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Rating: 
Summary: medical & health benefits of pharmaceutical fish oil
Review: A year ago tomorrow, I walked into a bookstore in desperation and bought all the books on nutrition I could find that made sense to me. Within days, I exchanged most of them for the Zone books. Within 2 weeks of practicising the Zone haphazardly, I got spectacular results on my blood cholesterol test, the first encouraging results in five years. I have continued in the "Zone lifestyle" faithfully while reading perhaps 70 nutrition and exercise books in the meantime.The OmegaRxZone represents the most recent in the series of Zone books, containing the most up-to-date information on Dr. Sears' dietary technology. It might be called, the "Zone with emphasis on pharmaceutical grade fish oil and recovery from illness." Pharmaceutical grade fish oil can be taken in bigger quantities than health store grade fish oil. There is now an EPA/AA test (see yourfuturehealth.com) for $260 that can show whether bigger quantities of fish oil can help your health condition. Dr. Sears has taken criticism from those who say they are completely healthy already. They argue that his assertions about the role of EPA and DHA in preserving health are unproven. Meanwhile, many desperately sick people have regained their health and think otherwise. The August 2003 newsletter on drsears.com contains one such testimonial from a fitness instructor. Dr. Sears apparently sees his role as a standard setter. In the year since the publication of the OmegaRxZone, other pharmaceutical grade fish oils besides his own have come out at lower prices. If he were truly mercenary, he would have maintained his affiliation with the ZonePerfect company. He parted ways with them several years ago because he wanted to upgrade the quality of Zone bars. The ZonePerfect company has recently been bought out by a sports bar company (read candy bar) for huge dollars. That would have been the way for him to cash in if he really were in it for the bucks. His long-range view, gathered from the Q&A archives on his website, is that acceptance of his dietary technology will take 25 years. Do you need this book versus any of the others? That's difficult to answer, because Dr. Sears seems to take a slightly different tack to explaining his system. If you are a convalescing heart attack victim, you might want to approach cooking with laboratory precision, but if you have immortal youth, you might be satisfied with more improvisation. The short answer. For the quickest summary of the benefits of the Zone and various methods of putting it into practice, A Week in the Zone may be the best single book to start with (paperback, has some typos). If you collect all the Zone books, you will want this one, too. The long answer:
Enter the Zone - the classic, also the best written
Mastering the Zone - learn to read Nutrition Facts labels - good for athletes
Age-Free (originally Anti-Aging) Zone - very detailed on life extension
Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes - cookbook w summaries of Zone used in
workshops for diabetics.
Zone Food Blocks - dietician/cooking reference
The Top 100 Zone Foods - favorite of some
The Soy Zone - for vegetarians and vegans
A Week In The Zone - reader's digest summaries
OmegaRxZone - medical & health benefits of pharmaceutical fish oil
The 28-day Makeover - (due at year's end) - sounds commercial The Zone has often been misrepresented in the press. The "experts" who pick at the Zone admit that it's probably good for you. Have you noticed how many books now copy Barry Sears' format of presenting macronutrient ratios? Nobody can disprove this statement: The Zone is the most moderate and balanced way of eating out there - it is a lifetime eating plan, not a remedial diet. It can adapt to all kinds of requirements; it does not completely forbid any food. Is the Zone difficult to put into practice? Yes, it can be exasperating, since much of the food supply contains hi-glycemic carbs and harmful fats. Just how much of those "difficult" foods do you want to consume? If the Zone does nothing more than get you to understand the "Nutrition Facts" labels on food containers, Barry Sears has done you a great service.
Rating:
Summary: Buy His Book/Skip *His* Brand of Fish Oil
Review: I've been a fish oil fan for the last three years. Large doses (10 grams daily) of this supplement enabled me to finally rid myself of depression within two months of nutrient addition. This stuff is truly miraculous. Dr. Sears offers convincing arguments and anecdotes for all of his assertions but one: that you *must* consume only "pharmaceutical-grade" fish oil if large amounts are used. Sears goes on to note that his is one of only two companies to offer such a product - and the other company's supplement is inadequate! Consumer Reports analyzed different fish oil supplements in 2003 and found no significant differences in quality or purity. Price is the distinguishing factor. Both "major warehouse club" brands were tied in this regard. I pay $0.02 per gram capsule vs. the sale price of $0.33/capsule for the author's brand. If you can ignore the pervasive sales-centric warnings about which grade of fish oil to buy, you'll be able to learn much from the bulk of this work.
