Nutrition 101 - Macronutrients
What are Macro nutrients?
Macro nutrients (macro means large) are the building blocks of your diet... Macro nutrients (macros) are the molecules our bodies need to function. They are broken down into three basic categories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. We use these as energy to perform important metabolic functions. It may be overwhelming at first, but it is pretty easy when you break it down.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates (also called carbs) — fiber, starches, and sugars — are essential food nutrients that your body turns into glucose to give you the energy to function. They are one of the single most important foods you can eat for long term health. Does that mean we need to load up on a bunch of cereal, pasta and cookies? NO. But...
There are simple carbohydrates that are made up of either one or two sugar units and can be broken down fairly quickly in the body. Simple carbs have a fleeting impact on blood sugar levels. Some types of simple carbohydrates (when consumed in isolation), such as juice or sugary candy, can cause blood sugar and energy to rise quickly and then drop shortly after. If I eat a donut, I am starving in about an hour. It's crazy! That is one of the reasons added sugar is so bad in foods.
Complex carbs normally contain fiber unless they have been processed, where the grain has been stripped of its bran (outer coating), which gives us white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc. These types of stripped carbs become easier for your body to digest. Even though they are not sweet, they will release glucose quickly just like a sweet simple carbohydrate. That is one of the many reasons we do like processed food. On the other hand, true, unprocessed complex carbs in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain products are less likely to spike blood sugar than simple carbs (sugars).
Carbohydrates are not all created equally. All plant foods contain carbs - we want to eat the right kind of carbohydrates: unrefined, unprocessed carbs, otherwise known as fruits and vegetables. Whole grains and beans are carbohydrates too, but they need to be eaten in moderation as they are a little more starchy. Carbohydrates get a bad rap, but our body needs them!! The important thing is to go for non-processed complex carbohydrates.
Proteins
Protein is a macro nutrient that is essential to building muscle mass. It is commonly found in animal products, though is also present in other sources, such as nuts and legumes. Protein allows your body to grow, build, repair tissues, and protect lean body mass (your muscle mass). Protein is composed of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 2 types of amino acids: non-essential and essential. Non-essential amino acids are not required to be consumed through the diet as your body can actually make these. Essential amino acids are required through your diet. Essential amino acids can either be used on their own or in some cases transformed into a non-essential amino acid. Protein rich foods include meat, poultry, fish, egg, milk, cheese, or other types of animal by-product foods. These protein sources contain all of your essential amino acids. This does not mean you have to eat animal foods to be healthy. You can get the proper amino acids from eating a variety of plant protein sources such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy as well as lower amounts in grains, vegetables, and fruits. You want to get good quality protein with every meal.
Fats
Fats allows you to store energy, cushion your organs, make certain hormones and neurotransmitters, absorb fat soluble vitamins, and maintain cell membrane integrity. There are three types of fat: trans fat, saturated fat, and unsaturated fat.
Trans fat should be cut out of the diet. Most trans fat comes from hydrogenating or adding hydrogen molecules to unsaturated fats. This produces a hydrogenated oil. These can be found in margarine, shortening, baked goods, doughs, and fried foods. If you see trans fat on the label it should be avoided. Many functional medicine doctors call these "Franken-fats".
Saturated fat does not have any bends, caused by double bonds, in the molecule because it is saturated in hydrogen molecules. In large amounts, saturated fat is known to increase cholesterol levels and can increase your risk for heart disease. Decreasing the amount of saturated fat in your diet can be beneficial. Saturated fat is found mostly in animal sources with high fat contents such as fatty beef, lamb, pork, poultry with skin, lard, cream, butter, full fat cheese, and dairy. It is recommended that you decrease saturated fat intake and lean towards more healthy fats, known as unsaturated fats.
Unsaturated fat has at least one double bond causing bends in the molecule. These are harder to stack and, therefore, are usually found in a liquid state at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are known as the healthy fat as they can decrease your risk for heart disease. These healthy fats originate from plant sources such as avocados, nuts and nut butters, seeds, and olives. They can also be found in animal sources such as fatty fish including salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna, and herring.
We used to think of fat as all bad. Healthy fats are essential. Fats get a bad reputation, because they are the highest in calories and certain types of fat are not good for us... but you need to try and focus on the type and amount of fat, because they are instrumental to a healthy diet. I will go much further into this in a future blog, I promise.
How Do Macros Work?
The carbs, fats, and proteins we eat on a daily basis have a huge impact on our bodies. For optimal health, your body needs the correct ratio of these fuels. We’ve all been taught to count calories. And while it is important to consider your caloric intake (to make sure that you are eating enough), it is incredibly important that you move past counting calories alone, because not all calories are created equal. That’s where macros come in. Each gram of protein and carbohydrates is equivalent to 4 calories. Each gram of fat is equivalent to 9 calories. There is a huge difference in a Twinkie and real whole food with the same caloric value. Food is medicine and that Twinkie will send very different message to your cells compared to real, whole foods.
I usually recommend a healthy balance for your macro nutrients, somewhere around:
Carbohydrates: 45-65%
Protein: 10-35%
Fat: 20-35%
I personally shoot for 45% carbohydrates, 30% healthy fats, and 25% protein.
Remember, the most important thing is to eat whole foods. Whole foods are foods that either come from the ground or have a mother. Meat, vegetables, fish, fruits, and plant-based proteins are all whole foods. Focusing on whole food nutrition eliminates processed foods and added sugars — things that cause inflammation and zap you of all your energy — from your diet. Inflammation causes things like brain fog, headaches, lethargy, achy joints and muscles, bloating, digestive and gut issues, and so much more. It is implicated in cancer, heart disease, and even Alzheimer's. When you focus on whole foods and rid your body of inflammation, you allow it to function as it was intended. You’ll be more focused and have more energy to live your life the best you can!!!
All material gathered and researched through my amazing fellowship program, The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine.
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