Show 989: The Mediterranean Zone Diet (Archive)
The People's Pharmacy
Joe and Terry Graedon
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 18 August 2016
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Zone diet popularized by Dr. Barry Sears was one of the earliest to emphasize the importance of balancing protein, fat and carbohydrate consumption at every meal. Dr. Sears pioneered the idea that the food we eat is more powerful than any drug in controlling the activity of multiple hormones in our bodies.
Many studies have pointed to the value of a Mediterranean diet for reducing heart disease, stroke, dementia and other chronic diseases. How does a Mediterranean diet affect inflammation? And what is a real Mediterranean diet? There are lots of countries around the Mediterranean sea, and typical meals and favorite foods vary from one to another.
Fats from the Sea and Phytonutrients:
One thing the entire region has in common is a preference for vegetables and fruits rich in phytonutrients that give them strong flavors and bright colors. How do our bodies react to the colors on our plates and the flavors on our tongues? According to Dr. Sears, minimizing white foods (flour, sugar, shortening) as much as we can helps to control blood sugar and reduce inflammation, so long as we pay attention to the Zone way of eating.
Find out about the power of polyphenols from plant foods and the importance of omega 3 fats to maintain good health for life. According to Dr. Sears, all we need is to use a hand, an eye and a watch to set ourselves up for success on the Mediterranean Zone.
The ratios he mentions on the show are the ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (<1 is best) and the ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Ideally, says Dr. Sears, AA/EPA is between 1.5 and 2.
This Week’s Guest:
Barry Sears, PhD, is a biochemist who has become an authority on the dietary control of hormone response. He popularized the concept of The Zone as an anti-inflammatory diet, and he is president of the nonprofit Inflammation Research Foundation. He has written 13 books, including The Zone, Mastering the Zone, The OmegaRx Zone, The Anti-Inflammation Zone, and his most recent, The Mediterranean Zone.
Listen to the Podcast:
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, I'm Joe Graydon. |
| 0:02.3 | I'm Terry Graydon. |
| 0:03.8 | Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy, where we bring you the stories behind the health headlines. |
| 0:10.2 | This podcast is brought to you by Redux Industries, makers of utterly smooth body cream. |
| 0:16.0 | 800-345-7339 on the web at utter cream.com. |
| 0:29.7 | Dr. Barry Sears pioneered the concept that food affects hormones like insulin. |
| 0:35.1 | Can the Mediterranean diet improve blood sugar control? |
| 0:39.1 | This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon. |
| 0:46.9 | The Zone Diet was one of the first to reduce carbohydrates while promoting healthy fats and moderate |
| 0:55.1 | protein consumption. Dr. Sears has also turned his attention to inflammation as an underlying |
| 1:01.2 | contributor to many of our most damaging chronic diseases. The Mediterranean diet has substantial |
| 1:07.2 | scientific support. But what is a true Mediterranean diet? |
| 1:12.1 | Various regions around the Mediterranean have different favored foods. |
| 1:16.6 | Which ones are most helpful? |
| 1:18.4 | Coming up on the People's Pharmacy, Dr. Barry Sears provides new insights on the Mediterranean Zone. |
| 1:25.3 | First, this news. |
| 1:29.1 | In the People's pharmacy health headlines, |
| 1:32.6 | the evidence that sunscreens prevent cancer may not be as strong as people would like to believe. |
| 1:38.5 | That's the conclusion from a Cochrane review. |
| 1:41.5 | The Cochrane Collaboration is an impartial volunteer group of scientists who |
| 1:45.6 | analyze research evidence on medical interventions according to strict criteria. The authors looked |
| 1:52.3 | for randomized controlled trials of sunscreen to prevent basal or squamous cell carcinoma. |
... |
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