Rating: 
Summary: A leader in nutritional medicine
Review: It saddens me that such a great book gets criticised because the author sells the product promoted in the book. What else is he supposed to do if he researches a specialist field, recognises the tremendous value of a product, develops it and tells people about it in his book? After reading this book in order to review it for Positive Health Magazine (UK), I would rank it in the top ten most educational books on nutritional therapy and medicine. Barry Sears may be making a good income from his metabolic discoveries, but I believe that is because they are important breakthrough discoveries, not because of marketing hype. Having said that, he is a scientist, not a holistic nutritionist, so some people may need to use this book's information as part of a broader program in order to get the best health results.
Linda Lazarides
Author: The Waterfall Diet; Treat Yourself with Nutritional Therapy
Rating:
Summary: Works for me.
Review: My family has a history of diabetes, heart disease, and astronomically high triglycerides. I used "A Week in the Zone" and "The Zone" to get my diet headed toward the right track. After losing some weight without such a plan, and putting some of it back on, my blood lipid profile was still a train wreck. Triglycerides two times normal. High LDL. Low HDL. I told my doctor about The Zone and she told me that the insulin-management component of this balanced approach to carbohydrate-restriction was probably spot-on for my situation. She also told me that fish oil was a good idea. We agreed that if I couldn't get my bloodwork improved within a year, I'd need medication. That was last August. I bought the Omega Rx Zone book and I began adhering much more closely to the dietary principals (just by eyeing portions) and began supplementing with the refined fish oil and exercising mildly 5 days a week. Seven months later, I'm in my target weight range, I feel great, my triglycerides dropped 60% to return to normal, my LDL dropped, and my HDL has crept up. IT'S ALL GOOD. According to the wellness chapter on "Your Blood Will Tell Your Future", I've gone from "chronic (diseased)" to "good (path to wellness)". My doctor says I'm on the right path and no medication necessary. Total turnaround. To me, this is the ultimate "balanced diet guide". 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Good food. Oats and fruit and omlettes for breakfast. Lean meats and fish, salads, veggies and fruits for lunch and dinner. Wine, cheese, nuts, olive oil, etc. Even occaisional starch or sugar as a "condiment" to use sparingly. And, if you actually dig into the omega-3 research on the more refined fish oil, you'll probably end up taking it too. The over-the-counter fish or flax oil aren't even in the same league healthwise. This approach to nutrition is balanced and it works. I know.
Rating:
Summary: Works for me.
Review: My family has a history of diabetes, heart disease, and astronomically high triglycerides. I used "A Week in the Zone" and "The Zone" to get my diet headed toward the right track. After losing some weight without such a plan, and putting some of it back on, my blood lipid profile was still a train wreck. Triglycerides two times normal. High LDL. Low HDL. I told my doctor about The Zone and she told me that the insulin-management component of this balanced approach to carbohydrate-restriction was probably spot-on for my situation. She also told me that fish oil was a good idea. We agreed that if I couldn't get my bloodwork improved within a year, I'd need medication. That was last August. I bought the Omega Rx Zone book and I began adhering much more closely to the dietary principals (just by eyeing portions) and began supplementing with the refined fish oil and exercising mildly 5 days a week. Seven months later, I'm in my target weight range, I feel great, my triglycerides dropped 60% to return to normal, my LDL dropped, and my HDL has crept up. IT'S ALL GOOD. According to the wellness chapter on "Your Blood Will Tell Your Future", I've gone from "chronic (diseased)" to "good (path to wellness)". My doctor says I'm on the right path and no medication necessary. Total turnaround. To me, this is the ultimate "balanced diet guide". 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. Good food. Oats and fruit and omlettes for breakfast. Lean meats and fish, salads, veggies and fruits for lunch and dinner. Wine, cheese, nuts, olive oil, etc. Even occaisional starch or sugar as a "condiment" to use sparingly. And, if you actually dig into the omega-3 research on the more refined fish oil, you'll probably end up taking it too. The over-the-counter fish or flax oil aren't even in the same league healthwise. This approach to nutrition is balanced and it works. I know.
Rating: 
Summary: Breakfast of egg whites!
Review: No thanks!
Here we go again with saying that eggs are bad for you. Eggs have so many good things in them, especially the yolks. My brother gave them up and his steak and then died of pancreatic cancer.
Dr Sears says the only fats that are good for you are olive oil, some nuts (macadamia, almonds, and cashews), and avocados.
I'm sorry, but eggs are the most natural food in the world. All kinds of animals eat them and they don't leave the yolks and just eat the whites. Balderdash!
No cheese, milk, etc, no breads, pasta, rice.
Not much left is there.
I agreed with him on the trans fats (hydrogenated oils) which by the way are in almost every packaged food, and I agreed with him on the omega 6 fats, but otherwise this is just a diet that no one could stay on. He focuses also on calorie restriction but then says you will never be hungry on his plan. Yeah, right.
I read "Sugar Busters" and it says the same thing but it focuses on insulin levels which is what is really making Americans fat.
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