A Guide to Macro nutrients

You have likely heard people mention the term ‘macros’ when talking about their dietary habits. Macronutrients provide energy for your body, and each one has a specific role that allows you to function properly. These are the nutrients that your body needs in large amounts for proper growth and development, whereas micronutrients are nutrients your body needs only in small amounts, such as vitamins and minerals. Most foods contain a mixture of more than one macronutrient but are generally classified as the one they contain most of. The 3 macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fats. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of ‘fast’ fuel. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, a simple sugar that gives your body its main source of energy. Some organs, such as your brain, need glucose to function correctly. Certain carbohydrates help synthesize non-essential amino acids, which are protein building blocks.  Carbohydrates are grouped into 2 categories: simple and complex. 

Simple carbohydrates are very easily broken down in your body for energy. They are found in foods that are usually sweet, such as molasses, honey, milk, fruit, and table sugar. Complex carbohydrates take longer for your body to break them down. They usually have a savoury taste and are found in foods such as rice, pasta, bread, and starchy vegetables. Other plant-based foods still contain carbohydrates, just in lower amounts. 

Complex carbohydrates usually contain fibre, which your body needs to keep your intestinal tract healthy and help rid your body of waste. Processed grains, such as white bread, white pasta, or white rice, are easier for your body to digest but will cause your energy to plummet quickly. This is because the grain has been stripped of its bran (outer coating), and once eaten they will release glucose quickly, just like a sweet simple carbohydrate. Many processed carbohydrates contain little to no fibre. Pick whole grains like cereal, brown rice and whole-wheat bread to give your body more nutrients and feel full for longer.

Protein

Protein takes longer than carbohydrates to break down in the body, providing a longer-lasting energy source. 

Protein helps your body repair and build tissues, including muscle mass. Protein is composed of amino acids, which are compounds needed for vital processes like building proteins or synthesizing hormones and neurotransmitters. There are 2 types of amino acids: non-essential and essential. Non-essential amino acids are not required to be consumed through your diet since your body can make them. Essential amino acids are required in your diet since your body cannot make them on its own. 

You can find protein in tofu, nuts, beans, lentils, seeds, lentils, meat, poultry, fish, egg, yogurt, milk, cheese, and other animal by-products. As you can see, you do not need to eat animal products to be healthy. You can find the protein and amino acids you need in legumes and even some grains. Protein consumption should be spread out evenly throughout the day.

Fats

Fat allows you to store energy, cushion your organs, increase hormone production, absorb fat-soluble nutrients, and maintains the integrity of cell membranes. Fat has a bad reputation because certain types of fat are not good for you, but if you can pay attention to the type and amount of fat you are eating, you can attain a healthy diet. 

There are three types of fat: trans fat, saturated fat, and unsaturated fat. The three different fats affect your cholesterol levels in unique ways. Cholesterol travels through the blood on 2 types of lipoprotein: high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). When your body has too much LDL cholesterol, it can build up on the walls of your blood vessels in the form of plaque. As your blood vessels build up plaque over time, the insides become narrow, blocking blood flow to and from your heart and other organs. This can result in a heart attack or stroke. HDL absorbs LDL cholesterol and carries it back to the liver, which flushes it from the body. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Trans fats should be avoided whenever possible. They are found in margarine, nondairy coffee creamer, shortening, baked goods (cakes, cookies, pies), doughs, and fried foods (french fries, doughnuts, fried chicken). Trans fats raise your “bad cholesterol” (LDL), while also lowering your “good cholesterol” (HDL). This greatly increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

Saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen molecules, which means they are solid at room temperature. They are found mostly in high-fat animal sources, such as fatty beef, lamb, cream, butter, poultry (with skin), and cheese. While not as harmful as trans fats, saturated fats also raise your levels of “bad cholesterol”, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.  It is recommended that you decrease saturated fat intake and lean towards more healthy fats, known as unsaturated fats.

Unsaturated fats are usually liquid at room temperature since the molecules are hard to stack due to having at least one double bond. Monounsaturated fats have one double bond, and Polyunsaturated fats have multiple or many double bonds. Unsaturated fats are also called the “healthy fat”, since they lower your LDL cholesterol, reduce swelling, and build stronger cell membranes. This means that consuming more unsaturated fats can decrease your risk of heart disease. These good fats can be found in plant sources such as avocados, nuts and nut butters (almond, peanut, cashew), seeds, olives, and vegetable oils (sunflower, canola, olive, etc.). Unsaturated fats can also be found in fatty fish including salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, trout, anchovy and herring.

How should I balance Macronutrients in my diet?

The recommended amounts of macronutrients are usually referred to as macronutrient split. The ratios of macronutrients vary depending on many factors such as age, fitness level, or fitness type. The current macronutrient recommendations, according to the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institutes of Medicine, are as follows :

• Carbohydrates: 45-65%

• Protein: 10-35%

• Fat: 20-35%, limit trans and saturated fats

The Government of Canada website also has a dietary reference table to determine your specific daily intake requirements: