Zone diet. The foundation for the Zone diet was first described in my book, The Zone, published in 1995 (2). The basic patent for using the Zone diet to reduce insulin resistance was applied in 1992 and issued in 2000 (3). Since that time, I have continued to add several dietary enhancements to the basic concept to make the Zone diet an appropriate alternative to Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and other potential hormonal-based drugs not only for weight loss but also as a treatment for diseases that are strongly associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The term that describes this evolving overall technology is Metabolic Engineering™. How can the Zone diet increase the hormones that cause satiety? The essential hormones that cause satiety are released from the gut in response to the protein levels at each meal. If you have adequate protein levels at a meal, these hormones will travel directly to the brain to stop hunger. If you don’t have enough protein at a meal, these satiety hormones will not be released, and appetite quickly returns. So, what is the right amount of protein you need to consume at every meal? The answer is about 30 grams of protein. Another benefit of consuming this level of dietary protein at a meal is that it stimulates three additional hormones to suppress hunger as opposed to the current injectable drug approved for weight loss. Why not consume more protein at a meal for even greater satiety? There are two reasons. The first reason is that higher protein levels stimulate insulin release from the pancreas. Excess insulin secretion slows down fat loss (1). The second reason is that extra protein overstimulates the gene transcription factor mTOR, inhibiting AMPK activity (4). Furthermore, any reduction of AMPK activity slows down the burning of stored body fat. The Nutritional Power of Balance Additionally, you must balance that appropriate amount of protein with the correct amount of low-glycemic carbohydrates to maintain stable blood sugar levels. If the 30 grams of protein at a meal is balanced with carbohydrates rich in fermentable fiber, this allows the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by gut microbes that further enhance satiety hormones from the gut (5). The best carbs are low glycemic carbohydrates, primarily non-starchy vegetables, just like your grandmother told you to eat. To maximize the satiety benefits, you will need about 30 grams of protein at every meal, but you will also need about 40 grams of fiber-rich carbohydrates at each meal to generate the maximum satiety effect. This allows short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by gut microbes that further enhance the release of satiety hormones from the gut (5). . This is the foundation of the Zone diet’s patented ability to reduce insulin resistance, which is the key to losing excess body fat. References Ruderman NB et al. AMPK, insulin resistance, and the metabolic syndrome. J Clin Invest 123:2764-2772 (2013). doi: 10.1172/JCI67227 Sears B. The Zone. Regan Books. New York, NY. (1995) Sears Method of and nutritional and pharmaceutical compositions for reduction of hyperinsulinemia. U.S. Patent No. 6,140,304 (2000) Gonzalez A et al. AMPK and TOR: The Yin and Yang of cellular nutrient sensing and growth control. Cell Metab 31:472-492 (2020). doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.01.015 Christiansen CB et al. The impact of short-chain fatty acids on GLP-1 and PYY secretion from the isolated perfused rat colon. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 315:G53-G65 (2018). doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00346.2017
Lean Body Mass Q&A with Dr. Sears
Most of us are familiar with the advantages of lean body mass from a physical perspective; the more you have, the more fat you burn. It turns out that this topic is a bit more complex than burn fat faster. In this Q&A, Dr. Sears answers your questions about the science of lean body mass, how to gain it, and what makes you lose it. Question: What is the difference between lean body mass and muscle mass? Lean body mass is your total weight minus your total body fat. Lean body mass includes muscle, organs, bones, skin, and water. Although your muscle mass is the main part of the “lean body mass” component that can grow, the other components of lean body mass require incoming protein to maintain themselves too. This is because you are losing about one million damaged cells per second and must replace those removed damaged cells. Without adequate incoming protein, that cellular replacement process slows down. Question: What are some possible reasons why you may be losing muscle? Answer: It impossible to measure muscle mass directly because nearly 80 percent of muscle weight is composed of water. The best way to determine if your muscle mass is increasing or decreasing is your strength. If you are losing strength, you might be losing muscle mass for several reasons, but the primary one is not consuming enough protein to maintain your lean body mass. Emotional stress is another factor that can lead to muscle