Zone Food Blocks: The Quick and Easy, Mix-and-Match Counter for Staying in the Zone (Hardcover)

by Barry Sears (Author) "What is the Zone?..." (more)
Key Phrases: lean only leg, punch minute maid, carbohydrate blocks, Pepperidge Farm, Green Giant, Del Monte (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Here's the follow-up to The Zone and Mastering the Zone. Author Barry Sears, Ph.D., has formulated a way for readers to follow his diet plan (30 percent fat, 40 percent each carbohydrates and protein) by breaking down foods into measurable units, à la Weight Watchers. It's designed to make eating on the run--even if you're stopping at McDonald's--a Zone-friendly experience. But it's not exactly a piece of cake.

Anyone who hated word problems in math class may be slightly baffled by the necessary calculations for foods not listed in the charts. For example, if you want to convert a serving of cereal into Zone blocks, you need to look at the label and subtract the grams of fiber from the total grams of carbohydrate; this gives the total of insulin-promoting carbohydrate. Divide this result by 10. (Although to be accurate, it should be divided by 9, as Sears has assigned 9 grams to each carbohydrate block; he says you may as well round up to 10, since that makes the math easier.) And there you get your Zone block. As long as your total blocks stay within the 40-30-30 ratio, you're in the Zone.

Even more confusing are the measurements for some of the "pre-calculated" foods in the charts. For example, 80 fluid ounces of Rice Dream Rice milk equals 39 carbohydrate blocks and 8 fat blocks. While it's unlikely anyone would guzzle down 10 servings at once, it is likely they'd have a hard time finding this product in the listings in the first place, as it's listed under "milk, nondairy," not "rice milk." Many of the other listings are equally frustrating. To get one carbohydrate block of Schweppes ginger ale, you need to drink 3.3 fluid ounces. If you're working with a 12-ounce can, you can do some rounding, but if you have a liter-sized bottle at home, you're going to need a good eye to get that third of an ounce in a measuring cup. It's also hard to believe someone would eat eight-tenths of a slice of Pepperidge Farm bread to get one carbohydrate block, or six-tenths of a teaspoon of Bernstein's Caesar salad dressing to get one fat block. Dieting shouldn't be this difficult.

Product Description
Over two million people worldwide are already experiencing the health and performance benefits of the Zone diet. Based on the hormonal consequences of food rather than caloric content, the Zone treats food like a powerful drug. Properly administered, this drug allows you to maintain peak mental alertness throughout the day, increase your energy, and reduce the likelihood of chronic disease--all while losing body fat.

Now, in this essential new Zone reference guide, Barry Sears, provides you with the Zone resources and Food Block information you need to make every meal you eat aZone meal, including:

• How to use and adjust Zone Food to fit your own biochemistry

• Zone Food Blocks for every ingredient, including vegetarian and nondairy sources of protein

• Zone Food Blocks for fast food and prepackaged supermarket meals

• Rules for modifying prepared foods to make them Zone-perfect

• The Ten Zone Commandments for staying in the Zone

Think better, perform better, look better, and live better--get into the Zone.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (June 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060392428
• ISBN-13: 978-0060392420
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #130,745 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Zone convert extremely disappointed, June 14, 1998

By A Customer

This book should get the prize for completely BAD representation of information. I am a total zone convert, it has changed my life, but if I had this book to start with, it would have hindered, NOT helped me in my path. Most of the measurements are not helpful, they are not consistent. Some are in cups, some are in ozs, some in slices, all in decimal amounts (where is my .1 cup measure?). They are in block amounts rather than serving amounts. (Is it useful to know that .8 of a 3/4 oz slice is 1 block? or is it useful to know how much 1 slice is???). Some items are in the wrong group. Ice Cream is a *protien* rather than a carb as it belongs. The foods have a decidedly east coast bent as many of the foods listed are either not available on the west coast, or common west coast brands are missing.

I was really looking forward to this book to help out friends and family members that want to start the zone. I was very disappointed. Mastering the Zone still represents the best effort by Dr. Sears, though I would hope that before he is allowed to write again, that he gets an qualified editor that can help in the presentation of ideas.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars His other 3 books are great......but pass on this one!!, July 1, 1998

By A Customer

Well, after three well-written, very successful books, Sears's latest publication leaves his ardent followers (of which I am one) very disappointed. The book can basically be described as an unedited (numerous errors exist) computer dump of food counts, and a poorly organized one at that. It appears to this reviewer that those responsible for this new release were too anxious to get it on the market. Also, I understand from individuals who have postings on Sears's web site, that the first printings of this book contain errors in the amounts listed for fresh fruits and vegetables. Apparently, the block amounts listed for these foods do not take into account their fiber content, hence the amounts given are too small. Make sure when (if) you order that you are ordering the corrected version.

The book itself is printed on cheap quality paper. I was hoping for a book that would stand up to the rigors of daily kitchen use (good quality cookbook-type). This one will not, as the ink has already started to smear on the paperback-quality pages of my copy. I was also hoping for an easy to use reference, and all I can say to that end is, at least the items are alphabetized. Sears organizes the food entries into Carbs, Proteins, or Fats. On the surface that would seem to make sense because, based on the principles of The Zone, you want to include "blocks" of each of these macronutrients in everything you eat. But, on the practical side, this limited organization makes the book very difficult and frustrating to use. If you want to look up, for example, BEANS, you must sort through ALL carbohydrates beginning with "B", not just the vegetables.

Finally, I cannnot understand why Sears, who tells his followers not to obsess about exact amouts, would not have rounded some of his measurements to the nearest half, third, or even quarter - 0.9 of an apple? - I think I'll eat the whole thing.

The book would have been much better if it had been printed on kitchen-quality paper, divide! d with colorful tabs into meats, dairy, vegetables, fruits, etc., and would have been LESS precise, rounding to the nearest common full measurement.

Pass on this one, wait for the recall, and hope Sears and company start over.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Zone help line says book will be revised because of errors, September 10, 1998

By A Customer

After noting several mistakes I called the help line. They weren't real helpful. Said that book contains many errors (including the one I was asking about - Zone preferred items were suppose to be checked) and that a revision was in the works with no idea when it would be out. She suggested I return the book for a refund. GOOD ADVICE! If there are so many errors they should do a recall!!