The Zone Diet advocates the benefits of carefully balancing fat, protein and carb intake throughout the day. It was developed by Dr. Barry Sears. The diet, Sears has stated in several of his books, was born of his desire to avoid dying of a heart attack, a fate that all other men in his family had been victims of. In more recent years, Sears has popularized the use of fish oil and Omega-3 fatty acids to reduce system-wide inflammation in the body.

In the Zone Diet Daily calorific consumption should be made up of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat. Considering the popularity of both low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach, and the many low fat diets, it may seem surprising that a diet system with both more fat and more carbs than the other diets can work.

“The Zone” actually refers to a proper hormone balance, and not specifically a balance of food types. When insulin levels are stable, and glucagon levels are not too high, then specific anti-inflammatory chemicals (types of eicosanoids) are released, which have similar effects to aspirin, but without downsides such as gastric bleeding. Sears claims that a 30:40 ratio of protein to carbohydrates triggers this effect, and this is called ‘The Zone.’ Sears claims that these natural anti-inflammatories are heart and health friendly.

The Zone Diet is considered a low-carb diet although it is not as restrictive as the other low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet. Sears claims these Dr. Atkins missed the point, in that they ignore the importance of hormonal balance, as well as the influence of dietary balance on digestion and hormone production. This is not really true, as the role of hormones is mentioned throughout Dr. Atkins’ book. Maybe Dr. Sears did not read it fully.

One of the main criticisms of the Zone Diet is that it does not encourage healthy eating, but just the correct balance of carbs-fat-proteins. Most people like to be told what they should eat in any particular diet plan, but with the Zone diet you are expected to work it out for yourself.