Fast Food & the Zone Diet

Dr. Barry Sears, creator of the Zone diet, says that the foundation of the diet is to eat the right foods in the right proportions to keep the hormones that are generated as a result of the foods that we eat within the proper zone. The diet maintains a balance of low-fat proteins, fats and healthy carbohydrates. The Center for Science in the Public Interest debunks the theories that Dr. Sears bases the diet on, but agrees that it is a healthy diet that will help people to lose weight.

Fundamentals

• The Zone Diet operates under the premise that it can ward off heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes by maintaining a diet that consists of 30 percent protein, 30 percent fat and 40 percent carbohydrates. The diet does not require a cutback of calories, but rather rethinking the source of the calories in the current diet.

  The diet calls for three meals and two snacks (one late in the afternoon and the other in the late evening) per day. Eat a small amount of protein approximately the size of the palm of your hand at each meal and snack, and double that amount of good carbohydrates. Avoid unfavorable carbohydrates, or eat them in lesser quantities. Consult the Glycemic Index to determine favorable versus unfavorable carbohydrates.

Fast Food Options

• The time will probably come when you are forced to choose between eating a fast food meal or skipping the meal altogether. The Zone Diet forbids going more than five hours without eating, so fast food is the better choice.

  Breakfast sandwiches, such as a sausage, egg and cheese croissant, are acceptable if you remove the top half of the muffin or croissant and eat it as an open-faced sandwich. Breakfast burritos with eggs and cheese are also fine to eat.

  Order roast beef or grilled chicken sandwiches instead of hamburgers, discarding the top half of the bun. There are some exceptions, such as Wendy's Junior Cheeseburger with no bun and no additional carbohydrates. Fried fish sandwiches are generally not recommended, but the Ultimate Fish Sandwich at Long John Silver's is an exception. Order all sandwiches on whole wheat buns, flatbread or pita, if available.

  Most salads are acceptable as long as low-fat dressing is an option. Chili, chicken tacos, chicken or turkey wraps or subs are allowable as well. When ordering a sub, eat only half of the bread. A large slice of thin-crust pizza or medium slice of thick-crust pizza is fine to eat, and can be topped with chicken, ham or vegetables. At fast food fish restaurants, an order of baked cod with a hush puppy or 10 pieces of battered shrimp with no sides are fine for a meal.

  Things to avoid at fast food restaurants are mayonnaise, regular salad dressing (low-fat dressing is fine), soda and French fries. If you intend to order a dessert, cut out all carbohydrates with the meal to accommodate it.

Suggestions

• A good meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken is a chicken breast sandwich with no skin or breading, and side orders of green beans and cole slaw. At McDonald's you can enjoy a grilled chicken sandwich, eaten open-faced, and a garden salad with low-fat dressing. Quizno's small honey bourbon chicken sandwich on wheat bread eaten open-faced or Subway's turkey breast and ham wrap are both good choices.