mass loss as it causes increased insulin resistance. This is because insulin is required to activate the building of muscle. Insulin resistance makes it difficult for insulin to activate the appropriate receptors to stimulate new muscle synthesis. Finally, you only build muscle by stressing it by exercise. This means you not only have to have adequate protein but also be doing resistant exercise to maintain and hopefully increase your existing muscle mass. Question: What part of my lean body mass gets access to incoming dietary protein? Your body’s primary concern is protecting your organs. Therefore, they get the first crack at incoming dietary protein. The goal for those trying to lose weight is to lose fat and maintain lean body mass. The classic way is to reduce calorie intake, but you must ensure that you take in adequate protein to preserve your lean body mass. This ensures that weight loss is primarily fat loss, not lean body mass. For example, the current generation of injectable weight loss drugs stops hunger, which often leads to decreased protein intake. As a result, nearly 40 percent of the weight loss using these injectable drugs comes from losing lean body mass. (Read more about injectable weight loss drugs here.) Question: How much protein do you recommend daily to maintain lean body mass? Answer: The average person requires about 30 grams of protein at each meal to maintain lean body mass. This is about 90 grams of protein per day for most individuals. Very active individuals may need up to 40 grams of protein at each meal or about 120 grams of protein per day. The first 30 grams of dietary protein go for maintaining existing lean body mass. Any amount over that can be used to build new muscle, but only if the muscle is being stressed by exercise. Beyond 40 grams of protein at a meal, you start to develop insulin resistance, and there are no further benefits in building new muscle. Question: What are your recommendations for individuals looking to gain weight healthfully or gain muscle mass? Answer: The key is to have adequate, but not excessive, protein at each meal balanced with enough carbohydrates to maintain satiety between meals. That will be about 30 grams of protein and 40 grams of low-glycemic load carbohydrates consisting of primarily non-starchy vegetables and a dash of fat. That is about 400 calories per meal. This will allow you to maintain lean body mass without increasing stored body fat. To increase muscle mass, you need to increase your protein intake to no more than 40 grams of protein coupled with about 50 grams of low glycemic carbohydrates, plus exercise your muscles to stimulate their growth. The best exercise to induce muscle formation is high-intensity interval training (HIIT). The following best method is standard resistance training to fatigue. Question: What foods would you recommend using for weight gain? Answer: Getting adequate protein at dinner is usually no problem, but it is more difficult to do at breakfast and lunch. Once you get the desired protein amount (about 30 grams per meal), balance it with moderate amounts of low-glycemic carbohydrates (non-starchy vegetables being the best), followed by a dash of fat. That could be a vegetable omelet with eight egg whites in the morning, a lunch salad with four ounces of chicken breast with extra non-starchy vegetables, and six ounces of fish with more non-starchy vegetables at dinner. Question: Is there a way to tell if you are gaining weight correctly? Answer: Gaining new muscle requires effort, but it is worth it. You know when you taking in too many calories if your waist-to-height ratio exceeds 0.5. Question: When should you see a healthcare provider about losing muscle? Are there any specific signs and symptoms to look for? Answer: The underlying cause of loss of muscle mass is increased insulin resistance coupled with decreased physical activity. The primary consequence of loss of muscle mass is increased frailty. This is most frequently seen in older demographics. It is difficult to maintain muscle mass as one ages. Therefore, reducing insulin resistance, consuming adequate protein, and increasing physical activity are critical at every age. Question: Why do we lose muscle mass as we age? Answer: There are three reasons that muscle mass is lost with aging. Insulin resistance (i.e., metabolic inefficiency) is the primary one, as insulin is anabolic hormone that activates mTOR. If you have insulin resistance, the simulating effect of insulin is reduced. Another is the reduction of growth hormone secretion that causes production of IGF-1 that uses the same pathway for mTOR activation as insulin. The third is decreased stress on the muscle that is needed to work in combination with mTOR for skeletal muscle synthesis. Finally, it becomes increasingly difficult to consume adequate protein with age to provide the necessary building blocks (e.g. the amino acid leucine) which is a direct stimulator of mTOR. I spoke about many of these concepts in The Anti-Aging Zone published in 1999. Have more questions for Dr. Sears? Let us know in the comments below!
