Zone Diet Guide

Zone Diet Benefits

Zone Diet Plan

Zone Diet Rules

Master The Zone

Zone Food Blocks

Zone Diet and Carbohydrate

Zone Diet and Glycemic Load

Zone Meals

Zone Snacks

Top Zone Food

Zone Diet Menu - Female

Zone Diet Menu - Male

The Zone Diet Plan

Zone Diet and Carbohydrates

Learning about carbohydrate is critical to the success of the Zone Diet program as carbohydrates are very potent simulators of insulin.  

Any excess eating of carbohydrate in a meal will disrupt the effort to keep insulin balance within a discrete zone.

To stay in the Zone we need to understand that different carbohydrate ingredients stimulates insulin production in different ways and have differing contents of fiber and water.

Most people know carbohydrate as pasta, sweets, vegetables and fruits.  Since fiber has no impact on insulin production, the fiber content in carbohydrate ingredients is subtracted out in determining the amount of insulin stimulating carbohydrate in a Zone meal.

Carbohydrate Zone Food Block 

Carbohydrate Zone Food Block is defined based on the amount of insulin stimulating carbohydrate in the food.

Zone Diet defines One Carbohydrate Zone Food Block as equivalent to 9 grams of insulin stimulating carbohydrate.

Some carbohydrate ingredients are extremely carbohydrate dense i.e. containing very little fiber and water.   It takes only a small amount to make up one carbohydrate Zone Food Block.  Grains and starches are examples of extremely carbohydrate dense ingredients.

Vegetables on the other hand contains lots of fiber and water and it takes a lot of vegetables to make up one carbohydrate Zone Food Block. 

Refer to Top Zone Food ingredients for Zone Diet guide on Top Zone Carbohydrate ingredients.