How many strawberries do you all use for one block? I know the food list says one cup, but I was looking for an approx. # to go off of. I used 2 cups of frozen whole (unsweetened) strawberries and it seemed like an awful lot for 2 blocks of carbs. What does everyone think? Thanks in advance.

Check the bag, usually they measure out as 3/4 cup or 1 cup per block, depending on the brand.

Also, if in doubt, at first you can use the weight to get started. For example, ithe package might state something like: one serving is 1 cup or 150 grams. I started out with the zone by weighing, until I was familiar with eyeballing and approximating the volume. It's not that you need to be accurate down to the last gram; but for me, it was to get familiar with the amounts of various fruits and vegetables. Having been avoided most vegetables at all cost prior to zoning.

wesley, yes, it's 1 cup per block, no need to be too overly precise with measuring and weighing, and yes, 2 blocks of strawberries looks like a lot of berries when you're new to the Zone.

P.S. Our frozen strawberries, are 2/3 cup = 13g minus 2g Fiber = 11g Carbs = 1 serving or 140g by weight.
Blueberries I eyeball by volume; however, until I got familiar with strawberries, a lot of air in a cup/volume measure, depending on how strawberries fit, I weighed - but that was my choice and not necessary. BUT, you do NOT have to be exact, as Sue stated.

Nope, no one has to be exact, but I would point out (and John said it on another thread) that it may be helpful to carefully measure (or weigh) food in the beginning stages of the Zone, so that one gets an idea of what the portion sizes look like.

Yes, 2 blocks of strawberries DOES look like a lot!

Hi there. I am new to The Zone Diet so pardon my questions!!
I wanted to eat strawberries today and when I went to measure 1cup of straberries with my measuring cup it said 237ml that's like 237gr as well right?
I'm asking because I read that you said it should be about 140gr... :/
Also.., I have another question. I have to eat 10blocks in total per day. I don't understand how I would be able to make a recipe like "mexican chilly" if I can only use 2veg at a time.
One should be tomatoes and the other one beans for e.g. Can't I have another veg as well? Could I use less of one veg and use some of another one? I fyes, how do I calculate???
What about homemade pizza?Are we even allowed it?What about oatmeal?Should we have sparringly like bread and such??
Oh..., also..., does dairy count as carbs? If yes,would that mean I couldn't have a slice of bread,dairy and veg as well huh?Cuz I found an awesome Moussaka recipe.

So confused sorry about all the questions. Hope you can help. .
Alexandra

[quote]
Posted By Alexandra on 10 Apr 2012 06:06 AM
Hi there. I am new to The Zone Diet so pardon my questions!!
I wanted to eat strawberries today and when I went to measure 1cup of straberries with my measuring cup it said 237ml that's like 237gr as well right?
I'm asking because I read that you said it should be about 140gr... :/
.
Also.., I have another question. I have to eat 10blocks in total per day. I don't understand how I would be able to make a recipe like "mexican chilly" if I can only use 2veg at a time.
One should be tomatoes and the other one beans for e.g. Can't I have another veg as well? Could I use less of one veg and use some of another one? I fyes, how do I calculate???
.
What about homemade pizza?Are we even allowed it?What about oatmeal?Should we have sparringly like bread and such??
.
Oh..., also..., does dairy count as carbs? If yes,would that mean I couldn't have a slice of bread,dairy and veg as well huh?Cuz I found an awesome Moussaka recipe.

So confused sorry about all the questions. Hope you can help. <img .
.
Alexandra
[/quote]
.
Hi Alexandra:
.
On STRAWBERRIES:
gr (GRAMS) is by weight and ml (milliliters) is by volume.
Weight (grams) is more accurate.
Weight and volume are two different things.
So 237 gr is NOT 237 ml.
Both of those measurements are metric measurements (as opposed to US measurements).
140 grams of strawberries is 140 grams by weight.
The volume depends how small they are cut and how much air space is in the measure.
That's why weight is more accurate.
.
On MEXICAN CHILE:
.
YES, you can mix more than two favorable carbohydrates (carbs) in a meal.
You can have as many as you like that would meet your block requirements for that meal.
So, since your block requirements are for 10 blocks of Protein per day, ans you start the ZONE with matching 10 blocks of both carbs and fat per day. So, if your Mexican Chile meal is 3 blocks, that is 3 blocks of Protein, 3 blocks of Favorable Carbs, and 3 blocks of Fat.
And those 3 blocks of each can be in any combination. So if you want 10 different vegetables, go for it.
.
On PIZZA:
.
I answered kind of, about home made pizza in answering your question about the pizza in Sue's signature, that you posted in another thread. Yes allowed, but most pizza "dough" is all unfavorable carbs and high in them. Very hard to keep your body in the Zone with four-based pizza dough. However, you can allow yourself a "treat" of real pizza, every now and then, if you want to. There are a few healthy alternatives to pizza "dough" posted in the CLASSIC ZONE RECIPE forum topic. Two of which I posted: one is eggplant based and the other, my wife's favorite is a cauliflower/cheese based pizza dough.
.
On OATMEAL:
.
STEEL CUT OATS are the only oatmeal considered favorable. YES, they take longer to cook and can be a little more work. BUT, there are MANY, MANY recipes available in these forums for alternative methods such as cooking in a crock pot overnight and microwave versions and (like my wife does) cooking a larger batch ahead of time and refrigerating what she does not use.
(I also grab a 1-1/2 TBL {1 block favorable carbs} and eat raw, like nuts, as an additive to foods like salads or by themselves.)
.
On DAIRY:
.
Dairy is allowed; BUT, be careful of the fat in dairy. it is almost all saturated.
(Though better if the dairy source is from grass-fed pastured cows and not from typical grain-fed feedlot cows).
And yes, you do count the carbs in dairy. In fact low-fat plain yogurt is close enough to balanced, just add some healthy fats.
And Greek yogurt,is higher in Protein and lower in carbs, and is a good source of protein.
(If you're not Lactose intolerant.)
.
.
Hope this helps, and please feel free to continue posting any and all questions.

Alexandria,

I think John covered things pretty well. Here are some more thoughts...

Please take another look at how many blocks you should have. Most women should get no less than 11 blocks per day. Then, you can divide it into 3 meals of 3 blocks each, and then 2 snacks of 1 block each.

Just another note about dairy, things like milk and yogurt are considered mixed protein/carb blocks. So, for a cup of milk, you are getting a block of protein and a block of carb. Same for 1/2 cup of plain yogurt.

Hope this helps!

Alexandria, there's a much easier way to do the Zone than all the counting, weighing and measuring. As Dr. Sears describes it, put protein on you plate, the size and thickness of the palm of you hand, fill the rest of the plate with colorful vegetables and fruit, and then add a dash of monounsaturated fat (avocado, almonds, olive oil, etc.). This works great, and comes out basically to be the same amount of food as using the block method. This is the method I used to lose 100 pounds 17 years ago and to maintain that weight loss ever since. Using the palm of your hand will assure you have the correct amount of food for your particular needs (note how we al have different sized palms). Also, you can eat a variety of veggies in the same meal, regardless of which method you use to put the food on you plate.