Making Macros Not Scary
Macronutrients is a fancy word, a scary word. It can throw people off from improving their diet, simply because it’s too scary, or too hard to understand. But it’s not as complicated as it may seem.
Macronutrients are the main chemical elements that you consume. More simply, it’s the main types of food you eat. There are three main types of macronutrients; carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
Carbohydrates (or carbs) are your main source of energy. They fuel your nervous system and your muscles, and prevent the body from resorting to using protein as it’s main energy source. Carbohydrates are classified as simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are more easily and quickly digested than complex carbs. There are also three main types of carbs; sugars, starches, and fibre. You should consume more complex carbs (such as whole grains, beans, and potatoes) rather than simple carbs (such as soda, candy, and sweets) because your body burns simple carbs faster, which gives you less energy. Simple carbs are good for short bursts of energy, but you should stick to more complex carbs to give your body long bouts of energy.
Protein makes up stuff. Your body uses protein to repair, and build, tissues. Protein makes up your hair and nails, and helps build up your muscles (which is why people associate protein with being muscular). It also builds up other tissues, bones, skin, blood, and other parts of your body. Your body can not store protein, so it is important to incorporate it into your everyday diet.
Fat is your body’s other main source of energy. There different kinds of fat that do different things. There is monounsaturated fats, trans fat and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fat is rich in omega-9 acids and helps keep your heart healthy. Trans fat is the “bad fat”. It lowers your cholesterol and can clog your arteries. Polyunsaturated fat is full of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. These substances affect and regulate your blood pressure, inflammation, contractions of smooth muscles, and more.
As you can see, macronutrients play an important role in our diet. Each type does something different to your body, and it can be hard to know how much you should eat of each type. The average persons diet should be 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat. If you are unsure of how to know how much you are eating of each type, you can track your food in a calorie counter or food tracker (there are both websites and apps), so you can get a baseline of what your daily diet consists of and go from there.
Sources:
- Care Wear. “A Guide to Macronutrients and How They Can Impact Your Health.” Care Wear, www.careandwear.com/blogs/community/a-guide-to-macronutrients-and-how-they-can-impact-your-health.
- https://www.livescience.com/51976-carbohydrates.html
- Osterweil, Neil. “The Benefits of Protein.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/men/features/benefits-protein#1.
- “Definition: Fats.” KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, kidshealth.org/en/parents/fats.html.
- “Trans Fat: Double Trouble for Your Heart.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 1 Mar. 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/art-20046114.
- https://www.google.com/search?q=macronutrients&safe=strict&pws=0&gl=us&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiyturhzZ_fAhWnx4MKHU_NDAcQ_AUIDigB&biw=1366&bih=658#imgrc=a-Ud9S1bp8v9gM:
