Have you noticed you-tubers and bloggers always talking about macros? You see a recipe blog and they are like … “You have all your macros”, “I stopped counting macros” “How to get your macros” and the macros fever keep going on. However, if you are new to the health and fitness lifestyle you will probably will be like me when I started and will be wondering what the heck & Bob it’s are these frigging macros?!!
What’s All The Hype Then?
Macro-nutrients are the main nutrients that make up the foods that you eat everyday. The reason why macro-nutrients are so important is because they are necessary for humans (you) to stay alive. Macros are divided in three very important categories called carbohydrates, protein and fats, these are pretty much in every food you eat, and they all have their own specific role in your body.
Some foods may contain one or two of these groups. These macro-nutrients have different properties and have different roles in your body, but they are necessary to grow, develop and repair your body. What they all have in common thought is that they all provide energy to your body, they are fuel.
Eating these in whole and fresh are essential for your health and must be eaten in appropriate portions daily to maintain health. Your cells need fuel to survive and because your body can’t produce all the necessary macro-nutrients, you need to ingest them in your diet.
As I mentioned, macro-nutrients are like gas are for some machines, and by the amount of gas you added to your machine you can tell how long it will last, same as batteries, they have a time of energy duration, same goes with macro-nutrients in our bodies, depending on the amount you ate you will know how long you will feel energized and when you are going to start to need new fuel.
The way we do this is with calories. Calories are the measure of how much energy is in the food. But not all food offers the same amount of calories, fats and alcohol offers a bigger amount of calories than carbohydrates and proteins, that’s why a little bit goes a very long way. For you to feel energized and great you need to incorporate macro-nutrients (carbs, protein and fats) in to your diet daily, this is why every fitness and health gurus talk about them all the time.
CARBOHYDRATES
Carbohydrates are your body favorite source of energy, so they should be a huge part of your diet. Carbs are very important and necessary for your health, specially your muscles health and your brain health. This means that you need carbs for everything you do, you need energy to read this blog, analyze, process and learn everything you read here, you need energy to scroll down this page, to move, to feel, I mean you need energy for absolutely everything.
Carbs are amazing, they should be your best friend…oh well, also proteins and fats, but seriously, you should stop hating them and start loving them. Love them so much that you will go out to the grocery store and choose the right ones for you, the ones that are whole, fresh and in their full nature instead of processed, squeezed, bath in sugar, preservatives, artificial colors, pesticides, sugars, etc.
Go for carbs such as fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes and your body will be happy with you and keeping you energized and fueled all day long. You should aim for 35-40 % of your calories from carbs.
PROTEIN
Protein is another very important component ingredient that is very necessary to your health. They are used to build and repair all of the cells in your body, including your DNA, your muscles and your tissues. Protein is broken down into amino acids and your body cannot produce all of them on its own which is why is very important to consume them on your daily meals, that’s why they are called essential.
They are required every single day because your body cannot store them, so they are not only necessary to be eaten daily but to be eaten in divided portions during the day. Protein ensures that you keep healthy your muscles and bones, it makes digestion possible and many amazing things more. The best sources of protein are plant base ones because they are proven to prolong health and longevity, contrary to animal protein which can cause hearth diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity and more.
Again go for fresh, whole and organic fruits and vegetables, as well whole grains and legumes. All of them contain protein, one higher amounts than other, but they all have protein, by eating a balanced colorful meal every day you will be having your necessarily amount of protein in your diet. You should aim for 20% of your calories from protein.
FATS
Fats are responsible for supporting your organs, keeping your hair and skin glowing, transporting certain vitamins in your bloodstream, providing vitamins, omega’s and much more in your body. Some of the vitamins and nutrients you ingested from your diet won’t do much good to your body if you don’t married them with fats, that’s right, your body won’t respond to a vitamin or a nutrient (even if it is a necessarily one such as vitamin A, D ,E & K) unless they are in the company of fat, also your body will store these vitamins if they are with fats. Also, let’s not forget the detail that fats are also a source of energy, Best sources of fats are the ones in nuts and seeds that are whole and raw or lightly processed like olive oil, walnut oil, sunflower oil, etc. You should aim for 10-15% of your calories from fats.
CALORIES
Calories the energy ranking we use for food, they’re a measure of how much energy is packed in your food and how long it can last. Some macros offer more calories than other, these are fats and alcohol, however alcohol is not considered nutritious so this is why you don’t see it on the essential nutrients list or in the macros.
Because fats are so dense they only need to be consumed in small amounts daily to maintain proper health and weight. On the other hand carbohydrates and protein need to be consumed in higher amounts to ensure your calories needs. Now, calories gives you energy but it does not gives you nutrients (at least not all of them) so you need to get your calories from a good variety of food to ensure the intake of not only energy but of nutrients as well.
Another point to keep on mind is that not all calories are the same, by example the calories and nutrients in a fresh beautiful apple are absolutely not the same and nutritious as an applesauce. When foods come straight from the garden, whole and unprocessed they contain all their nutrients intact, but when they go to a factory and gets processed their nutrients and fibers get stripped away forcing manufacturers to fortified their foods by adding some of the nutrients, but again they will not have all of them and no fiber, thus more calories. In other words processed junk foods doesn’t offer quality nutrients… it only offers a bunch more of calories. Eat each one of these groups, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds and you will be enjoying a healthy balanced diet. Keep in mind that they must be whole, fresh, straight from the garden, organic as much as you can and made with love.
