Hi there.

How close to the Zone are South Beach Diet recipes? They seem to be Zoneable, and look delicious and simple enough. What do you think?

You can adjust them to fit the Zone using the Zone Food Block Guide as your basis. You can find it in the Resources section on drsears.com

Ayesha, how close they are to being Zone balanced depends on the individual recipe. Here's the Food Block Guide I mentioned in my previous post: http://drsears.com/ArticlePreview/t...fault.aspx

Thank you. We are stuck in a food / menu rut. And I am looking for some different "zoneable" recipes with more vegetables and a lot of flavor. SBD recipes appear to be very healthy, although maybe not as precise as Zone blocks or Zone recipes.

I also remember George Stella's show, "Low Carb and Loving It", that aired on FoodTV sometime ago. I will look at his recipes also, and make adjustments as needed.

I think you could very sucessfully zone a sbd recipe, just have to pay attention to favorable food choices and use general zone ratios. Good luck!

Ayesha, I used to watch his show too. I got lots of idea from it that spurred me on to becoming more creative with the Zone.

Low carb and vegetrarian cook books are another good source of ideas. They are full of endless vegetable and flavor combinations combinations. Definitely a good way to get out of that rut. Salad cook books are good for this too.

If you're looking for delicious, healthy, low-glycemic recipes, try A Doctor's Kitchen (google it). The creator used to post on here.

nice idea, I think I remember her and the website!

Thank you! I found "A Doctor's Kitchen" and will browse around the site. Part of the challenge is we have a tight schedule with my 4 year old twin daughters' schedule, so cooking is at a bare minimum these days. I make sure they are Zoned, and I have been less than for sometime, and was surprised when my clothes are a little too tight for my comfort. So, I know I have to get back into the Zone 110% now.

Also, my husband developed heart disease a few years ago, and I had a moment of long overdue vindication when his cardiologist told him that he should eat like me and the girls! with the Zone or SBD I tried for a long time to get him to eat correctly - and it has been in vain. So, I am looking for some different meals and try to get him Zoned again. He is Egyptian, and for them, bread is a natural utensil. And to make it worse, he brings fresh gourmet bread home almost everyday! There is an incredible amount of bread in our standup freezer and 2 regular freezers, and I hate the breadcrumbs! I personally don't eat a lot of bread, and I give the girls some healthy wrap bread from Costco that has a high protein content occasionally. We have ordered some of the Zone baked goods in the past, and eat our blocks accordingly - but my husband is of the opinion that our serving sizes are for the birds. Portion control is definitely an issue for him. It is literally maddening and saddening at the same time, to watch someone you love, who is the father of your children and the bread winner of the family, to literally eat themselves into a chronic illness, and not make the necessary changes. Deep sigh. So, I cannot control him, but I do make sure the girls are Zoned (and they are so calm, well behaved, high attention spans, and super smart, masha'Allah [may God protect them] and I have to get back on track myself, and drag him along with me.

Any advice is appreciated.

Ayesha, I agree, you can't control another person. Changes in eating and lifestyle habits have to come from within the person when they are ready. The best you can do is continue to prepare healthy Zone balanced family meals and set a good example with your Zone habits. I'm surprised that your 4 block Zone meal could be considered small. Most people comment that it is too much food. :)