Teenagers in the Zone: Is the Zone Diet for Healthy for Teens?

Teenagers require a healthful, balanced diet in order to continue to grow. Researchers report that use of diets – such as The Zone diet – by adolescents not only inhibit growth, but also appear to result in weight gain over the long term.

Why is this so? First, with respect to growth, teenagers require a balanced diet consisting of all food groups, as well as vitamins and minerals. Diets that promote one food group over another, or that exclude key vitamins and minerals, can do more harm than good in young people.

With respect to weight gain, one study from Harvard Medical School reported that dieting – which is essentially imposing restrictions on eating – tends to result in overeating between diets, which can lead to weight gain. Other research supports that new fat cells are more likely to be created through intensive overeating, than by eating at a consistent level. The evidence in the study was clear: equalizing for other factors such as growth and exercise, girls who dieted frequently gained an average of 1.7 pounds a year more than girls who did not diet. Girls who dieted sometimes gained 1.3 pounds more than girls who did not diet. For boys, frequent dieters gained 2.2 pounds a year more than boys who did not diet. The Harvard research noted the fact that dieters are more likely to binge eat than non-dieters as providing support for their conclusion.

Noted diets like “The Zone” diet are no exception. Although Zone diet books have sold millions of copies, and millions of adults are replacing chocolate and candy with Zone Bars, there is no evidence that The Zone is appropriate or effective for teens.

But this hasn’t stopped ZoneChefs, a Zone diet delivery program based in New York, from launching a new program for dieters ages 8 to 16. The delivery program includes three meals and two snacks a day, delivered each morning in individual containers and prepared according to the 40-30-30 Zone ratio of carbs/fat/protein.

Teens would be better served staying out of the Zone and instead adopt a healthier set of eating and exercise habits. Smarter decisions and new behaviors are the real key to weight loss. If teens are serious about weight loss, they should investigate intensive residential programs that focus on behavioral change over a course of weeks and months. These programs really can change your life.