My Introduction to the Zone

In 2001, I walked into my doctor’s office for my annual physical exam feeling particularly blessed with wellness.  We talked about my healthy lifestyle, and I received the usual praises and “job well done” remarks.  The exam ended with a trip to the lab for some blood work.  From there I was sent to the X-ray Department for my first bone density test to check for osteoporosis.  It was routine procedure for women my age—over forty-five. 

I wasn’t concerned.  Through the years I had listened to the medical professionals and followed their advice.  When I stopped menstruating, around the year l990 due to a thyroid disorder, my doctor prescribed hormone replacement therapy.  He told me that I needed to protect myself from osteoporosis.  On that same note, my nutritionist set up my food plan to include generous amounts of calcium, and I took a vitamin supplement for my vitamin D and magnesium.  In other words, I had done my homework.  I was a “good” girl.

A week after my physical exam, I received a phone call from my doctor’s office.  Stunned by the words coming through the wires, I stuttered, “Osteoporosis?  I have the bone mass of an eighty-year old woman—7l% in my hip and 68% in my spine?  There must be a mistake.  I eat three yogurts a day; I take vitamin D with magnesium, even hormone replacement therapy.  How can I have osteoporosis?”

My future flashed before me—an old woman perched up with pillows in her wheelchair promoting food addiction recovery.  Why did God ask me to write a book and give me this?  Mystified and angry at traditional medicine, I considered my options.

A natural health care professional answered some of my questions.  She explained the theory and importance of balancing proteins, carbohydrates and fats for optimal health.  My initial plan of eating included healthy choices (even 1500 mg. of calcium daily), but apparently not enough fats to transport the vitamins and minerals throughout my body.  This woman told me that Dr. Barry Sears had designed a food plan that might work for me.  It was the highly publicized and acclaimed Zone Diet.

Compulsively I bought all the Zone books and prayerfully considered Dr. Sears’ research.  Even though his work is explained in technical terms for the analytical mind, I did not need to be a rocket scientist to see that the Zone Diet was a reasonable food plan for a food addict like me.  I continued to respect the disease of food addiction and applied appropriate restrictions—the most prevalent being the avoidance of all sugar and flour products, as it is with any food addict’s plan of eating.

Dr. Sears tells us that the balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat sets the stage for the calm peace of mind and body that results when our blood sugar insulin levels are stabilized.  It took a few days for my mind to transition into a new and different philosophy.  However, when I let go of my fear and looked at the health benefits, I introduced more healthy fats into my plan of eating.  Almost immediately I noticed I felt less hungry, more mentally alert and more energized throughout the day, and I had a general sense of well-being I had never known before.