Hi Sue,

I am new to the Zone diet. I haven't started it yet because I'm still trying to figure everything out and there are a few things I am still confused by. I think I know some of the answers, but I am just going to ask you all of my questions because I don't want to start off on a bad foot.

How many grams of fat, protein, and carbs are in each block?
How many grams of fat, protein, and carbs should you have at each meal?
How many blocks of each are good to have eat each meal?
If you have more or less blocks at one meal, should you have more or less at the next meal in order to fill up all 11 blocks?

One last question. I am a HUGE cereal fan and breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I know that with this diet, cereal is not one of the best things to be eating. What are some of the best breakfasts you have made/had?

Thanks so much!!!!!

Hi,

I'm just starting out on the Zone. I really think this is going to work for me because it makes sense about the insulin thing. Anyway, I just got the free smoothie recipe ebook at http://www.freehealthupdates.com and I was wondering about your opinions. Some of the smoothies are kind of weird but some seem like they'd fit in well. I know I have to add protien to stay in "the zone" but is there anything else I should watch out for?

Thanks,

Bob

Welcome Lisa!

The average woman eats 3 balanced blocks at a meal (that's 3P blocks plus 3C plus 3F. One balanced block contains 7 grams of protein, 9 grams of carb (subtract total fiber form total carb and use this for counting Zone carb grams), and 3 grams of fat (half the fat is in the low fat protein block and the other half is in the fat blocks; this is why the fat blocks on the list contains only 1.5 grams of fat each).

You should spread your blocks out throughout the whole day always eating balanced amounts. For example, if you ate only 1 carb block at lunch (3P, 1C, 3F) you would not add 2 more C blocks to your next meal to make up for them. That would not work because you would not only be out of the Zone at the first meal when you're missing carb, but also at the next meal where you'd have too much carb. If you choose to eat only two balanced blocks at a meal teh best way would be to eat adn extra 1 block snack.

You'll find the answers to your questions, plus more related info, in Quick Start Guide (link at right).

Also, you don't have measure of follow the block system to succeed in the Zone. I lost 100 pounds without ever measuring or counting blocks. I did the hand-eye method described in Quick Start (the divided plate).

The two cereals I eat are steel cut oats and Zone cereal.

Feel free to ask more questions I'll be heppy to help. Also, I'm on vacation at the moment, and for the next week and a half, so please understand if I don't reply quickly.

Enjoy the Zone! :-)

Hi Bob!

Welcome to the Zone forums!

The tips I've have about smoothies would be to stick with the most Zone friendly fruits, use whole fruit not fruit juice, and don't include too much liquid in the recipe. Liquids work better for some people than others. For instance I wouldn't use 2 cups of milk; stick with a cup or less. You can also substitute yogurt in place of milk in a smoothie.

It would be great if you could share some of your favorite smoothie recipes with us!

Also, as i just mentioedd to Lisa in the previous post, I'm on vacation at the moment, so please understand if I take a while to reply. :-)

Thaks!

Sue,

Thanks for your reply. That's good advice. Maybe even just adding water would be good if I need more liquid (I tend to like them thinner).

Enjoy your vacation! I hope you're having a good one.

Bob

Thanks Bob!

A tip, it's the thinner liquids you will need to be careful about. The larger surface area of thinner liquids means the carbs in those foods reach the blood stream faster than those in solids and thicker liquids. Depending on how sensitive one's body is to carbohydrate, thinner liquids can make it tougher to maintain a stable blood sugar level (they're more likely to spike blood sugar). The only way to know how you'll respond is to experiment and see how it goes. You man handle it just fine. Cheers!

FALAFEL and TZATZIKI

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FALAFEL

(Makes 15 C blocks plus whatever amount of fat you use to cook it in)

Ingredients:

2 cans chick peas, drained
1 medium onion chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
1 handful of fresh parsley
3 or 4 T. flour (scant 1/4 cup)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 T. ground cumin (or to taste)
2 tsp. ground coriander (or to taste)
A little bit of cayenne (to taste)

Oil for cooking. I use "light tasting" olive oil (that's refined olive oil, not extra virgin)


Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the oil into a food processor adn process to a coarse puree. Be careful not to over process it. Form into small patties no larger than about 2 inches across or 1/2 inch thick (I've found smaller and flatter cook better). Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Slightly brown the patties on each side and place on a serving plate. This recipe is large so it will need to be cooked in batches. If you have two nonstick pans, the cooking will go faster. Serve with tzatziki.


