MACRONUTRIENTS (ALSO KNOWN AS MACROS) ARE NUTRIENTS THAT THE BODY USES IN RELATIVELY LARGE AMOUNTS AND THEREFORE NEEDS TO RECEIVE DAILY.
THERE ARE THREE MACRONUTRIENTS: PROTEINS, CARBOHYDRATES, AND FATS.
THE 3 PRIMARY MACRONUTRIENTS
EACH OF THE THREE PRIMARY MACRONUTRIENTS AFFECTS THE BODY DIFFERENTLY. TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EACH MACRONUTRIENT IN YOUR DIET, IT WILL HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE ROLE EACH MACRO PLAYS IN YOUR BODY.
CARBOHYDRATES:
CARBOHYDRATE S ARE THE BODY'S PREFERRED FUEL SOURCE. CONVERTING CARBOHYDRATES INTO IMMEDIATELY USABLE ENERGY IS EASIER FOR THE BODY THAN CONVERTING FAT OR PROTEIN INTO FUEL. YOUR BRAIN, MUSCLES, AND CELLS ALL NEED CARBOHYDRATES TO FUNCTION.
WHEN YOU CONSUME CARBOHYDRATES, THE FOOD IS CONVERTED INTO SUGARS THAT ENTER THE BLOODSTREAM. THESE SUGARS (IN THE FORM OF GLUCOSE) CAN BE AN IMMEDIATE SOURCE OF ENERGY OR STORED IN THE BODY'S CELLS TO BE USED AT ANOTHER TIME.
PROTEIN:
PROTEIN PROVIDES THE BODY WITH AMINO ACIDS, WHICH ARE THE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR MUSCLE AND OTHER IMPORTANT STRUCTURES SUCH AS THE BRAIN, NERVOUS SYSTEM, BLOOD, SKIN, AND HAIR. PROTEIN ALSO TRANSPORTS OXYGEN AND OTHER IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS. IN THE ABSENCE OF GLUCOSE OR CARBOHYDRATE, THE BODY CAN REVERSE-PROCESS PROTEIN (A CONVERSION CALLED GLUCONEOGENESIS) TO USE AS ENERGY.
FAT:
PEOPLE MIGHT TRY TO AVOID FAT IN THEIR DIETS, BUT DIETARY FAT PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE BODY. FAT PROVIDES AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF ENERGY IN TIMES OF STARVATION OR CALORIC DEPRIVATION. IT IS ALSO NECESSARY FOR INSULATION, PROPER CELL FUNCTION, AND PROTECTION OF OUR VITAL ORGANS.
WHILE FAT IS NECESSARY FOR A HEALTHY BODY, FAT CAN ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO OBESITY. FAT PROVIDES MORE ENERGY (9 CALORIES PER GRAM) THAN CARBOHYDRATES OR PROTEIN (4 CALORIES PER GRAM). THE MACRONUTRIENT MUST BE CONSUMED IN MODERATION TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE EACH MACRONUTRIENT IN YOUR DAILY DIET. THIS WILL BE EASIER IF YOU BUILD EACH MEAL AROUND A COMBINATION OF PROTEIN, CARBS, AND HEALTHY FATS. THAT SAID, FINDING THE EXACT BALANCE OF MACROS THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU CAN BE TRICKY.
THE LARGE RANGE OF PERCENTAGES RECOMMENDED FOR EACH MACRONUTRIENT LEAVES ROOM FOR EXPERIMENTATION. EVERYONE'S BODY FUNCTIONS DIFFERENTLY WHEN VARIOUS RATIOS ARE CONSUMED.
