Fats are also essential, and if your protein component is light on fat, you can add some olive oil, or a couple of olives. If you prefer, a small pile of nuts can be used instead. Unlike some diets, Zone Diet doesn't 'ban' any foods as such, but you are 'strongly advised' to keep bad carbohydrates down to a quarter or less of your total carbohydrate intake. And stay off caffeine - no coffee, tea, or fizzy colas even diet variety. There are pre-prepared 'Zone Diet' snacks and ready meals available, although Dr Sears insists these are not necessary as long as you follow guidelines. You should also exercise, both aerobically and anaerobically, 3 times a week minimum for at least 20 mins with an additional warm up time and stretching.

Once you reach your ideal weight, you can add more fat to your diet in order to provide your body with energy without using your stored fat reserves. Typically you would double your fat allowance to start, then see if your weight holds. Make sure they are monounsaturated fats though! For sample meal menus on Zone Diet, consult www.supaDiet.com now.

Some doctors feel that menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis and heart disease may not be due to a deficiency of estrogen, but to a relative estrogen excess due to progesterone deficiency.

Synthetic progestins, such as an HRT drug called Provera (a synthetic chemical), do not have same biological effects as natural progesterone and have been known to cause side effects including: fluid retention, depression, breast tenderness, stroke, jaundice, blood clotting and cervical erosions.

On other hand, natural progesterone has no known side effects and has been found to be helpful in alleviating symptoms such as PMS and hot flashes. It has also been credited with helping to prevent osteoporosis. Many doctors now prescribe for women in menopause use of a low-dose, natural progesterone cream during last two weeks of menstrual cycle. The cream is easily absorbed into thin-skin areas such as breasts, inner arms, neck or belly by subcutaneous fat and then released into bloodstream. You should be careful of dosage level in these products. Some may have none to very little and others provide 20-30 mg in an average application. It's always best to first check with a doctor.