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TZATZIKI

(Entire recipe contains about 4P, and 5C; plus F if you use the optional cream cheese)

Ingredients:

1 English cucumber (grate using the larger grate, let sit 30 min and then squeeze out the excess water)
2 cups yogurt
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves finely minced garlic
2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped
2 tsp fresh mint, chopped
S & P to taste
Optional: 2T cream cheese

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

For the cream cheese option:
Blend the cream cheese with ½ cup of the yogurt using an immersion blender. Stir into the remaining yogurt. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

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SPICY BLACK BEANS WITH FRESH PLUMS

(This is taken from the book ALMOST VEGETARIAN by Diana Shaw, and slightly changed to be more Zone friendly.)

The entire recipe contains about 15C and 4F.

Takes about 60 minutes to prepare, start to finish.

This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored well wrapped in the refrigerator, and then served hot or cold (I prefer it cold). To reheat, transfer to a heavy saucepan and warm slowly over medium-low heat.


Ingredients:

4 sweet plums, such as black friars of Santa Rosa
½ tablespoon light tasting olive oil (refined, not extra virgin), or almond oil
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 large yellow pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 whole cloves
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp. light honey
2 tsp. lemon juice (adjust to less if plums are tart, or not so ripe)
2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt to taste
Optional: 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro


Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the plums and boil for 1 minute to loosen the skin. Remove the skin with a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, red and yellow pepper, garlic, cloves, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, and optional cilantro. Sautee over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes.

Peel the plums, remove the pits and chop the pulp.

Stir the lemon juice, honey, and plum pulp into the onion mixture. Add the beans, stir, and cover. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook until peppers are soft, stirring often to prevent sticking, about 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve warm, at room temperature, or well chilled.



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that bean dish sounds wonderful!!!

Yes, I love it! The type of plums you use and the degree of ripeness can make a huge difference in the taste of the dish.

Sue, thanks for posting these recipes! I'm excited to try them!

You're welcome Jana!

Hi Sue - thank you for the falafel recipe! I have not done my 30-day out of the Zone meal yet (I've been zoning since March) but when I think about it, I want falafel. Can you tell me how much each of those patties would be in blocks? I like to be as precise as I can. Garbanzo beans normally comprise most of my carb blocks, I love them. Thank you. Laura

You're welcome Laura! This recipe won't take you out of the Zone if you eat protein with it. The entire recipe contains 15 C blocks and whatever small amount of fat you use to brown the patties. 1/5 of the recipe is 3 C blocks, 1/10th of the recipe is 1 1/2 C blocks, etc. For example, if you made 20 patties (it makes more than that; 20 is just a number I chose to use as an example), 4 patties would be 3 C blocks and 2 patties would be 1 1/2 C blocks.

Thank you! I should have been able to figure that out! I really try to be as precise as I can with the carbs, as I am so sensitive to them. I can't make a big batch of chili - I have to make individual pots with the beans and meat measured into each one. I don't feel I'll get the right balance by just ladling out a bowl from a large pot. My weight is coming off fast - 55 lbs in 2.5 months. I have been solidly in the Zone with fish oil and have not been hungry, eating 11 blocks a day. I just want to keep it going!! Thanks again - I really didn't think I could have falafel in the Zone.

Hi Laura!

I'm very carb sensitive too. If you know exactly how much P, C and F you put into the pot, each portion will have you appropriate balance, whether you take 1 block or 3 blocks. Since you know the number of P blocks you put into the pot (say 12 for example), then you can eaily figure out what fraction of the pot is a 3 block meal with your appropriate P, C and F balance (1/4 the pot would be a 3 block meal in the example I gave of a 12 P block pot). Hope I'm not confusing you! Then you simply divide the finished pot of food into 4 servings (divide it equally among 4 plates or bowls). You can easily do this with chili or any other dish you make, from salads, to omelets, to fish and veggies, and even home made frozen yogurt (I'm experimenting with recipes for fro yo this weekend!).

Have fun with it!

Sue, I am thinking of making your CHOCOLATE TOFU. So I purchased Tofu - can you please tell how much tofu did you use with your receipe? And how much carbs it contains? Mine (for 100grams) contains 7g protein, 2g carbs and 3 grams fat. Please advise if this tofu is suitable for your receipe. I've never cooked tofu before.

Hi Bozena!

