Macronutrients and your Body

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are macronutrients. They all work differently in the body and are made of different properties. Macronutrients are energy-providing chemical substances consumed by organisms in large quantities. The three macronutrients in nutrition are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram)

Carbohydrates are primarily found in starchy foods, like grain and potatoes, as well as fruits, milk, and yogurt. Other foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and cottage cheese contain carbohydrates, but in lesser amounts. Carbohydrates can be simple or complex, which refers to their chemical structure. Simple carbohydrates taste very sweet (like fruit sugar), while complex carbohydrates taste savory (like starch in potatoes). Simple carbohydrates are sugar which is a no-no because sugar is bad, plain and simple.

The biggest problem with simple carbs is that simple carbs spike up the sugar levels and then quickly dips them below normal. This causes you to store the majority of the carbs as fat and this causes cravings.

Unbalanced blood sugar levels are a major cause of cravings. Since your blood cannot tolerate too much sugar, your body naturally produces the hormone insulin. This takes sugar from the blood and deposits it into the cells.

Complex carbs, however, keep blood sugar levels stable and slowly consumed by the body which means fewer chances of stored as fat and cravings.

Carbohydrates and your goals:

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates for children and adults is 130 grams and is based on the average minimum amount of glucose used by the brain.

The Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR) for carbohydrates is 45–65%.

If, for instance, you ate 1600 kcals per day, the acceptable carbohydrate intake ranges from 180 grams to 260 grams.

Most American adults consume about half of their calories as carbohydrates. This falls within the AMDR, but unfortunately, most Americans do not choose their carbohydrate-containing foods wisely. The nutrient-density of our food choices is far more critical. For example, fresh cherries provide ample sugars, and saltine crackers provide just complex carbs. Few would argue that highly processed crackers are more nutritious than fresh cherries.

Added Sugars

Americans eat only 42% of the recommended amount of fruit and 59% of the recommended vegetable amount. We eat only 15% of the recommended servings of whole grains, but 200% of the recommended servings of refined grains. Americans over-consume added-sugars, which make up 16% of the total calories in the American diet. Nearly 60% of added sugars come from soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks and grain-based desserts like cakes, cookies, and brownies.

The problem with added sugars is that they do not come packaged with an abundance of nutrients like a piece of fruit and a glass of milk do. For this reason, many people call them empty calories.

Fiber Needs

If we shunned all carbohydrates or if we severely restricted them, we would not be able to meet our fiber needs or get ample phytochemicals, naturally occurring compounds that protect the plant from infection and us from chronic disease. The hues, aromas, and flavors of the plant suggest that it contains phytochemicals. Scientists have learned of thousands of them with names like lycopene, lutein, and indole-3-carbinol. Among other things, phytochemicals appear to stimulate the immune system, slow the rate at which cancer cells grow, and prevent damage to DNA.

All naturally fiber-rich foods are also rich in carbohydrates. The recommended intake for fiber is 38 grams per day for men and 25 grams per day for women. The usual fiber intake among Americans, however, is woefully lacking at only 15 grams daily.

Perhaps best known for its role in keeping the bowels regular, dietary fiber has more to brag about. Individuals with high fiber intakes appear to have lower risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

Fiber-rich foods are protective against colorectal cancer, and increasing fiber intakes improves gastroesophageal reflux disease and hemorrhoids. Some fibers also lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. Additionally, fibers are food for the normal (healthy) bacteria that reside in your gut and provide nutrients and other health benefits.

Fats (9 calories per gram)

Fats are an essential part of your eating. Fat is responsible for providing energy, absorbing certain nutrients and maintaining your core body temperature. Just like carbs, there are good fats and bad fats.

