MACRONUTRIENTS AND THEIR ROLES

PROTEIN:-

Let’s start with protein, as it’s the protein intake we would first calculate for a client. Protein is the building block for growth and repair of tissue, you need it to make enzymes and hormones. Protein is important for bone, blood, muscle and cartilage health. Protein consumption is important to build lean muscle, to preserve existing muscle and aids in your recovery after exercise.

“There are 20 amino acids, of which 9 are essential”

Protein foods are broken down during digestion into Amino acids. Amino acids are required to maintain good health. Amino acids are found in animal sources and plant sources and are split into 3 groups, Essential, nonessential and conditional. Essential amino acids must be obtained through the food you eat, as the body can’t produce them itself. A food that consists of all 9 essential amino acids is classified as a “complete” protein. There are 20 amino acids, of which 9 are essential. Non essential are still needed, its just not needed from your diet as your body produces them. Essential amino acids don’t need to be consumed all at once, you should aim to consume them within a 24 hour period.

Optimal protein intake 2–3g per kg of bodyweight.

FAT:-

Fat is a highly debated topic, but one thing for sure is fat is an important part of your diet. Certain sources of fats contain fatty acids that the body doesn’t produce itself.

“consume a balance of fats”

Fats are separated into 3 categories, Saturated, Unsaturated and Trans fats. It is not necessarily fat that makes us fat. However fat is energy dense, containing 9 calories per gram, as opposed to protein and carbs containing 4 calories, so if your consumption is greater than your expenditure you will put on weight, and eating a lot of fat is an easy way of doing so, but it’s not because of the macro, its because of the quantity.

A general rule to go by is to consume a balance of fats from real food and avoid processed items such as margarines, packaged meals, fried foods or anything containing hydrogenated oil.

We recommend 15–30% of your daily calories to be consumed as fats.

CARBOHYDRATES:-

Carbs are another debated subject. We know a low carb diet can get you lean, as protocols such as the anabolic diet, or ketogenic diet do work. The question is more is it healthy and sustainable. First hand working with clients I have seen clients on low carb diets long term lose fat initially which is great but then lose training intensity, energy and burn muscle (catabolic), which is not the goal of your average client.

The absence of carbs will result in muscles being depleted of glycogen. When your muscles are depleted it is common to reach fatigue, or hit a wall. You will see endurance athletes often consume energy gels during long distance events in the hope to replenish glycogen.

“I have found carbs to be essential for performance and sustainability”

Sub categories for carbs are simple and complex. Simple carbs are made up of one or two sugars whereas complex consist of three or more. We recommend including complex carbs in your diet, some good examples are brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, lentils and oats but there are many more.

From personal experience and with clients, I have found carbs to be essential for performance and sustainability, you just need to find which carbs you can tolerate best, and experiment with quantities to figure out what gives you the most energy and best results in body composition.

FIBRE:-

Fibre is often an overlooked macro. It has an essential role in our diet. It is important to our digestive health. A lack of fibre can disrupt bowel movement. If you are under consuming fibre, you should look to increase your intake gradually, as a sudden rise can also cause negative effects such as stomach ache or constipation.

“Fibre is often an overlooked macro. It has an essential role in our diet”

Fibre is found in plant based foods such as oats, barley, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Meat, fish and dairy products do not contain fibre.

Males should aim for 30–40g per day

Females should aim for 20–30g per day

Hopefully that gives you a better insight to where we are coming from with our recommendations. As stated in other articles, when it comes to nutrition everything has to be specific to the individual, whilst we can put guidelines on things, there are many varying factors, such as activity levels, muscle mass, body fat etc.