MNP

MAXIMUM NUTRIENT PARTITIONING IS THE SCIENCE-BASED GUIDE TO MAXIMIZING MUSCLE GAIN WHILE MINIMIZING BODY FAT. from Thomas Goss who wrote this blog (click here). I'm always trying to improve my diet. Here's an interesting diet I found, suggested by a fellow vegan athlete from
the VeganBodybuilding.com Forum(click here) , he studied all the scientific research he could find on the subject. Here's another link, where we're discussing this diet. This is especially good for bodybuilders, but also good for everybody who want to minimize the fat storage. It's called the MNP diet (Maximum Nutrient Partitioning), it simply consists of carb overfeeding, for the maximal muscle grownt synthesis and the minimal bodyfat storage. This is possible by following a nutrition plan which is very high in carbs, very low in fats, and moderate in proteins. Of course, for your own health, avoid processed carbs and simple carbs, but focus on complex carbs (starch) such as potatoes .
Fruits: bananas (organic), apples, fresh dates, dried figs, dried pineapple rings...
Grains: Bread, pasta, grains : Rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, oatmeal (oat bran, rolled oats, steel cut oats),
Beans : I like black and white beans (can and dry), lentills (dry). Mock meats occasionnaly.
Meals like: beans with pastas or rice. Use this ratio: 1/3 legumes, 2/3 grains
Post-workout meals: at this moment you can have some High Glycemic carbs, like a can of beans in maple syrup. This type of sugar raises insulin hormone production which would be good for muscle growth. But you don't wanna do this too often because it's directly linked with diabete. Different GI charts:
per category of foods(see the table)
he glycemic index is about how much a food high in carbs raises the glucose level in your blood. Anyway, we don't care that much because the MNP diet is for bulking, not cutting! But it can do both, really. Adding maximum lean mass while keeping the bodyfat low.



75-85% CHO
5-10% FAT
10-15% PRO .......... To avoid: margarine, chips, chocolate, oils, peanut butter, Veganaise, coconut, coconut milk, almond milk, etc... Tofu and soy-products except the fat-reduced ones. Replace : seeds and nuts by dried fruits and beans. Soy milk by rice milk. Chips by lowfat crackers. Peanut butter by jam. Example of menus : MORNING : lots of fruits, fruit salad. If training day, add after 30 minutes : oatmeal, bagel w/ vegan fatfree creamcheese, FrenchToasts w/ maple syrup or cereals w/ rice milk… (postworkout) LUNCH : green salad, peasoup or cooked beans w/ bread DINNER : green salald, rice or pasta w/ lentills, bread, potatoes. Cycles of Bulking and Cutting Year : 8 months bulking/4 months cutting (4 months bulk, 2 months cut, then repeat). Always 2 :1 ratio, over the course of 1 day, week or month. Bulking phase include some cutting; Cutting phase is inversed ratio (1 :2)
"Taking the Next Nutritional Step
Now take the next step. Improve partitioning beyond that. You can do that by making use of a storage tank for excess nutrients known as glycogen. It accounts for 1200-2000 calories of immediate storage in the average man and you simply learn to use it to your advantage. In other words, use cyclical or zig-zag diets. You take a couple of days and briefly deplete your storage tank (eat lower calories and do cardio, HIT, light weightlifting etc), and burn some fat. Then you take several days and slam your muscles with excess nutrients while the excess goes into your storage tank rather then fat. Then you keep repeating that process over and over. The 2 phases complement each other. The low calories increase sensitivity to he high calories. Most people can get good results with a 5, 10, or 14-day plan. A 7- day plan might consist of 5 days high calories with calories at 20 pounds per bodyweight followed by 2 days of low calories at 10-12 calories per pound of bodyweight. A 10-day plan might consist of 7 days high calories and 3 days low. A 14-day plan might consist of 11 days high calories and 4 days low. That's a pretty cheap solution for skinny fat if you're willing to work hard.
[What’s possible? Joel Marion actually started off at a ‘soft’ 16% bodyfat before dieting down to the 7%. He then used a zig zag approach of 2 weeks of high calories 1 week low, to gain 30+ pounds of pure muscle in 12 weeks]"
The idea is to incorporate some cutting into the bulking phase and vice-versa. For me it means: 2600-3000 calories on days of workout, and 1 300 on rest days ( to lose weight) or 2000-2500 (to maintain weight).