Sasha Castel has, after the Biblically-mandated forty days, abandoned the Protein Power diet, and says that the low-carb way is not for her. When I asked (in her blog's Comments) whether she knew anything about Barry Sears' Zone Diet, she replied that it was too complicated. As I am trying to figure out the Zone myself, I sympathize...and the mind courses through history...
Nathan Pritikin claimed that the Pritikin diet was not bland, and that hunger was not part of the Pritikin diet. Legions of Pritikin dieters have disagreed.
The Atkins/Protein Power establishments claim that such low-carbohydrate diets are not boring and that sticking with such a diet is not difficult. Many low-carb dieters disagree.
And now we have Barry Sears telling us that creating a Zone menu plan isn't difficult or complicated. I wonder: Sasha thinks it's complicated, and she isn't lacking intelligence (nor is she fat, so I don't know why she's even concerned); and as I said, I'm not yet adept at it myself.
But I am sympathetic/impressed with the Atkins/Protein Power approach, and it seems to me that the Zone diet is compatible with the later stages of the Atkins and Protein Power diets (the Atkins Center apparently agrees with me), so I'll leave you with a few words from pages 104-105 of A Week in The Zone:
No one has ever accused the French of not eating well, but you now realize that a gourmet French meal is really a Zone meal. A gourmet French meal contains adequate (but not excessive) amounts of protein, lots of low-density vegetables, a little fruit for dessert, and a glass of wine (which the body treats like a carbohydrate) to balance off the protein. A little fat in the sauce not only adds to the taste, but also slows down the rate of entry of carbohydrates into the bloodstream.
CORRECTION: I had originally written (and posted) this piece when it read "Barry Sears' Protein Power diet." Oops. I meant the Zone, and that's what Sears is known for.
Posted by Craig Ceely at June 7, 2003 11:17 AM