Food Blocks

Zone-Food-Blocks

Zone Food Blocks – The Most Precise Way To Get You In The Zone

The Zone Diet is based upon having the right balance of three macronutrients – protein, carbohydrate, and fat – at every meal and snack. This allows you to reach the desired health benefits that come from being in the Zone.  Zone Food Blocks are simply a measurement used to define how much of these macronutrients you should be eating throughout the day. Each Zone Food Block consists of one block of protein, one block of carbohydrate and one block of fat. To get the desired balance your goal should be to have a 1:1:1 ratio of protein, carbohydrate, and fat blocks at every meal and snack. The average female eats 11 blocks each day and the average male 14 blocks each day.

What Does One Block Look Like?

Protein= 7 grams

Carbohydrate= 9 grams (total carbohydrate minus fiber)

Fat= 1.5 grams (if you use animal protein at a meal)
or 3 grams of fat (if your protein source is vegetarian)

Food-Block-Sample

How Many Blocks Do I Need?

If you haven’t already done so, find out how many Zone Food Blocks you need with our Zone Calculator. 

Download Our Zone Food Block Guide

food-block-download

Some considerations:

  • Food Block Type:  Some foods are a mix of protein, carbohydrate and fat. We’ve eliminated the thinking and classified these foods for you.  To make a Zone meal, a typical female needs 3 Zone Food Blocks from each of the block categories: protein, carbohydrate and fat.  A typical male will require about 4 blocks of each at every meal.
  • Quantity:  This is the amount of each food you can have that will equate to one block whether its protein, carbohydrate or fat.  To find out how many blocks you need each day check out our Body Fat Calculator.
  • Choice: We’ve classified each food choice as a Best, Fair or Poor. Protein and fat choices rich in monounsaturated fats and low in saturated fats and arachidonic acid are considered Best.  Carbohydrates with a low glycemic load, meaning they aren’t quick to raise blood sugar levels, are also considered Best.  As the levels saturated fat, omega-6s, or high glycemic carbohydrates increase in a food choice, it gradually reduces its rating from Best to Fair to eventually Poor.  Even though the macronutrient composition of the meal would remain the same, using fair or poor food ingredients in a meal increase the inflammatory potential.