Zone snacks have a very important role in the Zone dietary plan. They’re not just a fun diversion to break up the day. Rather, they serve as hormonal touchups, taking us through the times when we don’t have a meal for more than four to five hours. The first Zone snack is eaten either between breakfast and lunch or between lunch and dinner, depending upon which is the longer time span. For instance, a person who gets up at 6 A.M. should eat breakfast by 7. If that person doesn’t eat lunch until 1 or 2 P.M., then a Zone snack should be eaten between breakfast and lunch. On the other hand, a person who eats breakfast at 9 A.M. will have less time between breakfast and lunch and more time between lunch and dinner, which means the snack should be eaten in the afternoon. The second Zone snack is eaten about one hour before bedtime to prevent nocturnal hypoglycemia.
A Zone snack is really a mini-Zone meal. Each contains 1 block of protein, 1 block of carbohydrate, and 1 block of fat. The following list of snack ideas come from various Zone books and www.drsears.com and also offers some new options for snacking in the Zone.
Zone snack sizes are the same for men and women.
Deviled Eggs with Hummus
2 hard-boiled eggs
¼ cup hummus (contains fat)
Paprika to taste
Slice the eggs in half, discard the yolks, and fill each egg white with 1 tablespoon hummus. Top with paprika to taste.
Low-Fat Cottage Cheese and Fruit
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup “lite” fruit cocktail or ½ cup pineapple or ½ cup blueberries or ½ chopped apple or 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or 1 block of your favorite Zone-favorable fruit
1 macadamia nut or 3 almonds
Tomato and Low-Fat Mozzarella Salad
2 tomatoes, diced or sliced
1/3 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ounce skim mozzarella cheese, grated
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves
Place the tomatoes on a plate. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes. Top with the cheese and basil.
Tuna with Hummus
1 ounce canned tuna packed in water
¼ cup hummus
Drain the tuna fish and mix with the hummus.
Cottage Cheese and Salsa
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup salsa
1 tablespoon guacamole
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.
Waldorf Salad
1 cup sliced celery
¼ apple, diced
1 teaspoon “light” mayonnaise
1 pecan, crushed
1 ounce part-skim or “soft” cheese
Mix the celery, apple, and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Sprinkle the pecan pieces on top. Serve the cheese on the side.
Low-Fat Yogurt and Nuts
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon slivered almonds or 1 macadamia nut
Spinach Salad
1 spinach side salad
2 hard-boiled egg whites, sliced
1/3 cup Mandarin oranges, canned in water
1/3 teaspoon olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Place the spinach on a plate. Top with egg whites and oranges. Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and pour over the salad.
Veggies and Dip
2 ounces firm tofu
1/3 teaspoon olive oil
Dry onion soup mix to taste
1 cup celery sticks
1 green pepper, sliced
In a small bowl, blend the tofu, olive oil, and soup mix. Serve with the veggies.
Tomatoes and Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
2 tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup low-fat cottage cheese
6 peanuts
Place the tomato slices on a plate. Top with the cottage cheese and peanuts.
Chef Salad
1 lettuce side salad
1 ounce sliced turkey or ham
¼ cup kidney beans
1/3 teaspoon olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Place the lettuce in a bowl. Add the turkey or ham and kidney beans and toss with the olive oil and vinegar.
Ham and Fruit
4 slices Hillshire Farms 97 percent fat-free deli ham
½ apple
1 macadamia nut
Applesauce and Low-Fat Cheese
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoons slivered almonds
1 ounce low-fat cheese
Top the applesauce with the almonds and serve the cheese on the side.
Berries and Low-Fat Cheese
½ cup blueberries or 1 cup strawberries
1 ounce low-fat mozzarella cheese
6 peanuts
Wine and Cheese
4 ounces red or white wine
1 ounce cheese
The following snacks are popular with kids:
Cheese and Apple
½ teaspoon natural peanut butter
½ apple
1 ounce part-skim mozzarella string cheese
Spread the peanut butter on the apple and serve the cheese on the side.
