Hi folks;
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Back from a (rare) business trip. The importance of this is that without a lot of homemade food available,
eating out, even very carefully for a week, is very difficult - to stay in the Zone. But, with a business trip, with an allotted per diem allowance, it is one of the few times I can afford and justify the high cost of the Zone 1-2-3 food products. The amount i spend per day, even with grocery items, is less than the allotted per diem for most cities. So, the Co. pays for my Zone foods, and saves money on what i would have spent to eat out for every meal. Though I prefer whole natural foods and classic Zone, the Zone 1-2-3 foods provide a good alternative while at a hotel. So with a small refrigerator in my room (and a bonus unexpected microwave) for no additional fee, a trip to the local (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) grocery store, and an order of Zone 1-2-3 foods frozen before loading into the suitcase, I was able to eat well and stay in the Zone for the week.
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A note as brought out earlier in the year, on the forums, and what I forgot about, is that eating mostly Zone foods, with no oven and prep available, as in a hotel -- the additional grocery items are limited, and so there is a lack of fiber, as well as other nutrients. I normally take a very good set of vitamins and minerals, even at home with real food, so that is not a problem. I did forget about the lack of fiber in Zone 1-2-3 foods, but after a couple of days, and a trip to the drug store for a 1 tsp serving size container of Inulin with 3g fiber, no problems there-after.
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I will, say that because I am limited in a hotel, either with or without a microwave, and also avoided ordering the way TOO sweet zone foods, the foods I used to sustain me -- they did hold me for four hours! BUT, the bread products, probably because they are so dense are very, very, very DRY! (The rolls, bagels, and pretzels.) The granola, though a bit on the sweet side, is not as sweet as the other "sweet" products, and is acceptable and also tasty. (Could be a bit less sweet, but no where close to as sickeningly sweet as the cookies I tried last year on a business trip.)
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Even though it is already Fall, in new England, the brownies were still not yet available for me to order for this business trip. In summary, if you prefer the classic zone, the Zone 1-2-3 foods have their place and can be useful to supplement. if you want or need to extremely reduce your silent inflammation (AA/Omega-3 ratio), then consider the Zone 1-2-3 foods, or consider them for a short time before going to classic Zone or a combination of both.
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BUT, be aware of other nutritional needs, which must be met apart from the Zone 1-2-3 foods.
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Here is an example of what I do on a business trip:
Breakfast: low-Fat, organic if available, plain yogurt. (1 block P & C, but protein a bit shy). Protein powder added in to make full 2 blocks P.
1 small orange (1 block C), Olive oil added in to make 1 blocks F. One Zone 1-2-3 bagel with 1 block Olive Oil. Total breakfast = 4 blocks.
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Lunch: 2 slices Zone 1-2-3 bread. A touch of Olive Oil for 1 block (to help with the eXtreme dryness), 2 slices organic turkey breast deli meat (1 block P), a handful of grapes, or a small apple, or a small orange for 1 block C. Total Lunch: 3 blocks.
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Dinner: Small salad from hotel or local restaurant, dressing on side (negligible C), with chicken breast or salmon (if I can verify wild and not farm raised). 1 Zone 1-2-3 pretzel, dipped in Olive Oil with herbs added. ( I bring an Italian mix spice with me, too.) And another pece of fruit or vegetable I can eat raw from the local supermarket. Total 3 blocks.
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late night snack: A glass of wine or a piece of Dark Chocolate, with a piece Low-Fat (or sometimes high-fat) cheese for 1 block P & C, and a little additional Fat. (I do well with some additional fat while maintaining Zone.)
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Other snacks: Depending on my schedule, and amount of exercise I can squeeze in, and availability of gym or not, I added one or more additional snacks with the Sweet & Salty Zone bars or the Zone 1-2-3 Granola, as they (Zone bars) were on sale at a (for once) reasonable price of 1/2 off. I do bring exercise bands with me, so I do not have to rely on a gym as much, and I do mostly body weight exercises, for both strength and intermittent peak (aerobic & anaerobic) cardio.
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Worked well for me, even with the long airplane rides, and the usually resultant effect of air travel and time zone changes resulting in retaining fluids, I still maintained my weight through-out the trip.
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One NOTE: the last time Zone bars (Apple something) were on sale at 1/2 off, and for an extended time, like the Sweet & salty seem to be, they were discontinued. Though the Sweet & salty are a bit salty (no need to be that salty!), at 1/2 off, they fit into my per diem limits, and helped supplement as well. Though they did NOT hold me as well as Zone 1-2-3 foods, and it seemed that there are a couple of other Co. balanced bars, that hold me the same as the Zone bars, even though the Xone bars are supposed to be hormonally insulin balancing??? .
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