The Basics about Macronutrients

What Are Macronutrients? 

The word “macro” comes from the Greek, meaning “big”, or “large”. The reason macronutrients are called what they are is because they are needed in large quantities in our bodies. Macronutrients are the major fuels that the body needs to exist. To have energy to do things, as well as to build, repair or maintain the organs and systems of the body, you need to consume macronutrients daily. There are three macronutrients that your body needs: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. 

In the variety of diet plans that exist today, many try to demonize either fats or carbohydrates as the bad foods that makes one overweight. The truth is each of these macronutrients has their own function. We need all three of these macronutrients. The problem is not in the eating of these things. The problem is the quality and quantity of the foods we eat. The average American diet has too much poor-quality food in it, as well as too much food period.  

What are Carbohydrates and What are their Benefits 

Carbohydrates are composed of molecules of sugar called glucose and are the primary source of energy for the body. The body will always use carbohydrates first for energy before using fats or proteins as energy. When you eat carbs, the body converts the glucose into glycogen and is stored in the liver and muscles to be used as energy. Only about twenty minutes of energy is reserved, so it needs to be constantly replaced. Excess glycogen is converted to fat and is called upon when the reserves in the liver are being used.  

Not only are carbohydrates used for the body’s energy, but they also help the brain function, are used as fuel for the muscles, and aid with digestive health through specific carbohydrates known as fiber.  

Types of Carbs 

There are two types of carbs to be concerned about, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.  

Simple Carbohydrates, often called sugars, are carbohydrates that are made up of only one or two glucose molecules. Because of their basic structure, they break down quickly in the body and can cause a rapid spike in the bodies overall sugar and energy levels. It also tends to burn up rapidly causing an equally fast drop in the energy levels shortly afterwards. This spike and drop are not healthy for the body. 

Complex carbs, sometimes referred to as starches, are chains of three and up to more than ten glucose molecules. Because they are so large, they take longer for the body to digest, and they offer a stable form of energy that lasts over a longer time. Because of this stable form of energy, it is better to have a diet of complex carbohydrates than one that is primarily simple carbohydrates.  

Food sources for Carbs  

Examples of foods that contain simple carbohydrates are fruit, milk, candy, table sugar, soft drinks, cakes, cookies and other processed foods. Things like fruit and milk are healthy to consume moderately because they are nutrient rich natural foods, but even they can become detrimental if consumed in large quantities. 

Complex carbohydrates are found in foods like whole grain bread, beans, lentils, potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. It is best to eat a variety of these foods for the energy the body needs. 

What are Fats and What are Their benefits 

Fats, also known as lipids, is a macronutrient that is a much-maligned nutrient necessary for the body in many ways. One of the key functions of fats is hormone health. Fats are absolutely essential for testosterone, estrogen and other hormones. Fats are also necessary for brain function since sixty percent of the brain is composed of fat. Certain vitamins, (A, D, E, and K) require fat to dissolve into the body. Fat cushions organs, regulate body temperature, maintains the function of cellular membranes as well as are stored as fuel when carbohydrates are not available, especially during long bouts of exercise. 

If someone were to eliminate fats completely from their diet, they would end up doing more harm than good.  

Types of Fats 

There are several different types of fats to be aware of and some are more beneficial than others. 

The first is unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are important for growth and maintenance of body tissues. They are called unsaturated because of their chemical makeup. Unsaturated fats differ from saturated fats based on the hydrogen molecules connected to the carbon of the fat. Those that are fully saturated with hydrogen are called saturated fats. Those with missing hydrogen in its composition are unsaturated fats. Physically the difference is noticeable at room temperature. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and unsaturated fats are liquid. 

There are two types of unsaturated fats. The first is called monounsaturated fats. It is called monounsaturated fats because it only has one double bond of hydrogen connected to the carbon string that makes up the fat. It is known to be good for raising the good cholesterol level (HDL) in the body as well as lower bad cholesterol (LDL). It can also aid in regulating blood sugar levels. Sources of monounsaturated fats are in such foods as olives olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds. 

The other type of unsaturated fat is called polyunsaturated fats. There are a couple types of polyunsaturated fats that are necessary to eat for the health of the body. These are called essential fatty acids. Whenever you hear the word essential, it means you should take special attention, because this is something that your body can’t produce chemically on its own. It needs to be ingested, or you will be deficient in this chemical. 

There are two essential fatty acids. The first is a polyunsaturated fat known as Omega-3s and the other is a polyunsaturated fat known as Omega-6s. Omega-3s are found in salmon, tuna and mackerel as well as flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts. They are beneficial for your heart, brain, blood sugar, and helps regulate inflammation. Omega-6 fatty acids, which are found in nuts, seeds, chicken and beef, are beneficial to protect against heart disease. 

