Hi
I am considering starting following the Zone way of eating but have a question/concern. Why does it recommend low fat foods such as cheese, milk and even ice cream etc. From reading around the subject it seems that full fat options for these things are better (because they're more like carbohydrates without the fat and also because taking out the fat removes a lot of the good nutrients).
Thanks

The Zone diet reduces your weight, reduces your cellular inflammation and changes the expression of your genes by limiting certain types of fats in favor of monounsaturated fat and by restricting calories to reduce insulin levels. Whether or not the fat is removed, hard cheese is considered a protein food milk and yogurt contain close to Zone balanced proportions of protein and carbohydrate, and ice cream is a high carbohydrate food, . Dr. Sears has suggested ice cream only as a better alternative for a Zone cheat meal dessert, specifically because it's high fat content will slow the entry of the carbohydrates in to the bloodstream. Ice cream is not a favorable carbohydrate for the Zone Diet. By eating reduced fat versions of milk, cheese and yogurt you are eliminating some of undesirable fats. You then replace them with monounsaturated fat in your Zone meals, a win/win situation for achieving and maintaining your optimal health.

Thanks for your response Sue. I am still unsure though because, while monounsaturated fats are undoubtedly beneficial, there is increasing evidence that saturated fat is also beneficial and certainly not harmful (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...at1.aspx). What are people's thoughts on that with regards to the Zone? Thanks.

Joanna,
I hear what you are saying, and I agree. The food industry creates low-fat versions of higher fat foods by taking out the fat and adding more carbohydrate, in many cases.

So, generally, I would agree that eating the original food is probably better for you in terms of glycemic control than its low-fat counterpart. However, because the fat is generally not a healthy fat, then we must balance the poor fat choice vs. the higher carb. Some people prefer to eat the higher carb version and add healthy fat to it, while others would recommend eating the original version and accepting the less than perfect fat source. Either way, it is a trade-off, and the best solution would be to eat more of your veggies and fruit, lean prooteins and monounsaturated fats, and less of the offending foods that put you in a position to make decisions like that.

Joanna, the Zone take on fat is that omega 6 is to be avoided (directly increases cellular inflammation), saturated fat is a fair choice, and monounsaturated fat is the best choice.

Joanna; I noticed your link was to Mercola, who advocates not saturated animal fats, but tropical oils such as coconut oil.
Dr. Sears allows for coconut oil - in low moderation. I do not have the link readily available, but it is posted in these forums.