CHAPTER 1

Living in the Zone

I love living in the Zone, and now that it's been my life for the last decade orso, I can't imagine leaving it behind. I feel great, sleep soundly, am mentallyalert, and am always ready for anything!

You will feel the same way once you make the commitment to eat and live in theZone. I promise that life will get only better. Like me, you will walk aroundwith a feeling of well-being and wonder how you can persuade your friends andloved ones to join you. If you are in charge of shopping and cooking in yourhousehold, you will be able to bring your family along with you into the Zone.They'll thank you. Zone-friendly meals are absolutely delicious and include thefoods we all love. And there is no guilt in the Zone. If you slip up, noworries. Just resume the plan with the next meal.

I am not perfect. At some meals, I trip up or, more likely, make a consciousdecision to eat foods I know are not Zone favorable. After four hours, or thenext morning, I feel sluggish and unfocused. If I have eaten far too manycarbohydrates, I feel worn down and have what I call a food hangover. I can'twait to get back into the Zone. And it's so easy.

Shopping in the Zone

It's important to keep a running shopping list so that when you go to themarket, you are prepared. I like to shop at large natural food markets such asWhole Foods and Wild Oats markets. These stores offer the same convenient, one-stop shopping that other supermarket chains do. They are not necessarilyvegetarian markets; most sell wild-caught fish, free-range poultry, andresponsibly raised or grass-fed beef. The produce is generally organicallygrown. If you don't have access to one of these markets, you can easily makewise decisions at most mainstream supermarkets.

When I go into a large market, the first place I look is the produce department.If the apples, lettuce greens, berries, and green beans don't look fresh andinviting, I walk out. If I have no choice, I buy frozen vegetables and fruitrather than fresh, which are always a good, healthful alternative. Another placeto check is the fish department. If it meets my standards, my confidence meterrises! The fish should look fresh and clean, and whole fish should have bright-lookingscales and gills and clear eyes. The catch should be displayed oncrushed ice, and there should not be any noticeable odor. A fish department withgood turnover is key.

Otherwise, I look for a well-stocked, clean store with friendly, helpfulpersonnel. I never hesitate to ask questions and to "make friends" with thebutcher, the produce manager, and the folks at the deli counter. This makesshopping more pleasant and can also save time and be of help when you're lookingfor something particular.

Cooking in the Zone

First and foremost, it's critical to be organized. This means knowing what foodyou have on hand and what you need for the week's meals. Yes, when you live inthe Zone, you have to think about food. A lot! I don't know about you, but thishas never been a hardship for me.

I keep the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer stocked with Zone-friendly foods atall times. This makes it easy to prepare meals and snacks as the days go by, andso if I can't get to the market, I can stay in the Zone.

Staying in the Zone means eating three good meals a day (including breakfast)and two snacks. I eat my snacks at midafternoon and then in the evening shortlybefore bed. (Turn to Chapter 2 for my two-week menu plan, to get a good idea ofhow to plan these meals, and see "Eating the Right Amounts" later in thischapter.) It also means never letting more than four or five hours go by withouteating. If you are eating the correct Zone balance of approximately 40 percentcarbohydrates to 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat based on caloric intakeand using the mathematical formula on page 269, you won't feel hungry for yournext meal, but you will feel ready. But don't worry. I have done the math, too,so you don't need to unless you want to.

If you have Zone-friendly food in the house or easily accessible at work, thisis simple.

For this reason, when I shop, I stock up on packaged soy foods such as tofu,tempeh, soy crumbles, and soy cheeses. I buy non- or low-fat dairy cheeses,eggs, and sliced meats such as ham and turkey. If I see nice-looking smoked fishin the deli department, I buy some to snack on.

I keep containers of hummus and baba ghanouj, hard-cooked eggs, and sliced coldcuts in the refrigerator to make snacking easy. I also stock my refrigeratorwith olives, avocados, guacamole, and salsa, as well as lettuce greens, freshspinach, yellow squash, zucchini, and fresh green beans. I keep a store oflemons, limes, and oranges as well as whatever other fruit or berries are inseason. My favorite Zone-friendly fruits include pineapples, strawberries,blueberries, and peaches.

For nonperishable foods, I buy bags of dried beans and lentils; cans oftomatoes, cooked beans, artichoke hearts packed in brine, and low-fat chickenand vegetable broth; jars of peanut butter, almond butter, and sugar-freepreserves; and packages of almonds and walnuts. I always have both regular oliveoil for cooking and extra-virgin for uncooked preparations. Besides olive oil, Ikeep canola oil and small bottles of specialty oils such as toasted sesame,almond, and walnut.

I stock the freezer with low-glycemic frozen vegetables such as broccoli,spinach, green beans, artichoke hearts, and pea pods (not high-glycemicvegetables such as corn and English peas), frozen berries such as blueberriesand strawberries, and frozen fruit such as peaches and nectarines. I also keepcooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts and shrimp in the freezer, both goodsources of protein.

We are born with a hankering for sweets, but refined, processed cane sugar(white sugar) is never Zone friendly and will only create carbohydrate cravings.I satisfy my sweet tooth with whole fruit and an occasional baked good. Forsweetening, I use fructose (as syrup or granules) and Splenda, a cane sugarproduct with rearranged molecules so that it adds sweetness without affectinginsulin levels or adding calories. (Stay away from artificial sweeteners, whichraise insulin levels.) After fructose and Splenda, I suggest stevia. Consideredan herbal supplement, it is nearly 300 times as sweet as sugar, which makes ittricky to measure; if you use too much, the food tastes bitter. It's great forsweetening fruit and dairy products but is less successful for baked goods. LikeSplenda, stevia does not affect insulin levels. My next two...