Read The Mediterranean Zone for Free Online Page B

the air, you can be confident it will fall back to earth. That’s why gravity represents such strong science. Likewise, nutrition predictions have to come true if it is good science.
    So here is what you can expect if you follow the Mediterranean Zone for a month.
    1. By days 2 to 3 your hunger will be significantly decreased because you are maintaining stable blood glucose levels from meal to meal. With that stabilization of blood glucose levels comes better mental acuity and emotional stability.
    2. By days 3 to 4 you will begin to experience a significant improvement in your levels of physical energy, as you are better able to access your stored body fat for the production of the chemical energy needed to move around.
    3. By day 7 you will not have lost a lot of weight (it’s difficult to lose more than one pound of fat per week), but your clothes will be fitting better because the weight you are losing is primarily body fat, specifically visceral body fat in your midsection. That’s why your clothes are fitting better.
    4. By day 14 your ability to handle stress will be significantly enhanced as cortisol levels are reduced.
    5. By day 30 you will see significant changes in your blood chemistry as markers of improved health and a slowing of the aging process.
    If you like that list of benefits and want to maintain them, then just continue the Mediterranean Zone for a lifetime. If you have a hand, an eye, and a watch, that’s easy to do.
CLINICAL MARKERS OF THE ZONE
    Ultimately nutrition has to be treated as science. So what are some of those clinical markers that are indicative of being in the Zone? Although I will discuss these markers in greater detail in Appendix E, here is a quick summary.
Blood Marker
What It Measures
AA/EPA ratio
Control of cellular inflammation
Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA 1 c)
Control of blood sugar
TG/HDL ratio
Control of liver insulin resistance
    Two of these tests (HbA 1 c and TG/HDL) will usually come from bloodwork issued for your annual physical. The AA/EPA ratio is a more specialized test used routinely in medical research, but not in standard blood tests given by your physician. See Appendix F for resources that will do such testing using only a drop of blood coming from a finger stick (similar to testing for blood glucose). Once you have these test numbers, you can tell if you are in the Zone, close to the Zone, or need lots of work to get to the Zone using the following chart.
Parameter
In the Zone
Close to the Zone
Needs Lots of Work
AA/EPA ratio
1.5–3
6
>10
HgA 1 c
5%
5.5%
>6%
TG/HDL ratio
<1
2
>3
    This is not a multiple-choice test. Either all three clinical markers are in the correct ranges, or you can’t be considered healthy no matter how good you look in a swimsuit. Getting into the Zone remains the best medicine if your goal is the reduction of cellular inflammation leading to the reversal of chronic disease and better quality of life. Following the Mediterranean Zone is the easiest way to get to the Zone.
    So what percentage of Americans might currently be in the Zone based on these clinical markers? The best evidence indicates less than 1 percent. Maybe 4 percent of the U.S. population is close to the Zone, and definitely more than 95 percent of Americans are out of the Zone by eating in a waythat is increasing their chances of chronic disease and premature death. Is it any wonder that health-care costs are out of control?
    I really don’t care what diet you follow as long as you are never hungry for five hours after every meal, and your blood markers indicate you are in the Zone. However, if you follow my simple dietary rules, you are quite likely to feel the effects of improved hormonal control with your first meal, and within thirty days those blood markers that define the Zone will start to change for the better. Stay in the Zone for a lifetime, and you have your best chance of a longer and healthier life.

4
    The Mediterranean Diet: Facts and Fiction
    T oday we hear