Hello,

I am new to the zone thing and easing in slowly, concentrating mostly on portion control and primitive balance among the block groups. I have a few questions for the pros, if anyone has time:

Carrots
I have noticed that carrots (a staple in my cheapo diet) only appear on the 'cooked' category of carbs. Is there a reason why raw carrots, which are healthier from many perspectives and more practical to use in meal preparation, don't appear on the 'blocks' list available in this website? Are they taboo?

Alternative veggie carbs
I live in a country where many vegetable carbohydrates, especially leafy green veggies like spinach, kale, bok choy and broccoli are either prohibitively expensive (imported) or simply unavailable. The same is true for many seemingly ordinary veggies on the ‘Quick Start Guide’. There are, however, many healthy seasonal vegetables available here are likewise not on the list:

Sorrel (I assume it is good, like spinach)
Napa (Chinese) cabbage
Savoy cabbage
Green squash (looks like cross between squash and zucchini)
Fresh hot peppers
Leeks (like onions?)

…as well as fresh green herbs and root spices
Also, short growing seasons and harsh winters mean fresh leafy green veggies are hard to come by. Fresh parsley, dill and cilantro are plentiful, however. Do these little herbs - really quite vital to our diet for the chlorophyll - even register on the 'zone block' scale? What about green onions? We eat pretty high volumes of these herbs – up to a ½ cup a day sprinkled on salads and used as toppings on soups. What about garlic and ginger as salad (raw) / cooked meal components?

…and pickles
Long, cold winters here mean many high vitamin C foods are pickled in brine and preserved for winter use, especially cabbage and cucumbers (pickles). How do zoners (?!?) approach these foods which for us are staples and not just condiments?

Other stuff?
Any views on mustard? Vegetarian curry? Chutney (high in sugars)?

Luckily, we have many great low fat dairy and soy alternatives so the mix is not completely negative. Thanks for your time and thought.

Thanks

Frammis

Welcome!


Carrots would be fine, either raw or cooked.

Most greens would be counted similar to those on the food block list.

Count nappa, savoy, and other cabbage varieties the same regular cabbage.

If it's the soft type of squash(like zucchin is soft) count it as zucchini. If it's a hard squash (like winter squashes, pumpkin, etc.) consider it unfavorable and use it in small amounts.

Hot peppers, probably would be counted similar to the peppers on the list, though I'd think you're not going to be eating them in those larfe amounts.

Leeks are 1 cup for 1C block.

Spices and herbs and things like green onions, garlic, ginger, etc. would not need to be counted. Root veggies, such as beets, will usually be unfavorable carb.

Pickled veggies that are high in salt content would not be the best carb choices.

Condiments such as mustard, that contain very little P, C or F, don't need to be counted. Foods like chutney, curries, etc., which contain significant carb, should be counted.

If you take a common sense approach and compare your foods to similar foods on the food block list, you should do very well.