Berry Smoothie
7 grams protein powder
1 cup frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 teaspoon slivered almonds
Blend the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Taco Salad
1½ ounces ground turkey
Taco seasoning, to taste
1 lettuce side salad
1 tablespoon salsa
¼ cup black beans
1 tablespoon guacamole
Spray cooking spray into a small, nonstick sauté pan. Over medium heat, cook the turkey and sprinkle with taco seasoning. Place the lettuce on a plate and top with the turkey, salsa, beans, and guacamole.
Creating Your Own Zone Snacks
You can create an infinite variety of your very own Zone-favorable snacks. Pick and choose 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate, and 1 fat choice from the list below.
Protein Choices
Carbohydrate Choices
Fat Choices
For other snack ideas, check out the following great recipes, including smoothies, puddings, muffins, and even frozen pops.
Snack
Recipes
Blueberry-Peach and Yogurt Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
If you’re preparing smoothies for two people for a meal, you can whip up a double batch at once. If you’re serving more people, you’ll have to make several batches.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 4 fat | 8 unsalted cashews |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cups organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or whey protein powder |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1 cup frozen sliced peaches or 1 sliced fresh peach |
| 2 carbohydrate | 1 cup fresh blueberries or 1 cup frozen, unsweetened blueberries |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 4 drops stevia extract liquid (optional) |
Variation
Blueberry-Peach and Yogurt Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick into each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze. Or, serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Blueberry and Banana Cream Freeze
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
Eat this as a soft serve or as frozen pops. Either way, it makes a tasty Zone snack or light meal.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 4 fat | ¼ cup low-fat organic sour cream |
| ¼ cup filtered water | |
| 4 protein | 11/3 ounces vanilla egg white protein or whey protein |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple pie spice | |
| 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in a nonalcoholic base or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla in alcohol | |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1/3 cup sliced frozen banana |
| 3 carbohydrate | 1½ cups frozen blueberries |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| 2 ice cubes | |
| 1/16 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 3 drops stevia extract liquid (optional) |
Variation
Blueberry and Banana Cream Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when the mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze. Or, serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving, or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Blueberry-Banana and Macadamia Nut Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
Bananas add a smooth texture to this smoothie.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 4 fat | 4 unsalted macadamia nuts or 2 teaspoons macadamia nut butter |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or whey protein powder |
| 2 carbohydrate | 1 cup fresh blueberries or 1 cup frozen blueberries |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1/3 banana or 1/3 cup sliced frozen banana |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) |
Variation
Blueberry-Banana and Macadamia Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze, or serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Cherry-Peach and Cashew Freeze
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
The marriage of pitted, unsweetened “sweet” cherries and sliced frozen peaches makes a delicious breakfast or snack. You can eat it as a soft serve or as frozen pops.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 4 fat | 8 cashews |
| ¼ cup filtered water | |
| 4 protein | 11/3 ounces vanilla egg white protein or whey protein |
| 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg | |
| 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon | |
| 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract in a nonalcoholic base or ½ teaspoon pure vanilla in alcohol | |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1 cup sliced frozen peaches |
| 3 carbohydrate | ¾ of a 12-ounce package frozen, pitted, unsweetened “sweet” cherries (such as Big Valley), about 1 cup |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 3 drops stevia extract liquid (optional) |
Variation
Cherry-Peach and Cashew Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when the mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze. Or serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Cocoa Berry Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
If your freezer is stocked with frozen fruit, a nourishing snack or breakfast will only be minutes away. Buy single fruits or fruit blends; just make sure they are unsweetened. Berries pack the most antioxidants for your carb blocks.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| ½ cup filtered water | |
| 4 fat | 8 unsalted cashews or 2 teaspoons cashew butter |
| 4 protein | 11/3 ounces vanilla egg white protein or whey protein |
| 3 carbohydrate | 1½ cups fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries (¾ of a 12-ounce bag) |
| 1 carbohydrate | 2 teaspoons granulated fructose |
| 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa | |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) | |
| 2 to 3 ice cubes (optional) |
Variation
Replace fructose with 1/3 cup fresh or ½ cup frozen mango. Add an additional 1/16 teaspoon stevia if a sweeter taste is desired.
