Hi!

I've been doing the zone for about a month, but have a few questions..

1. For regular quaker oats oatmeal (not steel cut) how many cups is one block? I prefer the slow cook oatmeal, but sometimes I need to use the other to make certain meals. (currently working on making zone waffles)

2. Should meat be weighed before or after it is cooked? ie. If 1.5 oz of chicken breast is 1 block, is that before or after it is cooked?

3. Is there a real difference between the zone perfect bars I see in the store vs. Dr. Sears' bars he sells online?

Thanks for the help!

-Mel

Posted By Melane on 12/06/2009 12:13 PM

Hi!

I've been doing the zone for about a month, but have a few questions..

1. For regular quaker oats oatmeal (not steel cut) how many cups is one block? I prefer the slow cook oatmeal, but sometimes I need to use the other to make certain meals. (currently working on making zone waffles)
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A: Use label on the container. There are 9 net Carbs per block.
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2. Should meat be weighed before or after it is cooked? ie. If 1.5 oz of chicken breast is 1 block, is that before or after it is cooked?
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A: Meat is weighed pre-cooked. Due to loss of liquids, about 75% post-cooked.
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3. Is there a real difference between the zone perfect bars I see in the store vs. Dr. Sears' bars he sells online?
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A: YES! ZP in stores is not necessarily hormonally balanced. Though they might work for some, they are balanced P, C, & F - but not the same.
.
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Thanks for the help!
A: You're Welcome!
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-Mel</div>

Instead of opening a new thread figured i would just ask here.
I have a simple Zone Block breakdown sheet i found from crossfit.com......It shows 1 WHOLE EGG as and example of 1 Protein Block but it also has 5.3 grams fat -- should it be considered 1 block protein, and one block fat...pretty much the same w/ all foods ---- Like bread w/ a breakdown of /1.5 gr. Fat/20 gr. carb/7 gr. protein ---- (is that .5 block fat 2 block carb and 1 block protein) THANKS.

Yes, you could count the protein AND the fat in the egg, it is almost 2 complete blocks of fat. And, the bread is counted just the way you stated.

ryan, keep in mind that bread whole eggs are not Zone friendly foods.

Thanks sue for usually for breakfast i have 2 whole eggs and two egg whites for 3 P and just over 3 F. Also the only bread i eat is a slice with lunch from time to time to help choke down all the carbs. I am eating 3 5block meals one 2block snack and depending on how late dinner is one 1block snack before bed. A total of 17 or 18 blocks a day. I guess the guide i have from crossfit isn't the best. Found here --- http://library.crossfit.com/free/pd..._May04.pdf --- Thanks for the help!!

P.S. you do not count the protein in the bread (grain products), unless the protein is from Soy.

You're welcome ryan! Yes, defer to the Zone Labs food block lists. The reason you should cut back on the egg yolks ( and better yet, eliminate them) is that they are rich in a fatty acid called AA (Arachidonic Acid), which gives you too may bad eicosanoids, resulting in increased inflammation levels. One important goal of the Zone is to decrease inflammation. One of the keys to doing that is to avoid eating AA as much as possible.

Wow, great information! Thank you so much. This morning I took your advice and had an egg white "omelet" not to bad, just have to learn to cook them a bit differently (cooked faster) -- I think egg whites will go beautifully with cilantro and a serv of cheese. I'll make a trip to the book store this weekend and pick up the Dr. Sears Zone book. Until then I'll continue to keep it together as good as possible, still trying to break my "high protein diet" habits, lol!

Ryan, I used to eat a lot of omelettes, and they were all egg-white omelettes, too. At first, a bit strange, but only because of the color. Tasted just fine.

I like using Kraft FF cheddar cheese in my omelettes, it is probably the only time that I actually like FF cheese.

And, I have tried the omelette with cooked apples, and sprinkled the cheddar cheese on it. Quite delicious!

Sounds great ryan! Reading a Zone book...excellent idea. First choice would be TOXIC FAT, second THE ANTI-INFLAMMATION ZONE. Good luck at the book store. Note, the books are available from this site too.

A few more ideas for different types of omelets: fill with hummus, spread guacamole on top, mozzarella topped with spaghetti sauce, try a black bean and low fat Mexican blend cheese omelet topped with salsa...use you imagination to come up with your favorites. There's a delicious omelet (the Inside Out) in my photo album (link in my signature, below).

Once again thank you, what an awesome little community here to help with getting started. Thank you both so much; and Sue I'm sure you heard it before but that album is quite impressive!! Seems like there is many ways to go with the omelet; if I come up with a few new interesting ideas I'll post them somewhere, thanks again!

You're welcome, Ryan! Yep, the sky's the limit!

Thanks ryan. I'll look forward to seeing what you come up with. I always like to try new things.

Any recipes for making your own zone friendly bread, etc? I have a very restrictive palate (don't like tofu, chickpeas, yogurt, goat or cottage cheese, eggplant, or any weird combination in recipes) and find most zone recipes are "weird". I like low fat ground beef, seafood, deli turkey & ham. Where are the normal or typical American ingredient recipes? I know that no food is restricted (except in quantity) so I just don't get why recipes have to get freakish. Has anybody else noticed this?

Hi Barry,



re "Where are the normal or typical American ingredient recipes?"

These are two good resources:

http://www.zonediet.com/Tools/ZoneF...fault.aspx

http://www.zonediet.com/Tools/Class...fault.aspx