When following some of the recipes in "A week in the zone" I found that sometimes the total protein or carbs doesnt exactly add up to four blocks worth. Is this because of differences in brands of food, or is it making up for 'hidden' carbs/fat/protein in the other parts of the meal. My question is basically, should I follow the recipes exactly, or should I modify them using the nutrition info on the food to make up blocks? Any advice provided would be helpful. Thanks, Dan

Hi, Dan. Sorry I can't answer your question but I would also like to know the answer. I have always altered the ingredients which takes a lot of time therefore I rarely make any of the recipes.

Hi Dan: Not sure if this is what you mean, but an example of what I think you mean is in the Zone lasagne recipe (can't remember which book it's in.) It has an amount, like 2 cups, say, of soy crumbles and then calls that 10 protein blocks. It gives a brand of soy crumbles which my local area doesn't have, and the different kind that I can get has more protein than that per 2 cups. So I go by the recipe wanting me to get 10 protein blocks from soy crumbles, and put a little less in to compensate. That way the batch of lasagne will still have the right number of protein blocks. To me that seems the logical way to compensate. ---Kate

I agree with Kate in that the discrepancies might be coming from different brands of certain ingredients. Personally, I am not too rigid if a recipe is close... I don't take the time to nickel and dime over a few grams either way. I sort of just figure if it is pretty close and I let it be or I take away or add something to balance the meal when I finally eat it, much the way you would if you were using the eyeball method. Most often, though, I keep my meals pretty simple: lean protein, fruits and vegetables and healthy fats instead of recipes which combined foods. Good Luck! Carrie