Here is a list of types of fats and their functions:

Saturated fat: Saturated fat is mainly found in animal foods such as milk, cheese, and meat but it can also be found in coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. Saturated fats carry both negative and positive effects. Some of the positives effects in saturated fats are that it increases HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) which transports the cholesterol away from the arteries and toward the liver where it may either be excreted or reused, which may result in lowering the risk of stroke.

provide a negative effect

Trans Fat: This fat is commonly know as the bad fat and has been changed by a process called hydrogenation. This increases the shelf life of the fat and makes it harder at room temperature. Trans fat can raise cholesterol which may cause a stroke or other heart disease. Foods like, cookies, margarine, salad dressings, and other processed foods contain trans-fat.

Unsaturated fat: Mostly found in oils from plants and may help improve cholesterol levels.

There are different types of unsaturated fats

Monounsaturated fat: Found in avocado, nuts, vegetable oils, and peanut oils. Eating foods high in monounsaturated fats bad help lower LDL cholesterol which is the bad cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fat: Mainly found in vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower, sesame, soybean, corn oils, and seafood.

Eating polyunsaturated fat may help lower LDL cholesterol.

Fats in the Body

Say NO to very low-fat diets. Why? Many people find them limiting, boring, tasteless and hard to stick to. Because fat tends to slow down digestion, many low-fat dieters fight hunger pangs all day or eat such an abundance of low-fat foods that their calorie intake is too great for weight loss.

Dietary fat has critical roles in the body. Each gram of fat, whether it’s from a spoon of peanut butter or a stick of butter, provides 9 kcals. This caloric density is a lifesaver when food is scarce and is important for anyone unable to consume large amounts of food. The elderly, the sick and others with very poor appetites benefit from high-fat foods. Because their stomachs are smaller and can’t hold big volumes. The same goes for small children that need fat to provide enough calories for growth.

Protein (4 Calories per gram)

Protein is found in every single cell in our body. The body uses this protein for many vital processes so we need to replace it constantly. The body has several basic building blocks and protein is one of the important ones. Protein accounts for around 16 % of a person’s total body weight because our connective tissues, skin, hair, and muscle are all made up of protein.

What are the main purposes of protein?

Protein is responsible for building muscles, bones, and other body parts. Protein also balances the pH value and increase immunity.

There are different types of proteins:

Whey Concentrate: Whey is one of the most basic forms of protein that is found in stores. It’s inexpensive and is digested very easily by the body.

Whey Isolate: One of the quickest absorbing proteins. Very low in carbs/ sugars. Isolate is great for pre and post workout.

Casein Protein: Slow digesting protein. Most people usually take casein right before bed since it takes 5-7 hours to fully breakdown.

Hydrolysate protein: Highest quality of protein available but the most expensive. Hydrolysate provides highly absorbable peptides that have great anabolic effect and is better on the digestive system compared to whey concentrates.

Soy protein: Good source of protein for anyone who is vegetarian. Soy Protein comes with many benefits to its user. It’s loaded with glutamine (helps with recovery), arginine (helps dilate the blood vessels to allow nutrition to get into muscle quicker) and BCAA’s (branched chain amino acids) to help with recovery from workouts.

Egg albumin: Old school protein when the powder was nonexistent. Egg albumin is not bought in powder form but rather in carton or container and cooked. This source of protein can be used anytime throughout the day, but is not a preferred source to use at night.

Protein and your goals

Bodybuilders drink protein shakes for breakfast and after working out. Dieters with no time to stop for lunch grab protein bars. Are these strategies necessary for optimal strength building and weight loss? Probably not.

Proteins in the body are constantly broken down and re-synthesized. Our bodies reuse most of the released amino acids, but a small portion is lost and must be replaced in the diet. The requirement for protein reflects this lost amount of amino acids plus any increased needs from growth or illness. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein for adults is 0.8 g/kg of body weight. Because of their rapid growth, infants have the highest RDA for protein at 1.5 g/kg of body weight. The RDA gradually decreases until adulthood.

It increases again during pregnancy and lactation to a level of 1.1 g/kg. The RDA for an adult weighing 140 pounds (63.6 kg) is a mere 51 grams of protein, an amount many of us consume before mid-afternoon.