Strawberry-Mango-Pineapple Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
Most supermarkets sell frozen fruit blends. The pineapple-mango-strawberry blend makes fantastic smoothies for snacks, breakfast on the go, or a light and easy-to-assemble evening meal.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 4 fat | 8 unsalted cashews |
| 3 protein | 1 ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or whey protein |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1 cup frozen or 1 cup fresh strawberries |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1/3 cup fresh or ½ cup frozen cubed mango |
| 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup frozen or ½ cup fresh pineapple slices |
| 1 teaspoon minced fresh or bottled ginger root or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) |
Variation
Strawberry-Mango-Pineapple Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when the mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze. Or serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving or run under warm water to loosen them from the mold.
Melon, Cherry, Grape, and Yogurt Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
Look for a frozen melon, cherry, and grape blend in your supermarket’s freezer section or slice and freeze fresh fruit at home, making it ready for a later date. Whip up a double recipe for breakfast for two, or make extra portions to freeze in paper cups for snacks.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup organic low-fat yogurt (2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk) |
| 4 fat | 2 teaspoons unsalted, unsweetened almond butter |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or vanilla whey protein |
| 1 carbohydrate | ¾ cup sliced fresh honeydew, cantaloupe, or Crenshaw melon or 1 cup frozen melon balls |
| 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup seedless red grapes or ½ cup frozen grapes |
| 1 carbohydrate | 1/3 cup fresh, pitted unsweetened “sweet” cherries or ½ cup frozen unsweetened “sweet” cherries (not thawed) |
| ¼ teaspoon dried ginger or 1 teaspoon minced fresh or bottled ginger root | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 4 drops stevia liquid (optional) |
Variation
Melon, Cherry, Grape, and Yogurt Pops
Yields 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, once the mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Very Cherry Yogurt Smoothie
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
Stock up on frozen pitted, unsweetened “sweet” cherries. They’ll enhance your yogurt and your morning.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cups organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 4 fat | 8 unsalted cashews |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or whey protein |
| 3 carbohydrate | ¾ of a 12-ounce package frozen pitted, unsweetened “sweet” cherries (such as Big Valley) or 1 cup pitted, sweet cherries |
| 1 teaspoon minced fresh or bottled ginger or ¼ teaspoon dried ginger | |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder (optional) | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 4 drops stevia extract liquid (optional) |
Variation
Very Cherry Yogurt Pops
Yield: 4 (1-block) snacks
Pour the blended mixture into 4 small paper cups or freezer pop molds. Freeze until firm. If using paper cups, place a stick in each cup after 1 to 2 hours, when the mixture has started to ice up, then continue to freeze or serve the mixture with spoons. Allow the cups to rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving or run under warm water to loosen them from the molds.
