someone posted a tuna and apple salad recipe and it says its 3 blocks but then at the bottom it says "you can add other things like grapes or almonds, whatever you like. I usually eat this with some veggies or salad."
does this mean the salad the way it is is 3 blocks and would be more if you did add other things.
i made the salad tonight for a quick dinner and added arugula and slivered almonds, it was really good.

i may not be looking at the site well enough (its kind of unorganized in certain ways...) but it would be great to have subcategories of the lunch/dinner recipies like: chicken/vegetarian/fish dishes split up-just a thought because i've been searching for recipies and the site is really slow in loading them.

oh yea, i'm also making this kind of odd thick old-fashioned cabbage soup recipe someone submitted right now...i've tasted it while simmering and it's actually really yummy. (says its 4blocks)
thanks in advance for any help with the recipe!

I am not sure of the recipe that you are talking about, but I agree with you on the organization. Could definitely be improved on.

Here's the recipe, i cut and pasted it from the recipe page of this site:


3 Block Meal

Ingredients:
1 3 oz can white albacore tuna, drained
1 apple chopped, unpeeled
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 tsp mayo
1 - 2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions:
Mix all of the above together for a great and satisfying lunch.

Notes:
You can add other things like grapes or almonds, whatever you like. I usually eat this with some veggies or salad.

Submitted By:
Faith S.

3 oz tuna = 3P, but I would probably consider tuna to be almost fat free, therefore I think you are safe to add close to 3 blocks of almonds, since the mayo in this recipe is only enough for 3 blocks but doesn't cover the lack of fat in the tuna (the missing fat in a fat free protein). If you add walnuts instead of almonds, it isn't the best choice for fats, but it would make a nice addition to this salad, as a "waldorf" salad.

1 apple = 2C
2 cups chopped celery = 1C, I don't think you will get 2 cups of celery from one stalk chopped up. So, there is room to add some carb, grapes would probably work nicely in this recipe, maybe also some apple.

Cindy, the recipe is good as is except it might need a little more fat depending on the particular mayo you choose. The carb amount is between 2 and 3 blocks, which is perfectly acceptable for a 3 block Zone meal. The P/C range that defines the Zone is from .6 to 1 (refer to the first book, THE ZONE). This recipe falls within that range. As the recipe states, it is fine to eat some veggies or a side salad with it. Low density veggie and salad would not take the meal out of balance. Additional fat in small amounts is always good for the Zone because it actually results in even better insulin control. Dr Sears explains this in Zone books and has stated it's better to err on the side of a little too much dietary fat than not to have enough fat. Always listen to your body (judge hunger, energy, etc. 4 hours after a meal) and make appropriate Zone adjustments if needed. Keep in mind that you don't have to be exacting to the gram to successfully be in the Zone. It will drive you crazy to do all the counting and your body usually won't know the difference.

Sorry, but I must disagree there!

The acceptable zone range of P/C is 0.6 to 1,but that is a huge range. A 3 block meal is around 0.8, whereas a 3P-2C meal (the adjustment for carb sensitive) is 0.6. A 3P-4C meal is closer to 1.0. The Zone was created for the majority of people who fall in the middle. Many folks will not notice the difference unless they get closer to the extreme edges of the ratio. IMO, a stalk of celery does not provide enough carb to even push this meal anywhere near 1 block of carb, so this meal is really a 2 carb meal, and most "balanced" zoners WILL notice that difference.

In addition, unless you are using tuna packed in oil (which is not recommended by the Zone), this meal contains only half of the fat needed. Those are 2 big problems that can result in this meal not working for most people.

I would go with the author's suggestion of adding the grapes and the almonds.

thanks crancat!

You're welcome!