Q: Dr. Joseph Mercola advocates a metabolic-typing diet. While this diet for the "protein type" is consistent with the Zone, he suggests that "carb-types" do better with a higher carb/protein ratio. Do you think this concept has any merit?
A:This is a variation of the Peter D’Adamo’s Blood Group diet. The Zone Diet is really a bell-shape curve based on the protein-carbohydrate ratio. The average is usually about a 4:3 ratio of carbohydrate to protein but can vary depending on one’s genetics. To find out what is the best ratio, start out with that ratio and see how you feel four hours after you eat. If you are not hungry and have good mental acuity at the four-hour time point, then this is the right ratio for you.