There are 5 P blocks of tofu in my recipe, and they contain an insignificant small amount of carb, same as yours. Yours sounds fine for any or my tofu recipes. Every 100 grams of you tofu would be considered to be 1 Zone protein block (Zone protein blocks have fat "hidden " in them; the fat in your tofu is fine for 1 protein block).

This is my frozen yogurt recipe, inspired by a question asked by Chris in another forum here, and Dave's article about making pudding by mixing Zone Shake mix into yogurt.



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CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT WITH FUDGE CHUNKS

(Makes about a quart and contains about 11P, 11C and 11F)


Ingredients:

2 cups low fat plain yogurt
2 packets Dr. Sears Zone French Vanilla Shake mix
¼ cup cocoa powder (I recommend Navitas Naturals Raw Cacao Powder)
1 cup WestSoy Unsweetened Chocolate Soymilk
1 TBSP alcohol free almond flavoring
1 TBSP Zone Olive Oil
2 blocks of Zone Fudge (recipe following this recipe), or 1 Dr. Sears Zone Chocolate Fudge Zone Bar, cut into small pieces, the size of chocolate chips or a little larger


Directions:

Place all ingredients except for the Zone fudge or Zone bars into a medium to large bowl and mix thoroughly (a whisk works well). Process in an ice cream maker, adding the fudge or the bar pieces at the appropriate time according to the directions for your ice cream maker.

Enjoy!

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ZONE FUDGE (recently posted by Nola in the Zone Tips forum here)



Bring to full boil 6 Tablespoons Fructose and 5-6 Tablespoons water ( I use the microwave)....8C

Add 3 Tablespoons natural smooth or crunchy peanut butter and return to boil...9F (plus the missing F)

Combine in bowl an amount of protein powder containing 60 grams of protein...8 1/2 P
1/3 cup cocoa powder

Add 1 1/2 cups powdered skim milk....4C, and 3 1/2P

Add 1 Tablespoon chopped almonds and 2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts...3F

Mix dry ingredients and add fructose/peanut butter liquid. Mixture will be thick. If too thick add 1 teaspoon water. (Be careful not to add too much.) Mixture thickens as it cools. Put into mini muffin pans and freeze

Makes 12 x 1 Block snacks

Keep frozen




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MAYO EXTENDER TIP

Mixing equal parts of a Zone friendly mayo and plain yogurt make it easy to prepare tuna salads, chicken salads, Zone Pasta salads, etc. Mayo is usually flavored strongly enough to handle an equal portion of yogurt, and even a bit more, without compromising on taste. It can even pass for a creamy dressing base in a pinch, by adding a sprinkle of your favorite seasonings to it. "365 Light Mayonnaise" from Whole Foods works very well mixed with yogurt. 1 TBSP of it contains 3 F blocks (4.5 grams fat; made with canola oil). The addition of 1 TBSP plain yogurt yields plenty of mayo for 3 block chicken salad.


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COWBOY CAVIAR (revised 9.9.09)

(Based on a recipe from Eurofresh Farms found in the book IN THE KITCHEN THE COSTCO WAY)

Ingredients:


Salad:

½ cup corn
1 can (1 ½ cups) black eyed peas(or 3/4 cup black eyed peas and 3/4 cup dark red kidney beans), drained and rinsed
2-3 green onions (scallions), chopped
6 medium to larger plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium avocado, chopped
2/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley (or fresh cilantro)
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery




Dressing:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup wine red vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
2 Tablespoons cumin


Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, beans, green onions, tomatoes, avocado, parsley, green pepper, and celery.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Add to the vegetable mixture and toss to coat.

Makes 10 servings, each serving containing about 1C and 4F



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I've found it. (chocolate frozen yogurt) .. I copy and will study how to adapt to ingredients around here,... about the zone vanilla shake mix...
What's in it?? I can not aforth to pay zone products... but I have powder proteing.. maybe I can adapt...

thank you

Oh Sue!!! Looks like I'm going to have to get that ice cream machine....your frozen yogurt recipe looks sooo good!

Bernie, each Zone Shake mix packet contains 2P, 2C and 2F. You can read about the ingredients here:

http://www.zonediet.com/products/pr...nerShakesC

Experiment to see what you can come up with!

Here's a favorite at our house!


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RASPBERRY SORBET

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop of Zone Protein powder
1 teaspoon peanut butter

Directions:

Briefly begin to thaw berries in the microwave (<20 seconds on high in mine, but mine’s very powerful). They must still be frozen, but not rock hard. Blend all ingredients with an immersion blender to the consistency of a sorbet. Serve immediately.


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