Inflammation and the Zone Diet

Written by Mary Perry, MS, RD, LDN
on December 06, 2019

Inflammation is something all of us have experienced whether big or small. The papercut you got opening the mail, the soreness from your workout, the swelling in your fingers and joints…all inflammation. Classical inflammation is the easiest to spot since it’s usually in the form of redness, heat, swelling or pain. It’s the inflammation we can’t feel that becomes problematic for our health.

The Downside of Inflammation

Inflammation is common and we need some level of it to fight off infection and disease. Every day we are exposed to things in our environment that promote inflammation (e.g. UV rays, chemicals, germs). When our body views something as foreign, it activates our immune system to protect us and triggers an inflammatory response. Most of the time this inflammation is followed by healing, but if healing doesn’t take place, inflammation persists, becoming our greatest enemy. Chronic inflammation has been linked to weight gain, accelerated aging, and chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer's.

The Biggest Culprit of Inflammation

What many of us don’t realize is that one of the biggest culprits of inflammation is our diet. Every eating decision we make can either heal our bodies through good nutrition or hinder it through promoting inflammation. Think about how many times you eat throughout the day and that can seem a bit daunting! The good news is that Dr. Sears has researched the role of diet and inflammation for decades. As a result of his work he created the Zone Diet.

The Zone Diet and Inflammation

The Zone Diet is an anti-inflammatory eating plan that focuses on eating the right combination of carbohydrate, protein, and fat at every meal and snack. Unlike traditional anti-inflammatory diets that focus on specific foods, the Zone Diet focuses on food choices and macronutrient balance to maximize the diets anti-inflammatory benefits. Calorie-wise the Zone Diet is approximately 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 30% fat.

The Short-Term Benefits of the Zone Diet

Long-term we know that controlling inflammation helps delay or prevent weight gain, aging, and and the onset of certain diseases, but there are also short-term benefits to be gained. Within the first few days of following the Zone Diet here are some of the benefits you can expect.