Calculating Macros Part 3 – The Zone & Other Diets
If you have googled “healthy balanced diet” or any other similar term, most likely you have seen the ratios of 40/30/30 pop up. What that’s referring to is your ratio of macro-nutrients; 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.
The “Zone Diet” uses this ratio and most of us will start with this breakdown with Flexible Eating. So what’s the difference between the two? Well the most significant difference is that the Zone Diet requires you to eat all of your meals in this exact proportion. This might not seem too hard, but trust us, if you have a normal life, it’s very challenging. Throw in travel, social gatherings, parties, etc., and it’s damn near impossible. Talk about setting yourself up for failure!
But, there is a reason you see these numbers and proportions often. When you eat in this ratio you are also helping to balance your hormones. When you eat, your body begins to metabolize the food into blood sugar, and as it does that you have two major hormones at play helping decide what to do with this sugar. Insulin and Glucagon. Insulin helps you store the sugar, which depending on how much you ate could be a bad thing, while glucagon helps you use that stored sugar for energy.
Ideally, we eat our food in a way that these two hormones are in balance, that’s where the 40/30/30 comes into play, but like we said that adds an all new layer of stress to tracking. What we have done with our formula is set it up so most people’s numbers are very close to that ratio and over the course of the day you are eating in that balance, without the burden of doing it at every meal. Why? Because we want this to be sustainable. Your progress is only going to continue as long as you’re doing this, so we need it to become a part of your lifestyle in an underwhelming way.
Check out Jason comparing Flexible Eating to the Zone and other diets in the video below.
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What diets have you tried in the past? Why are you no longer on that diet? Head on over to our Lifestyle Group and let us know!