JZ Nutrition Guidelines Post Pregnancy

January 2014

 Nutrition

Establish a set point for 3 weeks then start the manipulation in week 4 depending on where we are and how we are feeling.

            -disclaimer: due to metabolic conditioning we may need to actually increase kcals depending on where we are sitting and your metabolic capacity with your set point

Macro Splits 
Daily Split 40% fat, 40% carbs and 20% protein 

Before Noon:

70% fats 15% carbs and 15% protein

Greens with coconut oil and protein

-->I prefer Red Meat (The B Vitamins helps give you energy and the protein is slow to digest)

     *Organic Grass Fed Beef, Lamb, Bison, Elk or Salmon.

-->I cook my red meat in my Coconut Oil. The beautiful thing about coconut oil is that it acts like a carbohydrate providing you that immediate energy but does not spike your insulin because it is a fat.

-->For Greens I stick to low glycemic vegetables.

--> Sometimes I will also add a green tea for the many benefits it has such as weight loss, cholesterol, depression prevention, skincare and even fighting tooth decay.

1. Weight loss: Green tea has been shown to increase metabolism. The polyphenol found   in green    tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories (energy) 
2. Cholesterol: Green tea can help reduce the bad cholesterol in your blood (LDL cholesterol). LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol that collects on the walls of blood vessels, causing the blockages. Higher LDL levels puts you at a greater risk for a heart     attack from blood clots in the narrowed artery.

3. Depression: Theanine is an amino acid that is naturally found in   tea leaves. It is a property that helps ignite your brain providing a relaxing and tranqulity feeling.

4. skincare: Green tea can help with signs of aging due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

5: Tooth Decay: Studies suggest that the chemical antioxidant "catechin" in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections and dental irritations.

                                                                                                                                                           -credit given to www.lifehack.org

Pre Workout:

70% fats, 10% carbs 20% protien

            Example:

            2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (27.2g fat, 0g carbs, 0g protein)

            0.75 scoop of Optimum Nutrition Natural Casein (0.8g fat, 5.2g carbs,18g protein)

            1oz of raw Blueberries ( 0.1g fat, 4.1g carbs, 0.2 grams of Protein)

            Total equals 69% Fat, 10% carbohydrats and 21% protein

            -blend together with water in a shake

*Bcaa’s and Glutamine in pre, intra and post workout drinks

--> I like to use Optimum Nutrition Unflavored BCAA, Unflavored Glutamine and 1 scoop of Amino Energy for flavor (also has a great pep with a reasonable amount of caffeine in it)

Post Workout:

Protein isolate then 20 min later a carb based food source

-->My favorite post workout shake is Optimum Nutrition Hydrowhey (all Optimum Nutrition supplements can be found at the Vitamin Shoppe or on www.bodybuilding.com)

--> My 20 minute later carb source typically is brown rice cakes or fruit

Dinner:

Heavy on protein and carbs

 --> I like my protein sources later in the day to consist of lighter colored meats such as chicken, turkey, pork, fish, scallops or shrimp. Lighter colored meats are typically calming meats whereas red meats such as beef, bison, deer, elk or salmon tend to be energizing.

--> My carbs sources are quinoa, buckwheat, Millet, Brown Rice, Squash or Sweet Potatoes

--> My Vegetable sources for lunch, Snack or dinner usually is broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, salad (with a mixture of vegetables), peppers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, celery or cucumber.

Before Bed:

Medium digesting carbs and slow digesting protein

 --> My easy go to at night is oats and Optimum Nutrition Casein! Sometimes I will add almond butter. Its so good!

*This is not the standard plan that most people falow, however, with a lot of research and needing to pamper my hormones post pregnancy we have found that a higher fat and lower carbohydrate diet will be best.  Not very low (over the entire day) since I am able to add carbs back later in the day and 20 minutes after my post workout protein shake. Most people would consider this method of nutrition as Carbohydrate Backloading.

What is Carb Back Loading? To lean out and gain muscle, try carb back-loading. As the name implies, this limits carb consumption to late in the day. Taking in carbs in the afternoon or evening is done for a strategic reason. Carbs make both muscle and fat cells grow—and often at the same time. But by shifting when you eat carbs, you can actually control which kind of tissue grows.

Carb backloading requires resistance exercise to work. Your body’s sensitivity to insulin is highest in the morning and lowest in the afternoon, leading many to believe that we should eat carbs first thing in the morning because much insulin won’t be required to keep blood sugar under control.

The problem is that if you raise insulin even slightly by eating carbs—30 or more grams will do it—you seriously impair your body’s ability to burn fat for the rest of the day. Worse, you may even gain bodyfat because of the presence of another hormone—cortisol. A stress hormone, cortisol will break down fat all morning, but combined with raised insulin, it can actually cause your body to create new fat cells.

For these reasons, most of your carb intake should come in the evening. Add in a weight-training workout right before you eat carbs, and you maximize your ability for insulin to store them in your muscle cells while leaving fat alone. Studies in the Journal of Applied Physiology have demonstrated that lifting allows muscles to use and store sugar for several hours post-training—that means it will be quickly absorbed by the muscles you’ve trained to help them recover and grow.

                                                                                   *definition credit given to www.mensfitness.com

*The first 2-3 months this is the plan because my biggest risk of postpartum depression (hormones imbalanced) is at weeks 4-8 so higher fats are a must to help out with my hormones.  I need the additional carbohydrates due to breastfeeding and have been researching that we can function on lower protein diets while still adding lean mass (this is my own personal experiment for postpartum fitness)