Dr. Barry Sears on The Zone Diet

CBN.com “There is no magic solution,” says Dr. Sears.  “Our obesity crisis is more than eat less, exercise more.”  Dr. Sears says a lack of hormonal balance makes us and keeps us fat.  Individuals who become overweight have a genetic predisposition that makes them gain weight easily and his research shows that this genetic tendency is caused by small changes in the diet.  Approximately 75 percent of the population has a genetic tendency to easily gain weight.  While we can’t change our genes, Dr. Sears says we can change their expression with the diet we follow.  This is the foundation for The Zone 1-2-3 Program. 

At the molecular level, cellular inflammation disrupts the hormonal balance, activating the genes that make us fat.  Cellular inflammation also triggers the development of diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.  His program is clinically proven to reverse cellular inflammation and requires a few simple ingredient subsitutions.  Hormones are controlled by the foods we eat.  If we make proper food choices, our hormones remain balanced.  So if the goal is to lose excess body fat, the key hormones we must keep balanced are insulin (the hormone that makes you fat, keeps you fat, and makes you constantly hungry) and gastrointestinal (GI) tract hormones that suppress hunger.  “The only way to successfully lose weight and keep it off is to lower insulin and increase the production of GI tract hormones,” says Dr. Sears. 

The basic Zone meal is easy to do.  Divide your plate into three equal sections.  Put a low-fat protein no bigger or thicker than the palm of your hand on one-third of the plate.  (This is about three ounces of protein for women and four ounces for men.)  Fill the other two-thirds with colorful, non-starchy vegetables and a little fruit for dessert.  Dr. Sears says the pigment in our foods reduces inflammation.  Finally add a dash of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, slivered almonds or even guacamole.  (For more information or help with meals, please visit www.zonediet.com.) “We have raised a generation of sugar-addicted children,” he says.  In studies, cocaine-addicted rats were given sugar.  They quickly switched their alliance from drugs to sugar.  Dr. Sears says sugar interacts with the same receptors as drugs.  “We can start reversing this epidemic by making ingredient substitutions in some of America’s favorite foods,” says Dr. Sears.  New technology allows for the replacement of carbohydrates with protein.  “We call it stealth nutrition.”   

Fish oil reduces inflammation.  Studies done in July 2010 by the Journal of Neurosurgery show that daily supplementation with high-purity fish oil after a concussion injury dramatically reduce resulting neural damage.  “Brain trauma remains one of the most devastating injuries, as there is very little to aid the healing process,” says Dr. Sears.  “Recent media reports on the long-term brain damage among former NFL professional football players focused on the tragic consequences of brain trauma induced by concussions.”  One former athlete, George Visger, who played with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1980s, has had nine brain surgeries since retiring from football.  He lost all of his short-term memory.  George followed Dr. Sears’ Zone Diet and took 15 grams of high-purity fish oil each day.  His short-term memory improved significantly as did his anger management. 

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Living in the Healthy Zone