Counting Macros: What are they and Why are they important?
Macros or Macronutrients are kind of a buzz word when it comes to diet and the health community. Why would you want to count macronutrients? Why does it make a big difference? I always like to think of my low carb patients- eating bacon all day, promoting that protein, but disregarding the other parts of the “macros”, like that high fat.
Counting your “macros” or macronutrients is counting the amount of carbs/fats/protein grams in your diet. The body burns each macronutrient differently (different calories for each gram). Understanding the balance between each of these macronutrients will help your body achieve various goals.
Why does our body need certain macronutrients?
Carbs: energy- carbs are broken down into sugar in the body, can be used immediately or stored as glycogen for the body to use for fuel at a later time
Fats: energy, hormone production, body temperature, regulator for fat soluble vitamins, source of essential fatty acids, and of course support youthful appearance of face!
Protein: building of tissues, enzymes, hormones, balances fluids, maintains proper pH and allows cell signaling in the body.
Certain ratios of carbs/fats/protein will be better for some body types. For instance, you may be interested in building more muscle, or breastfeeding, or you may be a person that just needs more carbs to feel energized…
I have to admit, counting macros seemed overwhelming/too much work. We teamed up with @trifitwellness for personalized dietary instructions and started counting macros. They have apps that will “count” the macros for you after imputing your food information, which can be helpful to skip the math homework. The information you learn about your normal diet and tendencies toward certain food is priceless- learning how each food measures up, will alter the choices you make!
