A good diet, proper rest and exercise are three of the most important aspects of your well-being.  When one of these components is absent or lacking, it creates an imbalance in the body.  Proper nourishment is the cornerstone for a person's health, their Mind, Body And Soul.
     "The Zone Diet", 40/30/30 nutrition, by Dr. Barry Sears (N.Y. Times Bestseller) is the most effective food technology available today. All meals are taken into the body at a 40/30/30 ratio. That is 40% carbohydrates, 30% proteins, and 30% fats. This is in accordance to an individual's activity level and measurements (height and weight, and waist and wrist for men and waist and hips for women). The Zone Diet is safe in its long-term usage, symmetrical in its structure and practical in its application.
     The first meal of the day is always the most important. Breakfast speeds up the metabolism (just like aerobic exercise). Ideally it should be eaten within one hour upon awakening.  Additionally, all meals should be eaten at least two hours apart from one another to allow the digestive system full recovery from its previous meal, and to add more efficient speed to the metabolism. The true key to dieting is to increase the speed of one’s metabolism. The digestion system should take in approximately a fist full of food per meal. Ideally one should eat 4 to 6 meals a day, chewing the food slowly and thoroughly to help the body with digestive process. This thoroughness helps one appreciate the food better, which in the long run acts as an appetite suppressant. The body feels more content and satisfied, than if one were to rush through the eating process. Drink about 8 ounces of water per meal. This also helps the digestive process. When eating before bedtime, have a balanced meal consisting of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat (as per the diet formulated by Dr. Barry Sears PH.D., author of Entering The Zone, a New York Times bestseller).
     It is also important to keep your sodium levels low, 300-500 mgs per meal. Sodium, among other things, causes water retention and loss of muscle definition. Canned, processed, and fast foods usually contain large amounts of sodium as a preservative.  As a result, it is important that the food you eat be Always fresh.  Vegetables are nutitionally best when they are eaten raw or slightly steamed.
     During the day and especially during a workout, drink plenty of water.  In fact, during a strenuous workout a person should drink 8 ounces of water every 15 minutes.  Doing so actually helps a person workout for longer periods of time.  This happens because lactic acid builds in the muscles during the workout, causing fatigue.  Drinking water, however, helps to flush the lactic acid, thus reducing the fatigue.
     Fad diets, like the "Atkins Diet" are a great concern. These diets are defined as an unproportionate ratio between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (I.E. all the proteins and fats one could eat with no carbohydrates"). These fad diets wear down the digestive system and put the body in a "famine mode". When it is not properly nourished, the body simply slows down the metabolism in order to conserve all the energy it can. So when the body does take in nourishment, it will automatically be stored away as fat, rather than processed for energy. It functions this way because it no longer knows when it will be nourished again. The brain is also deprived of the nutrients it needs in order to function properly, causing a person to feel light headed, tired, and moody.
     Take all this into consideration and apply it with moderation. Remember your body's health is important. If you incorporate healthy methods as a habit knit form into your daily life, you will reap the rewards of a healthy body.
     A balanced diet is a very fundamental and important element for your well-being. The balance I prefer above all others is the 40/30/30 proportion, mandated by "The Zone Diet". That is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat for each and every meal. The body runs more efficiently when taking in foods of this proportion. In fact, even if you don’t have enough time to be label conscious, you can still use the eyeball method. The  carbohydrates of your meal should be in somewhat larger proportion than the proteins (4 to 3 ratio). Due to the variance of calorie proportion between carbohydrates (4 calories per gram) and proteins (4 calories per gram) to fats (9 calories per gram), and the fact that fats are more dense than carbohydrates and proteins, a very small portion of a fatty food will contain a high proportion of fat.
     The type of carbohydrates that are the most beneficial to the body are fruits and vegetables. The less beneficial carbohydrates are the starchy foods like breads and pastas (which have a high glycemic index). These foods cause the pancreas to secrete a hormone called insulin, which enters the blood stream to maintain and regulate the proportionate blood/sugar levels. Since these starchy foods have very high sugar levels, the body will secrete insulin,  causing the starches/sugars to get pulled out of the blood stream, and stored away as fat in the cells for future use. Taking in too many starchy foods also causes a person feel fatigued. Starches and sugars help the brain to function, however when taken in large amounts, the insulin pulls them right out of the blood stream before the brain can use them. In addition to making a person feel light headed and drowsy, taking in too much of these types of foods is one major cause of weight gain.
   Avoid the misconception about limiting your fat intake. The body needs fats in order to get rid of fats. Fats are necessary in a person's diet for several reasons. First of all, they help protect the body. Fats are used for the maintenance of the skin, to protect the organs and are an important energy source for humans. A person limiting their fat intake puts their body in famine mode. So when the body does take in some fat, it is immediately stored away. This can be avoided by taking in 30% fat into the body with each meal.
   Proteins should also be taken into the body at 30% proportionate ratio with each meal. The most beneficial proteins are very low in saturated fat, namely chicken, egg whites, fish, turkey, tofu and vegetable protein powder (for vegetarians). The least beneficial proteins are the ones high in saturated fats, namely foods containing peanuts, almonds, cashews, guacamole, Tahiti and safflower oil. These foods when taken in at 30% proportion ratio with each meal, actually help eliminate fats from the body. Messages are sent to the brain telling it to stop functioning in a famine mode. As a result, fats are used as an energy source, instead of being stored away.
   When food are taken into the body in balanced proportions (40/30/30), the body stores very little fat. In fact, fats are removed from the body at a rate of one pound per week. This diet is therefore very beneficial to someone trying to reduce his/her body fat percentages.
     For people always on the go there are at least three health snack bars on the market that have the 40/30/30 proportions. I recommend the Balance Bare, the P.R. Bar, which is also available in powder form for shakes, and the Zone Bar, by Dr. Barry Sears himself.
    Some of the many benefits from this diet include: Increased energy levels resulting from low insulin production; Fat loss from the body's new response to fat intake. Muscle mass is retained and/or increased (depending on the workout schedule) while fat is burned; The mind works more effectively (also due to low insulin production). For a more detailed and complete description of the diet, please purchase Dr. Barry Sear’s P.H.D. book, Entering the Zone. It has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for several years. 

Click Here To Get This Wonderful Diet Delivered To Your Home.