Saturated fats, which are found in eggs, butter, dairy, red meat, coconut oil, have been demonized for many years as the culprit causing the epidemic of heart disease today. The facts, as more research is coming out, is that saturated fats are necessary for the body, but not in the quantity that the average American diet presently includes.  

Saturated fats are used as a source of energy and stored as bodyfat. Also, they maintain the integrity of the cells of the body. Saturated fats protect the neurons around the brain, as well has aiding in hormone synthesize.  

One type of fat to avoid completely is Trans fats. They are made synthetically by hydrogenating vegetable oils. Because they can be produced cheaply, they are found in a lot of fast foods, processed food, and items such as margarine. Manufacturers use hydrogenated vegetable oils, not only because it is cheaper, but also because the food’s shelf life lasts longer. These chemically altered oils are touted as being safe and even healthy, but more research is starting to demonstrate that these oils are the cause more health issues than they prevent. 

What are Proteins and What are Their Benefits 

Proteins are a combination of amino acid molecules that are held together by a peptide bond. There are 20 types of amino acids. Eleven of these amino acids can be produced by the body itself, but nine amino acids are considered essential and must be consumed on a regular basis.  

These amino acids are what is called the building blocks of the body. They provide the fuel to run several functions of the body. The following are just a few of the roles of amino acids: amino acids become enzymes and help biochemical processes, amino acids help hormones to produce, amino acids help the immune system to function, amino acids also help with muscle growth and connective tissues such as tendons, ligament, and cartilage. They also aid in transporting and storing nutrients and if the body has no stores of carbohydrates or fats to call upon it can provide energy for the body, but at a cost to muscle growth.  

Types of Protein 

There are two types of proteins that need to be considered when choosing what to eat. The first is complete proteins and the other is incomplete proteins. A complete protein is a food that contains all nine of the essential amino acids. Complete proteins are generally found in meats, poultry and fish. It is also found in dairy products and eggs. A few plant-based products are complete proteins, some examples are quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds and soy products, such as tofu, tempeh and edamame. 

Incomplete proteins lack one or more amino acids. Most plant food except for what was mentioned above are incomplete protein food. Things such as beans, lentils, grains, potatoes, and green leafy vegetables are incomplete proteins.  

Combining certain foods can create a complete protein meal. Some examples of complete protein meals are beans and rice, or lentil soup with crackers, or hummus and pita bread.  

The reason it is important to eat a diet that has a complete set of essential amino acids is because even if you have all but one amino acid in your diet, by missing that one amino acid, it will affect the function of the rest. There is an effect called the “limiting amino acid” principle. If one amino acid is low or missing, it will affect the production and use of the other amino acids.  

Lysine is an amino acid that is used in muscle repair and growth. For those exercising, it is essential. It is also heavily used by the body when exercising, so some have found it necessary to supplement this amino acid to make sure their other amino acids aren’t affected.  

How much of each Macronutrient should I eat.  

There are many views and guidelines on how much of each macronutrient one should eat. 

As for carbohydrates, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans put out by the government says the daily intake should be between 45 and 65 percent of one’s calories. That is a little too high in my opinion.  For athletes, carbohydrates are suggested to be around 40 percent. 

If you are eating most of your carbohydrates from complex carbohydrate sources, an intake of 40 to 50 percent would be sufficient in my opinion.  

When talking about fats, the American Heart Association recommends that 20-35 percent of calories come from fats. For weight loss they recommend lowering it to 20 percent. The International Olympic Committee goes so far as to suggest that highly active people should eat no more that 15-20 percent of their calories from fats.  

Views are changing concerning these low levels though. The problem is to many people have a diet that is at least 45 percent fat and at the same time mostly eat high concentrations of saturated fats. If you were to have a commonsense approach to eating fats, keeping saturated fats down to around 10 percent of the diet and the rest of your fats are the unsaturated and essential fats then you wouldn’t have health issues. A total fat intake of around 30 to 35 precent would be my suggestion. 

The recommendation for protein is something that amazes me when you consider how important protein is for your health. The need for protein changes depending on age, sex, body weight and activity level, but for the average person, the suggestion by the professionals is 0.8 g per kg bodyweight (0.36 g per lb.). The problem with this recommendation is that it is only the bare essential amount of protein that the body needs to exist. The body needs more protein than that to thrive. 

If you exercise, as all people need to do for their health and longevity, then we need more protein. Athletes need between 1.2 -2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. For bodybuilders that level goes up to 1.6-2.0 grams/kg. 

For someone interested in being fit, I personally would recommend that they should eat between 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of weight. That would mean that 20 to 25 percent of calories should come from protein. 

I hope this little article was helpful and gave a little insight into what you should focus on when you plan out what you should be eating.