Kitchen Organization
I always have a laundry list of home projects on my to-do list that often get pushed to the back burner due to lack of time. One of my goals over the summer months was to start tackling some reorganization projects around the house. The first was the 20 or so tubs of clothes that have been sitting in my attic. With four girls we are grateful to be inundated with hand-me-downs, but it can get overwhelming to sort through them, organize and label by size and donate the ones we won’t use. I’m sure everyone has a project on their list that feels this way. Even though the hardest part is getting started, I always find the reward of feeling accomplished and organized is completely worth it. Fast forward to my kitchen which was another to-do-list item before going back to school. A couple weeks ago I took some time to clean out the fridge, wash my shelves, throw out expired foods, reorganize and vacuum my pantry, and deep clean the counters and drawers. Trust me when I tell you that having your kitchen space organized, and tidy is a game changer for eating healthy and planning ahead. Here are some reasons to add this to your to-do list and why science supports having an organized space too. Knowing What You Have Makes Meal Planning Easier: How many times have you gone to the grocery store only to come home with several items you already had on hand? Going through your refrigerator and pantry regularly allows you to see what ingredients you have, what you need to use before it goes bad, and what you need to buy. I also find that looking through my refrigerator and pantry allows me to get a bit more creative at putting ingredients together and planning my meals ahead for the week. This also saves money on buying unnecessary items. Keep Like Things Together: This might sound like common sense, but when you're rushed for time it’s easy to just throw things in the cabinet or fridge and close the door. This can lead to things becoming unorganized quickly, having duplicates in different spots, or items that go bad because they got shoved to the back of the fridge. Have designated spaces for your pantry items and give everything a place in the fridge. Having like things together and visible makes meal prep more efficient and easier for everyone in the house to know where things go. Declutter Your Counters: Having an organized and decluttered kitchen makes cooking and cleaning easier. The kitchen often becomes the place where everyone piles their stuff from papers and mail to dirty dishes and plates. If you have a hard time navigating through your space because your counters are filled with clutter it can make it more challenging to cook and makes you less efficient with your time. Plus, studies have shown that when your eating environment is less cluttered and chaotic, you eat less, so decluttering is good for your waistline too! Ideas to declutter your counters: -Relocate appliances you use infrequently that might be taking up valuable counter space. -Keep condiments and spices off the counter by hanging a rack on one of your walls or over the pantry door. -Move papers, mail, and junk to a designated space in your entryway or drawer. If that is not possible consider one of those upright mail organizers and store it on an exterior counter to keep it away from your main prep space. -Move produce from the counter to a drawer. I recently saw a feature where countertop produce like onions, garlic, and even avocados that don’t need to be refrigerated could be put into removal bins and stored in a deep island drawer. Food for thought, but just don’t forget they’re there! Consider Containers and Storage Organization to Optimize Efficiency: Using clear plastic containers and storage organization for cabinets and drawers can help you maintain an efficient and decluttered space. Using air-tight canisters for ingredients and spices and labeling each jar helps to avoid forgetting what is inside. You would be amazed at the level of things you can do to organize even the smallest spaces from drawer dividers, pantry basket and bins, shelving, and even magnetic wall holders for utensils. You don’t need to invest a ton of money but a few google searches on optimizing your space and you would be amazed at the possibilities and what you can do with items you already have on hand. Tackling any project, no matter what it is can feel daunting and hard to start, but the reward is well worth it. When it comes to your kitchen, investing the hours upfront to organize and declutter will result in future hours and money saved on being more efficient in your space. Your health will thank you too!