Author and creator of The Zone Diet, Barry Sears, Ph.D., believes our country’s expanding obesity crisis is more than just the result of poor eating habits and not enough exercise. On The 700 Club, Dr. Sears shared with hosts Pat Robertson and Kristi Watts that he believes a lack of hormonal balance is making us – and keeping us – fat. Dr. Sears also shared his newest plan, the Zone 1-2-3 Program, and how it can help balance those important hormones so you can reach your personal health and weight goals.
HORMONAL COMMUNICATION
What if everything you have been told about weight gain and weight loss is wrong? This would begin to explain why we seem so powerless against the growing obesity epidemic in the United States and in other countries as well. Contrary to popular belief, weight gain is not simply due to the lack of willpower. According to Dr. Sears, it is controlled by genetics and a wide variety of hormonal control mechanisms in the blood, brain and gut that are not easily modified by simply eating less, having willpower and exercising.
What makes us fat and keeps us fat is caused by subtle changes in our diet that have caused inflammation which affects hormonal communication. Your diet is the key to controlling your inflammatory response and The Zone 1-2-3 Program is designed to do just that.
Dr. Sears explains that in order to re-establish hormonal communication, you need three things: adequate protein at every meal to induce satiety; a reduction of the intake of carbohydrates in order to maintain the hormone insulin in a zone that is not too high, but not too low; and finally, a dramatic lowering of the levels of omega-6 fatty acids in the diet to reduce inflammation. Understanding inflammation is complex—and confusing. You need some inflammation in order to repel microbial invasions and help heal injuries, but unless the inflammatory response is eventually turned off, it begins attacking your own body. What has not been appreciated until recently is the emerging role your diet plays in turning “on and off” the body’s inflammatory responses.
CELLULAR INFLAMATION
Dr. Sears described the two types of inflammation. The first type hurts. As a result, you do something to stop the pain. The second type is chronic, low-level inflammation that is below the perception of pain. This is cellular inflammation. Since there is no pain associated with cellular inflammation, it can linger for years, if not decades, undetected. At the molecular level, the control of cellular inflammation involves the control of the “genetic master switch” that is under dietary control. If this master genetic switch is turned on, it results in widespread amplification of cellular inflammation throughout the body. The long- term consequences of cellular inflammation can include: obesity, acceleration of chronic disease, and reduction of peak mental and physical performance. The Zone 1-2-3 Program keeps inflammation at bay.
THE ZONE 1-2-3 PROGRAM
According to Dr. Sears, the goal of the new Zone 1-2-3 Program is to provide a complete dietary program to silence the dietary activation of this genetic master switch. That’s why his new Zone 1-2-3 Program should be considered as a dietary approach to control cellular inflammation at the genetic level – or as Dr. Sears prefers to call it – Zone Living. The Zone 1-2-3 Program is a proven way to reduce cellular inflammation, the underlying cause of weight gain. Once cellular inflammation is reduced, fat loss becomes much easier. The Zone 1-2-3 Program benefits include:
• Your clothes will fit better as much of your weight loss is excess body fat, not loss of water or muscle.
• You will enjoy improved mental focus and acuity as your blood sugar levels become more stable.
• You will observe a surge in physical energy as you increase the release of stored body fat to be converted into chemical energy.
• You will have an improved ability to handle stress.
• Finally, as you continue to reduce excess body fat, you will have decreased blood sugar, blood lipid, and blood pressure levels.
ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
To achieve complete nutrition you must supply your body with the essential nutrients it cannot make on a daily basis. The Zone 1-2-3 Program emphasises your body’s need for these three essential nutrients:
- You need essential amino acids found in various protein sources.
- You need essential fatty acids. Increasing your intake of essential omega-3 fatty acids is critical to reduce cellular inflammation in your fat cells as well as every other cell in the body.
- You need essential polyphenols. Polyphenols are the chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their colour and can’t be made by the body. They also protect essential omega-3 fatty acids from oxidation and help inhibit the genetic master switch that turns on cellular inflammation, which is the underlying cause of weight gain.
Zone Labs produces numerous, one-of-a-kind food products to assist folks following any of the Zone programs, including the new Zone 1-2-3 Program. There are Zone Foods that can supply all the protein you need thanks to their patented baking technology. Now you can eat the foods you like to eat knowing they are rich in essential amino acids balanced with the correct amount of carbohydrate to control hunger. Zone Labs’ OmegaRx® is reported to be the highest purity source of omega-3 fatty acids with or without a prescription. OmegaRx® makes it easier to release stored fat for energy conversion. And one capsule of Zone Polyphenols supplies the same amount of polyphenols as eating 10 servings of vegetables. For more information, go to www.ZoneDiet.com.
Fact Resources:
Information in this edition of A Closer Look is generously provided by www.ZoneDiet.com.
About the Author:
Barry Sears, Ph.D., is a leading authority on the dietary control of hormonal response. A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and MIT, Dr. Sears holds 13 U.S. Patents. His research has elevated food from being simply a source of calories to being recognized as an exceptionally powerful drug. Dr. Sears continues his research as president of Zone Labs and, in addition, he has expanded his research in developing innovative dietary approaches to the treatment of cancer and neurological conditions as well as his ongoing treatment of cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. To learn more about Dr. Sears’ research on inflammation and health, go to his website: www.drSears.com. Or to find out more about his popular Zone Diet, visit: www.zonediet.com.