I have a question.

I have moved to the Zone Diet in the hope of mending my relationship with food. Now there is one question that has me stumped.

There is all this mention of 1 unit of protein = 7 grams of protein BUT when I look at the list it says that 1 unit of protein = 1 ounce. When converted to grams it equals 28 grams.

SO am I for a main meal eating:

3 units of protein x 28 grams OR 3 units of protein x 7 grams????

All the lists that I can see say that it's 3 x 28 but then I saw the 7 unit thing and got confused.

Can anyone help me?

Hi Renae!

Welcome! You've made an excellent choice by deciding to move to the Zone!

To answer your question I'll use chicken as an example. One Zone protein block of chicken is an amount of chicken that contains 7 grams of protein. But chicken, as most foods, is not composed of protein alone. It also contains some fat and some moisture. So, the amount of chicken that contains 7 grams of protein has a total weight of about 1 ounce (28 grams). That total weight of 1 ounce represents the weight of the protein, the moisture, and the fat in that particular amount of chicken that contains 7 grams of protein.

Thanks Sue it makes sense now.

When your reading labels from packets how do you go about calculating the P:C:F? For example if a bar is 40gram serving size and the breakdown is:

P: 12.5grams
C: 10.2grams
F: 3.4 grams (2.7g saturated and 0g Trans Fat)

What would that be in regards to units of each of the above?

You're welcome Renae!

That would be about 2 P, 1C, 1F. To make it Zone balanced add 1C and 1F. Also, remember that it's the insulin stimulating C (total C minus total fiber) that we consider for Zone balance.

Thanks, Sue, for all your answers to these questions...you are so knowledgable! I am also new to the zone and a little confused as to which block certain foods belong. Since most foods contain some protein, fat, and carbs, how do I know where to place it if it is not on the block chart? Do food items with protein, fat, and carbs (less fiber) count for all three blocks? Your help is so greatly appreciated!

You're welcome Jennifer! You can get a pretty good idea whether something is P, C or F by comparing whatever food you're not sure about to the types of foods in the block lists (e.g. meats, poultry fish, veggie, fruit, nuts, oils, etc.). The foods you eat most of are probably already in the food block list. If it's a combination food such a soup or stew you'd count it as P, C and F. There is a book "What To Eat in the Zone" that might be helpful if you want details, though I've never used it.

If you wanted to get up and running on the Zone quickly, which of the books would you choose to read? Thanks in advance!

Hi Liz!

See my reply in the other forum where you asked this question.

Cheers!

I usually make a homemade veggie soup...with curshed tomatoes, frozen veggies and boullion. Would this be counted as a "C"?

Hi Joan!,

Yes, this would be counted as carbohydrate. If you add fat when makiing it, you'd also count the fat.