What are Macronutrients?
By now, most of us have heard the term ‘Macros’ before. Whether your friend is counting them or you overheard someone at the gym talking about modifying them, macros have become a trendy topic over the last few years. But what are macros a.k.a macronutrients?
These are your carbohydrates, proteins and fats. They are called macronutrients because your body requires macro, or larger, amounts of them compared to others. These are the main components of foods that our body requires for energy as well as for performing vital functions for it to work as a whole.
The standard macronutrient recommendations for the average person is to choose 45-65% of your total daily calories from carbohydrates, 20-35% from fats and 10-35% from proteins. Each of these nutrients is measured in grams; carbohydrates and protein both provide about 4 calories per gram while fat provides 9 calories per gram. This is why higher fat foods are higher in calories. For example, if a food contains 45g of carbohydrates, 10g of protein and 5g of fat, that food will likely have about 265 calories. Tracking the grams of each of these macronutrients in your meals can help you to see if you fall within the recommended ranges mentioned above or if you want to make some adjustments in your diet to better fit within those ranges.
A Closer Look at Macronutrients
Carbohydrates
The often villainized, carbohydrate a.k.a carb actually plays a key role in providing your body with energy. When eaten, carbs turn into glucose for your body to use as fuel. Similar to a car, if you don’t get enough fuel the car will no longer function.
Carbs tend to get a bad rap from their strong presence in processed foods however, “carbohydrate” is simply an umbrella term for sugar. It is in most foods aside from non-starchy vegetables and meats.
It is important to note that not all carbs are created equal. Processed carbs are found commonly in packaged items and snack foods such as chips, cookies, candy, baked goods, frozen meals, etc. These are the carbs we want to limit as they often lead to unintentional weight gain and risk for chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.
You can find naturally occurring carbs in your fruits, grains, beans, legumes and dairy products. These are the carbs you want to choose more of. Not only do these carb sources have more vitamins and minerals than their processed counterparts, they also often have more fiber which helps with digestion, increases that feeling of fullness during meals and helps you maintain a healthy weight.
Although often not recognized as one because it’s digested differently, fiber is a carb as well. There are two different types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. It is recommended for women to get at least 25g of fiber a day and men to get 38g a day. You can find good sources of fiber in fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Soluble fiber is the gold star for heart health. This fiber absorbs water when digested and helps to remove cholesterol from the body thereby reducing the risk for heart disease. Because soluble fiber absorbs water during digestion it also makes you feel fuller during your meals.
Insoluble fiber helps to aid with digestion and regularity. This is the fiber that helps to increase transit time in your colon and can help to prevent or relieve uncomfortable conditions such as constipation, however, can result in diarrhea if consumed in higher amounts than your body is used to. It is recommended to add fiber into your diet gradually to avoid any digestive discomfort.
Protein
Most abundantly found in animal products and soy, protein plays an important role in building, repairing and maintaining our body’s tissue. Protein is made up of smaller building blocks known as amino acids. There are two different types of these building blocks, essential and non-essential. Non-essential amino acids can be made by the body whereas we must obtain essential amino acids from our diet.
There are 9 amino acids considered essential and in order to have a “complete” protein source it must have all 9 or your body is not able to use it as efficiently. Examples of complete proteins include all animal products (meat, fish, dairy, eggs) and some plant-based sources such as soy.
Most plant-based proteins are not fully complete, such as certain grains and legumes. In order to get the most out of these protein foods would be to combine them or pair with an already complete protein. For example, beans and rice are often eaten together. This is considered a complete protein because rice is missing the essential amino acid Lysine which is present in beans. Similar to fiber, protein is very filling and can help support a healthy body weight.
Fats
Like carbs, fats have received some negative feedback in the past due to the concern of weight gain and heart disease with a high fat diet. Fats are needed to absorb certain nutrients as well as provide energy and protect some of our vital organs. Despite past concerns, research now is showing the strong benefits of certain fats in the diet.
Similar to carbs, you can have good fats and fats to limit such as processed fats, more specifically saturated fats. These fats are found mostly in animal products and processed foods and when consumed frequently can increase heart disease risk. Unsaturated fats, often found in plant sources such as avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil have the opposite effect and can actually help to reduce your risk. A good way to tell saturated fat from unsaturated is their form at room temperature. Unsaturated fats tend to be liquid, such as olive oil while saturated fats tend to be solid, such as butter.
As you can see, all of these nutrients have specific and vital roles in the human body. It is our job to ensure we are providing it with the best possible sources of these nutrients in order to keep us healthy and well. This is not to say that you should avoid some of these foods we know to be less-ideal versions of these nutrients but instead to moderate them in your diet.
