Basics of Nutrition Part 1: Macronutrients

Macronutrients, or “macros” for short, are abound in most nutrition programs. However, if you’re counting macros, what exactly are we talking about? This post will explore the three macronutrients, what makes each of them important, and where we find them.

Proteins

Proteins are the building blocks of every cell in our body. A protein is actually a chain of amino acids, of which there are 20. Ten of them are deemed essential, because we need to eat them in our diet. Unfortunately unlike carbohydrates and fat, our body does not store extra amino acids, so we need to eat the ten essential amino acids every day for optimal health. 

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy, used for all cellular respiration. Any conceivable activity will be enabled through the utilization of carbohydrates. Your body will store excess carbohydrate up to a certain point, useful in times of fasting. The amount varies depending on sex and bodyweight. Sadly, there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate, but they are very useful for another reason, which we will highlight shortly.

Fat

Fats are the other building block of every cell in our body. Every cell begins with DNA (made of proteins), encapsulated by a ring of fat. Fat can also be a useful form of energy, however the body will still prefer to use carbohydrates. Much like protein, there are essential fatty acids, which must be consumed in the diet to optimize health. Their ingestion will help regulate important functions such as inflammation and mood.

Where do we find them?

Luckily for us, nature is fairly well-designed. All natural, and I must stress the word natural, foods generally exhibit a combination of macronutrients. What we consider protein sources generally have some fat as well, such as beef, poultry, and fish. Most fat sources generally have some protein in them, such as nuts and seeds. Most carbohydrate sources also have some protein (although not much), such as rice and broccoli. Some foods even have a bit of all three, like avocados. Now, while there is no such thing as an essential carohydrate, their primary advantage are that they are a great source of vitamins and minerals. These are referred to as micronutirents, and will the topic of a future blog.

All the macronutirents have an important role and balancing them optimally will be vital to support exercice.