Hey everyone!
I’m coming at ya today with a health and fitness post focused on nutrition. The more time I spend in the health industry, the more it becomes clear to me – people are SO undereducated when it comes to foods and what’s in them.
It’s not your fault!
It is our education system failing you.
We have an obesity epidemic, and still, the information and resources are limited at best.
I hope that by starting with the basics, I can help spread some awareness and start teaching you exactly what you’re eating. That way, making healthier choices becomes EASY!
First up – Macronutrients!
It’s okay if you’ve never heard this term before!
I had no idea what they were before I started working in this industry.
Most people, when deciding to lose weight, start eating healthier, etc. look at one thing and one thing only: Calories.
They think that by simply cutting calories and being in a caloric deficit, they’ll lose weight and be “healthy.” While this will technically help you lose weight, it does NOT mean you’re suddenly healthy.
There’s so much more to the formula!
There are three macronutrients, and all foods are made up of one or more of these macronutrients.
Each macronutrient has a specific use in your body and having too much, or too little of one macronutrient can throw off your hormones, energy levels, ability to lose weight, and more.
Today we will start with the basic question….
What are the three macronutrients and what are they used for?
In the following blogs, I will dive deeper into each macronutrient individually, but we have to walk before we can run. Let’s dive in!
1. Protein
Proteins are commonly referred to as the building block of the cells. In the simplest terms, when you consume protein and it gets broken down during digestion it primarily gets used to build muscle.
Don’t think bodybuilder’s muscles – that is a common myth but is NOT something you should be concerned about (we’ll deep dive into that myth later). Instead, think about the muscles you need on a daily basis: leg muscles to be able to sit and stand.
Muscles to be able to pick up your kids or carry your groceries. Muscles to do the things you love, such as running, swimming, and even walking!
Protein is largely responsible for making these things possible.
A good example of protein at work:
You do some type of strenuous activity (working out, hiking, moving into a new house, etc.). When you do activities like that, your muscles break down from the hard work.
If you consume protein as recommended (we’ll get into this later), the protein is responsible for going into the muscles and repairing them!
In most cases, the protein will even build the muscle back stronger than it was before. This is what allows your body to do repeated movements without always getting super sore!
2. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s energy source!
Carbs get a bad rap, but they are absolutely essential in your daily living by way of your nutrition. Simply put, carbs are sugar molecules.
It’s important to remember here that not all sugar is bad sugar!
During digestion, your body breaks the carbohydrate down into glucose. The glucose molecules (think blood sugar) are what your body uses for energy – the molecules fuel your cells, tissues, and organs.
Once you eat and break down the carbohydrates into glucose, they can either be used immediately or stored in your muscles and liver for later use.
A good example of carbs at work:
Have you ever heard someone complain about having low blood sugar? It’s because they’re experiencing a shortage of glucose.
Without it, your bodily functions cannot continue. The most common cause of this is going too long without eating – i.e., they haven’t consumed any carbs, and their body is hungry for them!
The immediate solution is to eat or drink something sugary to quickly get carbs back into their system. After eating, the blood sugar can regulate at fascinating rates and the problem will be gone!
3. Fats
Fats, in my opinion, are the most versatile macronutrient, meaning it has a variety of uses and functions. In no particular order of importance:
—Fat is indirectly responsible for keeping your skin, hair, and nails healthy. Fat helps you absorb vitamins, which is the direct source of the things that actually do the work to keep your skin glowing, but without fats, they’d never get into your system.
—Fat is responsible for insulating your body and keeping it warm.
—Fats are used for brain development, controlling inflammation, and helping to prevent blood clotting.
—Fat is also your body’s secondary source or “backup” source of energy.
If you are doing extended strenuous activity, your body knows that your carb sources will run out. As a method of preventing that from happening, your body will default to getting some of its energy from your fat stores instead of depending solely on your carbohydrate stores.
A good example of fats at work:
Where are all my runners at?
Running is one of the most popular forms of exercise, especially for people who are traveling and may not have access to a gym.
If you’ve ever run for longer than roughly 20 minutes (ESPECIALLY for all my marathon and half-marathon runners), your body uses fat to keep you going!
In that scenario, your carbs deplete quickly (fun fact – that’s why a lot of runners use “goo” or gel. They’re trying to replenish their carb stores without having to stop running).
Even if you try to keep replenishing them, it wouldn’t be enough to last, so your body will partially switch to using fat stores for energy which don’t deplete as quickly as carbs!
What’s next?
As I said – today was about the basics! In the next three posts, we’ll dedicate a post to each specific macronutrient.
We will focus on the best food sources to get each of the macronutrients from and where they fit into your diet! After that, we’ll dive into how much of each macronutrient you need.
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