Eating on The Wellness Challenge

For our upcoming wellness challenge, we’ve chosen to use Paleo/Zone dietary guidelines. So, what does that mean?

When it comes to eating Paleo, you have three options: Primal, Normal Paleo and Strict Paleo. In general, each of these diets focuses on vegetables and lean meats, omitting or reducing sugars, grains, dairy and legumes. Primal is the most lenient of the three, Normal falls in the middle, and Strict is the most restrictive. Click here for guidelines on each. Choose a track that feels challenging but doable and stick with it.

The Zone element of the challenge is intended to help you regulate portion control. The Zone uses “blocks” of food. One block equals:

o   7 grams of protein

o   9 grams of carbs

o   1.5 grams of fat

The number of blocks you should eat over the course of 24 hours is dependent upon your body type. For example, if you are a “medium female,” you should consume 11 blocks a day. If you’re a “large male,” you should consume 19 blocks. Click here for a body type/block chart as well as meal planning ideas and guidelines.