Macro (large) Nutrients are the extremely important key nutrients which our bodies need to function and perform properly. They are Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats........ BUT (I hear you cry!) A McDonald's meal contains all of those: Protein (in the meat) Fat (in the meat and the fries) and Carbohydrate (in the bun, lettuce and gherkin). "We all know that McDonald's is unhealthy!" So let's make this a little clearer: The issue is not with beef, with Bread, or with fat.... It's with the processes which take that item of food from the farm to the shop. Let's look at all of the nutrients first:
Protein Yeah brah! (4 Kcals per g):
Protein is required for your body to heal and rebuild, which is why everyone in the gym is taking protein supplements. Aside from supplements (usually whey protein) you will find protein in the following foods:
Animal (full Amino acid profile- High biological value to your body).......
Meats: Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Game & Eggs.
Vegetable (partial Amino acid profile- Lower biological value)......
Chickpeas, Beans, Lentils and Legumes.
AN AVERAGE INTAKE OF PROTEIN IS 0.4 TO 0.6G PER LB OF BODY WEIGHT.
Active individuals (depending on goals will require up to 1.5G per lb).
Carbohydrate, is not the enemy! (4 Kcals per g)
All carbs are sugars! All sugars are grown! At some stage the granulated sugar which you may be putting in tea and coffee was a crop, sugar cane! Yes that's right... planted, tended, harvested and sold. Your body loves carbohydrates it can break them down easily and use them for energy, it can also store them incredibly easily (as fat!).
Fruit and vegetables:
Fruit and vegetables are carbohydrate, so they contain sugar, called fructose. Are fruits and vegetables unhealthy? No absolutely not! (However limiting to 2 or three pieces of fruit is a good idea). Fruit is full of fibre, water, and micro (small) nutrients AKA vitamins. Vegetables tend to contain less fructose than fruits, meaning that generally they are the best carbohydrate choice.
Grains:
Provided your grain is whole (containing fibre) its is a reasonable carbohydrate choice. These days we are incredibly lucky to be able to source whole grain/meal: bread, rice, couscous, pasta etc. The problem here is volume, when was the last time that you cooked spaghetti for a family of 4 and ended up with enough for 8? BEWARE! It's VERY EASY TO OVER CONSUME THIS FOOD GROUP!
AVERAGE INTAKE OF CARBOHYDRATE IS 50% OF TOTAL CALORIES, this is only a guide!
"What is fibre and what difference does it make?"
Fibre is the outer "skeleton" of carbohydrate. Think of a baked bean, if you squeeze a baked bean between your fingers the "husk or skeleton" you are left with is the fibre.
When our body metabolises a grain it has to break down the fibre to get to the sugar, meaning a delay in changes to blood sugar. Now we are into the realms of Glycaemic index and load, which I will save for another blog. Note: Consume fruits and vegetables in their skin wherever possible and choose whole grains instead of refined (processed items).
For many years as I battled with obesity myself, I believed that fat, makes you fat and would try to avoid it at all costs. In reality the opposite is true, we need fat to provide us with insulation, to help with cell activity particularly the brain and we need it to process micro nutrients (vitamins A, D, E and K). Fat can be categorized in the following ways:
Healthy fats: Are grown in crops, Olives (incl oils), nuts and avacado's
Omega 3 & 6 (Essential Fatty Acids/ EFA's):
EFAs have to be consumed. The two essential fatty acids that the human body cannot make are the omega-3 fatty acid and omega-6 fatty acid, which are important for brain development, immune system function and blood pressure regulation. EFA's are found in: Flaxseed, Walnuts, Sardines, Salmon, Beef, Tofu and Shrimp.
Unhealthy fats: Are grazed fats/ animals fats, too much of this causes elevated cholesterol (fat in the blood stream). At room temperature an animal fit is solid!
Processed fats: These fats are subjected to heat or hydrogenated (literally hydrogen gas is added to fat to either change its consistency or increase it's volume). This means more profits for the manufacturer. As a child I remember buying biscuits in the supermarket, as a treat they were sold for roughly the same price as today- believe me, in 1990 £1.00 for a packet of biscuits was a lot of money. Today we demand the same volume of food for £1.00, so it's delivered using the lowest quality of ingredients possible and food is produced in vast vast quantities. processed fats are found in cakes, sweets and biscuits, they are also found in deep fried foods, where the oil has been continuously heated and cooled. Remember the old "chip pans" you would always see a nasty brown mark over the pan on the ceiling which is because the oil has been heated to such an extreme it moves from liquid (room temperature) to a gas and literally gets transferred onto the ceiling!
AVERAGE INTAKE OF FAT IS 30% OF TOTAL CALORIES
Take home point:
As I travel to deliver nourishment classes across the South Coast, I ask people to consider: PRICE, QUANTITY AND QUALITY of food purchased. Clients often ask, is it worth me monitoring Macro consumption? The answer is yes! It's a great way for you to begin to understand your own body. You don't need to do it forever more, but your body awareness is likely to change, as is your attitude toward the separate nutrient groups. It's also a great way for you to track nourishment and will play a big part in pursuit of your health and fitness/ composition goals.
Each of our bodies is different in the way it deals with energy. For instance someone who is insulin resistant and overweight may benefit from a large amount of fats in the diet. Someone who is an endurance runner will require more carbohydrates, etc etc.
This blog is intended as a guide only, if you are making changes to your Macro splits it's worth considering using an app (for convenience) but remember the guides are just that! ALWAYS think: How does Macro monitoring make me feel? Do I feel Energetic? Lethargic? Content? Bloated? Moody? Headaches? If any of these things surface it's worth revisiting the guidelines and tweaking them to suit your body, lifestyle and goals!!
Here at Three Pillars we have helped hundreds of people to improve their nourishment and exceed their goals. If you would like professional help yourself please click here to book a free telephone consultation.
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