All About Macros: What Are Macronutrients & Why Are They Important?

You’ve probably heard people mention macronutrients from time to time, but most of us don’t fully understand what these nutrients are and how they should fit into our diets.

It’s time you stop asking yourself, what are macronutrients? After reading this blog, you’ll know what macronutrients are, where to find them in food, and how they can help you live a healthier lifestyle.

What are Macronutrients?

Simply put, macronutrients, or macros, are specific nutrients your body needs to function. Unlike other known nutrients, your body requires large amounts of macros to operate properly. These are what give you the energy you need to perform daily tasks along with other activities like exercising. Macros can be broken down into three main food groups:

• Proteins
• Carbohydrates
• Fats

Macros are essential for your body because they contain the components needed to maintain its systems and structures. In order to have a healthy and balanced diet you need all three of these macro groups. That means strictly limiting one or cutting it out completely can result in long-lasting negative effects on your body.

What is the Difference Between Macronutrients and Micronutrients?

Before we dive into the benefits of macronutrients, you need to be able to distinguish between macros and micros. As we stated before, your body needs large amounts of macros to function, but that’s not all you need. While you may need smaller amounts of them, micronutrients are just as important. These include vitamins, minerals, and water.

The main difference between micro and macronutrients, besides how much you need of each, is that you can consume many micronutrients through healthy macro meals. For example, most foods you eat will consist of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E, as well as minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium.

Most often, you won’t have to track the consumption of micronutrients the way you do macronutrients. However, it’s important to note that if you’re on a special diet that restricts certain foods, such as being vegetarian, vegan, or ketogenic, you may need to take vitamin or mineral supplements to stay on top of the micros you’re lacking.

What are the Benefits of Macronutrients?

Since macros are divided into three groups, it seems fitting that each of those groups offers a variety of benefits. This is one of the reasons why it’s imperative to fit each one into your daily diet.

Without one, you’ll be missing out on a handful of nutrients your body needs. So, what are the benefits of macronutrients? Continue reading below to find out.

Proteins

Proteins are composed of amino acids, which are essential for the growth, development, repair, and maintenance of body tissues. As a result, they are also responsible for the following functions:

• Keeping muscles, bones, and tissues healthy
• Playing a vital role in aiding the immune system and biochemical reactions
• Providing structure and support for all cells

Carbohydrates

Your body breaks down carbohydrates into something called glucose, which is the main energy source for your brain and several other body tissues. This gives carbohydrates the ability to carry out tasks such as:

• Enabling muscle contraction
• Maintaining the proper body temperature
• Keeping your heart beating
• Digesting food

Fats

There are certain fats that aren’t good for your diet, these are known as trans fats.  Another type of fat is saturated fats, which aren’t necessarily bad but should be eaten in moderation. Finally, the fats that are good for you are unsaturated fats. These are the most energy-dense macronutrients, helping your body with the following actions:

• Providing your body with energy
• Aiding in hormone reproduction and cell growth
• Storing energy in your body
• Absorbing important vitamins

How to Count Macros

Now that you’ve answered the question, “what are macronutrients?” it’s time to take your understanding one step further. In order to keep a healthy lifestyle, you’ll need to learn how to balance macronutrients properly. Below, we’ve provided three steps to guide you through counting macros and calories.

1. Figure Out Your Calorie Needs

Understanding your overall calorie needs requires you to determine a few key elements. The first is your resting energy expenditure (REE). This refers to the number of calories a person burns at rest. The second is your non-resting energy expenditure (NREE). These are the calories you burn during activity and digestion.

Adding your REE and NREE together will give you your total number of calories burned in a day, or your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Next, you can either use an online calculator or a simple equation to break down your overall calorie needs:

• Men: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5
• Women: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161

Then, multiply your result from the equation above by an activity factor. There are seven activity factors you can choose from depending on which best describes your exercise level:

• Sedentary (limited exercise): x 1.2
• Lightly active (light exercise less than 3 days per week): x 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise most days of the week): x 1.55
• Very active (hard exercise every day of the week): x 1.725
• Extra active (strenuous exercise 2 or more times a day): x 1.9

The end result will give you your TDEE.

2. Determine Your Ideal Macronutrient Intake

At this point, you may be wondering, how many macronutrients do I need? To answer this question, it’s important to remember that every person is unique, and therefore, the number of macros in your diet may be different from your friends or family members.

Knowing the number of calories in each macro group will help you do this:

• Proteins have 9 calories per gram
• Carbohydrates have 4 calories per gram
• Fats have 9 calories per gram

Some factors that play a role in the number of macros you should incorporate into your diet are your age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. There are many resources you can find online that can help you find the optimal macro count for your body, but for an average adult, the USDA recommends:

• 45 to 65 percent of calories come from carbohydrates
• 20 to 35 percent of calories come from fat
• 10 to 35 percent of calories come from protein

Since these percentages are only a baseline for the average adult, we recommend you customize your macro count based on what your needs and objectives are. Your macronutrient ratios depend on dietary preferences, weight loss or gain goals, and other factors.

3. Count & Track Your Macros and Calories

Finally, you’re ready to count and track your macros and calories. There are many ways to track your macros and calories. Tracking your macros simply means logging the foods you eat on a daily basis. You can do this using a food journal, website, or app.

Apps such as MyFitnessPal, Lose It!, or My Macros +, are all user-friendly and designed to simplify the process of tracking macros. If you prefer keeping a hand-written food journal, there are a variety of resources available to provide you with inspiration and tips to get you started.

Remember, when you start off, you don’t need to hit your macro targets exactly. Going a few grams over or under won’t hurt your goals. As you get more accustomed to counting macros, you’ll be able to be more strict about your targets.

List of Food Macros

Now that we’ve answered the questions, what are macronutrients and how to count macros, it’s time to learn what food sources they come from. Check out our list of food macros to help you get started.

Proteins

There are two types of proteins: complete and incomplete. You can find protein food sources in both animal-based foods and plant-based foods. If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you can find numerous substitutions to animal products such as meat alternatives and plant-based dairy products.

Complete Proteins

• Poultry and eggs
• Beef and pork
• Seafood (such as Salmon)
• Soy
• Quinoa

Incomplete Proteins

• Lentils
• Nuts
• Beans
• Whole grains
• Vegetables

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can also be broken down into two types: complex and simple. When planning healthy macro meals, focus on incorporating complex carbohydrates rather than simple ones. Complex carbs are better for you and have a more steady impact on your blood glucose levels.

Complex Carbohydrates

• Legumes (such as peas or beans)
• Whole grains
• Bread and cereal
• Rice
• Starchy vegetables
• Pasta

Fats

As we mentioned before, there are two types of fats: unsaturated and saturated. When making macro-balanced meals, we recommend using unsaturated fats since they provide more benefits to your body.

Unsaturated Fats

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Plant-based oils (such as olive oil)
• Fatty seafood (such as salmon and tuna)
• Avocado

Ready to start eating healthier? Visit your local Stauffers of Kissel Hill to find quality fresh groceries and other products today.