Zone Diet Vegetarian is Possible
If you heard about
Zone Diet and you’re a practicing vegetarian, you might have
chalked it up as a non-vegetarian friendly diet. It’s easy to
have this assumption, what with its advocacy of 40%
carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats as the ideal daily
diet.
However, did you
know that you can still go on the Zone Diet and still practice
the vegetarian way of eating? Dr. Barry Sears, developer of the
Zone Diet, says vegetarians can still apply the Zone Diet by
having a daily intake of 40% carbohydrates, 30% vegetal protein,
and 30% monounsaturated fat.
In fact, Dr. Sears
published a Zone Diet book for vegetarians called “The Soy
Zone,” in which he established soy products as the main source
of protein for vegetarians who want to go on the Zone Diet.
In the book, Dr.
Sears theorizes that vegetarians mainly eat carbohydrates, and
that their diet is unbalanced. Though vegetarians do not eat
meat, they still gain fat caused by a high level of insulin that
brings about fat storage.
The solution to
fat storage caused by diets high in carbohydrates is to replace
some of them with protein from vegetables, but there are some
vegetables that are sources of both protein and carbohydrates,
such as green beans.
Because of this,
Dr. Sears advises that vegetarians have to be careful in
counting the food blocks, as they have to consider some
vegetables to be both sources of carbohydrates and protein.
In light of Dr.
Sears’ new book aimed at vegetarians, there are certified
nutritionists who say that a vegetarian zone diet does not give
enough vitamins such as A, B3, B6, B12, D, and E. It also lacks
important minerals such as iron, calcium, chromium, selenium,
and zinc. They strongly advise vegetarians who are on the zone
diet to take vitamin and mineral supplements to provide them the
nourishment the body requires.
Vegetarians also
have their say about the vegetarian zone diet. Regular
vegetarians say that the real problem for them is not high
carbohydrate intake, but just bad eating habits and too much
food. On the other hand, vegetarians on the zone diet agree with
Dr. Sears’ theory.
Recommendation
for Zone Diet Vegetarian
If you want to
give vegetarian Zone Diet a try, here are the top recommended
sources of vegetal protein:
- Tofu
- Soy bean protein powder
- Soy-based products
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Nuts
- Nut butters
- Meat substitutes (seitan, tempah, vegetable protein)
We follow
different diets for equally different reasons. There are those
of us who want to lose weight because of the health risks of
being overweight or being obese. There are those of us who have
different beliefs in food. There are also those who just want
good nutrition for themselves. Then, there are those who want
both good nutrition and to lose weight.
Whatever diet we
choose, we must not forget that no matter how little or how much
calories we take in, what’s really important is if we meet the
requirements of our bodies for vitamin and mineral intake. We
need carbohydrates for energy, but we need vitamins and minerals
for our body parts and senses to function well. We need
nourishment to maintain our eyes, brains, teeth, and bones.
They’re most important for us to enjoy our lives fully. If we
fail to take care of them, there’s no amount of diets in the
world that can bring them back to their optimum condition.
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