Nutritional Overview: Macro Nutrients

        If you are like me, trying to learn more on the subject of nutrition can be a frustrating and difficult task, especially when one does not necessarily know where to begin.

        While I am not formally educated on the subject, just like you, I began with a desire to understand proper nutrition as a method to retain health at older ages, feel better, be more focused, and live the best life that I could. My first true experience with health knowledge began with a documentary called "Food Matters," which was a collection of interviews from various health professionals, often nutritionists and alternative medicine practitioners, who set up the comparison between proper nutrition and modern medicine. Essentially, the contrast was made that nutrition and health come first and could prevent a costly trip to the hospital. 

        Hospitals are an indispensable resource to our society and are necessary to the health and well-being to all people, yet it should not be the first option when a health concern is discovered.

         In ancient China, a "doctor" practiced preventative medicine and was considered to have failed when the patient became sick. When I personally think of this comparison, the adage about how an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. My personal approach to health revolves around spending an ounce of time and resources, rather than a pound of them. 

        To this point, the subject of macro nutrients and micro nutrients feels like a good place to start, in the sense that it is one of the first, and simplest, ways to break down nutrition. For this post, I will focus solely on macro nutrients.

What is a macro nutrient?

        A macro nutrient, in its simplest terms, is a calorie.

        There are only three sources of calories: protein, lipids (fats), and carbohydrates. There are key differences between these types of macro nutrients, yet perhaps the easiest way to describe them is the number of calories each type of macro contains per one ounce. The values are as follows:

    Protein: 4 calories per 1 ounce.

    Lipids: 8 calories per 1 ounce.

    Carbohydrates: 4 calories per 1 ounce.

        How many ounces of these macro nutrients are found in any food can be located on the nutrition label of any food that you consume. Simply by knowing where the calories in your food are coming from, you can begin making better health decisions. 

Protein

        Generally speaking, it is best to get as many calories as you can from protein as they contain amino acids needed to repair muscle damage from your workouts, daily grind at work, and other activities that require you to perform a task.

Carbohydrates

        Carbohydrates are essential as a fuel source to provide for short-term energy and to restore carbohydrate stores in your muscles, known as glycogen. Understanding the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates can help you plan your eating habits around your day. Complex carbohydrates are contained within food, while simple carbohydrates are often that way through a refinement processes that removes it from the rest of the food source from which it comes from. Complex carbohydrates provide sustained energy throughout the day because it takes time for your digestive system to absorb the carbohydrates from within the whole food. Simple carbohydrates provide short-term energy due to the availability of said carbohydrates at the time of digestion; the body doesn't have to work very hard at all to reach them. 

        To better illustrate this point, an apple is a complex carbohydrate due to the fact that the body has to digest the fiber of the apple, its skin, and any other pieces of the apple eaten. Apple juice, on the other hand, is a simple carbohydrate since the body doesn't have to digest an entire apple to reach the apple's sugar, therefore all of the calories contained within the sugary juice is readily available.

Lipids (Fats)

         Lipids contain the highest number of calories, yet can be the most difficult to digest. Not all lipids are the same, however, and can be broken into two distinct categories like carbohydrates. Saturated and unsaturated fats can make all of the difference when it comes to quality of calories.

        Unsaturated fats are often referred to as healthy fats and are often found in the form of fish oil and oils from various seeds and plants. Unsaturated fats are beneficial in how they do not contribute to serum cholesterol as well as the possibility of them lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol. 

        Saturated fats are solid fats, otherwise known as animal fats. These are important fats in the correct proportion to unsaturated fats. While saturated fats contribute to LDL cholesterol, as long as one doesn't over-consume these, they will be an important source of long-term fuel for your daily activities.

        One form of fat should be avoided at all costs, trans fats. Trans fats are an artificially created form of that that converts an unsaturated fat to a saturated one. The human body cannot quickly break these fats down and can contribute to weight gain and higher levels of cholesterol that can place your health at risk. The most common reference to trans fat is "hydrogented oil." Hydrogenation is a process used to create trans fats and is the basis for foods such as shortening, margarine, and other butter substitutes. The use of trans fats only seems to be expanding, so keeping an eye on the ingredients label can help steer you in a healthier direction.

Conclusion

        Being aware of where your calories come from can help you to make better health decisions. Weighing the benefits of protein, carbs, and fats can make the difference between the you that is healthy, happy, and energetic and the you that doesn't have the energy you need to live your life as you see fit.

        For my next posting, I will discuss the definition and role of micro nutrients and how they differ in function from macro nutrients. Subscribe to this blog to receive notifications when my next post becomes available.

 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor have I received formal education from any medical field. What I describe comes from my own, personal experiences. Before following the contents of this or any other posts found on this blog, consult with a medical professional.