Frozen Blueberry Yogurt
| Prep: | 5 minutes | Yield: | 1 (3-block) meal or 3 (1-block) snacks |
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 2 carbohydrates | 1 cup frozen blueberries |
| 2 protein | ½ cup cottage cheese |
| 3 fat | 1 tablespoon slivered almonds |
| 1 carbohydrate | 2 teaspoons granulated fructose |
Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Watermelon-Berry Cooler
| Prep: | 10 minutes | Yield: | 1 (4-block) meal or 4 (1-block) snacks |
If you don’t want to mess with removing watermelon seeds, look for seedless watermelon. If you’re serving this as a breakfast for more than one person, you’ll have to make several batches.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| 1 protein, 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup organic low-fat yogurt; 2/3 cup if yogurt does not contain nonfat dry milk |
| 4 fat | 8 cashews |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla egg white protein or whey protein powder |
| 2 carbohydrate | 1½ cups fresh or frozen sliced seedless or seeded watermelon |
| 1 carbohydrate | ½ cup fresh or ½ cup frozen blueberries, thawed |
| 1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger or bottled ginger juice | |
| ¼ cup filtered water or 2 ice cubes (optional) | |
| 1/16 to 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or 2 to 4 drops stevia extract liquid (optional) |
Zoned Apple Pie Pudding
| Prep: | 20 minutes | Yield: | 4 (1-block) snacks |
| Cooking: | 2 to 3 minutes |
This cross between apple pie and applesauce makes a great snack. If you don’t have almond or cashew butter in the house, try it with peanut butter or substitute eight raw or toasted cashews.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| ¾ cup cold water | |
| 1 protein | 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin |
| 4 fat | 2 teaspoons unsweetened, unsalted almond butter or cashew butter |
| 3 carbohydrate | 1½ small sweet or tart-sweet apples (Fuji, Braeburn, JonaGold, Gala, Granny Smith, Macintosh, Pink Lady, Ginger Gold, or Cortland), cored, peeled if desired or waxed, halved, and diced |
| 3 protein | 1-ounce scoop vanilla whey protein or egg white protein powder |
| 1 carbohydrate | 2 teaspoons granulated fructose |
| ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably nonalcoholic | |
| ½ teaspoon apple pie spice or ground cinnamon | |
| ¼ cup ice water (optional) | |
| 1/8 teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) |
Zoned Chocolate Pudding
| Prep: | 20 minutes | Cooking: | 2 to 3 minutes |
| Soaking: | 30 minutes | Yield: | 4 (1-block) snacks |
Have your chocolate and eat it too—without going out of the Zone! Unlike most puddings, this one requires no messy mixing and cooking on top of the stove. Unflavored gelatin and a blender do all the work. Almond butter adds heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and dates and fructose do the sweetening.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| ½ cup cold water | |
| 1 protein | 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin |
| 4 fat | 12 lightly toasted almonds or 2 teaspoons unsweetened, unsalted almond butter |
| 3 carbohydrate | 6 pitted dates |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder | |
| 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa | |
| 3 protein | 1 ounce scoop vanilla whey protein or egg white protein powder |
| 1 carbohydrate | 2 teaspoons granulated fructose |
| 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably nonalcoholic | |
| ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon | |
| ¼ cup ice water | |
| 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) |
Variation
Zoned Chocolate Pudding Pops
In step 3, pour the mixture into 4 small paper cups. After ½ hour, insert a craft stick into each cup. Freeze until set. Peel off the paper to eat. Or, freeze the pudding in cups, allow to soften on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes, and eat with a spoon.
Zoned Chocolate Protein Prune Pudding
| Prep: | 20 minutes | Cooking: | 2 to 3 minutes |
| Soaking: | 30 minutes | Yield: | 4 (1-block) snacks |
Both prunes and cocoa are rich in antioxidants. This recipe combines them with heart-healthy fats and protein to produce a delicious blood sugar-balancing snack.
| Block Size | Ingredients |
| ¾ cup cold water | |
| 2/3 protein | 2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin |
| 2 carbohydrate | 4 pitted prunes |
| 4 fat | 12 lightly toasted almonds or 2 teaspoons unsweetened, unsalted almond butter |
| 2 teaspoons apple fiber powder | |
| 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa | |
| 3½ protein | 11/3 ounce vanilla whey protein or egg white protein powder |
| 2 carbohydrate | 4 teaspoons granulated fructose or 1 tablespoon agavé nectar |
| 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably nonalcoholic | |
| ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon | |
| ¼ cup ice water | |
| 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon stevia extract powder or liquid (optional) |
Variation
Zoned Chocolate Prune Pudding Pops
In step 3, pour the mixture into 4 small paper cups. After ½ hour, insert a craft stick into each cup. Freeze until set. Peel off the paper to eat. Or, freeze the pudding in cups, allow to soften on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes, and eat with a spoon.