Per info previously given by Barry Sears, it's ok to sprinkle a little flax seed into your Zone meals, and there's no need to count it.

I've been on the Zone since July 1, 1999. I measure everything and place different foods in plastic baggies to take to work.

I'm glad Zak brought this thread back up (and Zak, nice to meet another long time zoner). At my house we eat only a partial package of food, especially when it comes to protein foods. I freeze the unused portion in a Ziploc bag, taking care to keep each piece of food spaced individually, apart from the others, so they can easily be removed one at a time when they're frozen. Tonight, for a treat for dinner, we had low fat hot dogs with slices of low fat cheddar cheese. Since we don't eat these foods often, I froze the unused pieces in this individual manner. Doing this makes it easier to keep your inflammation levels under control too, because you're not trting to eat up the leftovers of a less Zone friendly food for several days in a row.

Hi,

I have a few tips I do to help me follow the zone. I need things easy so I usually hard boil six eggs at a time put them in the refrigerator. When I am ready I peel them cut them and put the hummus in the middle. I eat two and it makes a good snack. I also do the protein cornbread muffins from enter the zone. I like this type of stuff since it is ready made. The receipe is 1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix, 2 Tablespoon protein powder, 2 eggs, 1 cup low-fat milk and 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Blend the ingredients, fill the muffin tins, bake at 300 for 35-40 minutes. I do the breakfast strawberry drink. Hope someone tries one.

Posted this on another thread, and thought it would go well here, too!

I have read several comments in the past few years about how devastating the grocery bill can be. We were also having this same discussion in a diabetic group that I was participating in. Many people are just not able to afford produce. Processed foods are much less expensive.

Some inexpensive foods to keep you in the zone are:
-frozen veggies/berries instead of fresh
-dried beans instead of canned (although canned beans are not too bad)
-fresh fruits/veggies that are in season
-eggs are an inexpensive source of protein
-lean meat goes on sale in a cyclical pattern--watch the sales at the supermarket and stock up on the good buys that come up once per month.
-yogurt and cottage cheese are inexpensive sources of protein
-buy nuts in bulk, and keep them in the door of the freezer

and many more ideas can be found as you read through the threads. Thought I would put some ideas out there that have helped me and my family eat healthy on a budget.

Have you ever wanted a salad with you meal and wondered what to use for dressing because the meal you made already contains enough fat? White balsamic vinegar is a good alternative in place of oil and vinegar dressing. One of my favorite quick and easy side salads is mixed lettuces and diced tomato with a splash of white balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkle of S&P.

Hi,

I have a question. If fish oil is a blood thinner, wouldn't 10-15 grams a day be a little risky?

Excessive Bleeding – From The OmegaRx Zone by Dr. Barry Sears (an awesome read all about the miracle of high- dose fish oil)

While it’s true that fish oil thins the blood, I haven’t seen any evidence that it poses a danger in terms of excessive bleeding from cuts or injuries. This concern may have cropped up from the observation by European explores that Eskimos who were shot tended to bleed more readily than Europeans. More controlled trials have yet to confirm this interesting observation. On the more scientific side, we do know that there is no difference in the time it takes for blood to clot after a wound (bleeding time) between those who take 2-3 grams per day of long chain omega-3 fatty acids and those who take no fish oil. Studies using 7 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids to prevent restenosis (the closing of an artery after an angioplasty) reported no increase in bleeding times. Even when fish oil was combined with aspirin or Coumadin (a blood-thinning drug used to prevent clot formation), there were no adverse effects on the bleeding time.

In one study by Garrett FitzGerald at Vanderbilt University, normal individuals who took 10 grams of EPA per day had the same bleeding times as those who took a single aspirin. Another study by Gary Nelson of the USDA demonstrated that consumption of 6 grams of pure DHA per day had no effect on the bleeding time. It’s true that Eskimos have, on average, a longer bleeding time than Danes (the Eskimos also have much lower levels of heart disease); but when Eskimos and Danes both took an aspirin, the Danes’ bleeding times exceeded those of the Eskimos. In fact, the Eskimos’ bleeding times decreased!
The only study that found even a slight increase in bleeding times was one in which the participants took more than 20 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids per day. That study, done 20 years ago, used health-food-grade fish oils, since pharmaceutical-grade oils weren’t available then. A more recent study using 18 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in cancer patients found no increase in bleeding times. In our studies of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, which I will describe in chapter 10, we found no increase in bleeding times with pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, even though some patients were taking 25 grams of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids per day.

Frankly , there just isn’t any good evidence that taking high-dose pharmaceutical-grade fish oil will have any more of an effect than taking an aspirin per day.

L, I have some very recent personal experience related to you question. a member of my family recently had a planned major surgery and was informed by the surgeon (actually by both surgeons performing the procedure) to continue Omega Rx fish oil dosage as usual, that's prior to, on the day of and on the days immediately following the surgery.

Sue
Consultant of Zone Labs