What are Macronutrients?

You know your basic food groups. You know how much water you should drink a day. 
And you know what a healthy meal looks like, but do you know what macro-nutrients 
are? You do, but you've just been calling them something different. We'll learn about 
what they are and why they're so important to your health.  

 
What are Macro-nutrients? 
 
Macro-nutrients are our main source of energy from foods. It also makes up the majority 
of our diet. Macro-nutrients are in one of the three following groups:  

Carbohydrates
Protein
Fats
 
See, you knew what they were. Macro-nutrients contain vitamins and minerals essential 
to our well-being. Now we consume each of these three groups in some form each day, 
but do we know exactly what we're eating? Do we know which portions of the group are 
healthy and which are not? Let's go through each group and take a look.  

 
Carbohydrates 
 
Carbs are the macro-nutrient you need the most. There are two types of carbs: simple 
and complex.  
 
Simple carbs are broken down fast, but because of this your blood sugar rises quickly 
and can result in that "crash" we feel after eating a delicious cinnamon roll or whatever 
your favorite sugary snack is. That's because the sugar is burned so fast that the energy 
we feel from it fades quickly. Simple sugars also provide very little if any nutritional 
value. Some examples of these sugars include:  

Fructose (found in fruit)
Galactose (found in dairy products)
Lactose (found in milk and dairy products)
Maltose (found in fermented foods)
 
Complex carbohydrates take more time to break down, and are what you should be 
eating the most of. Since it takes them a while to break down, they provide steady 
energy, with no blood sugar spikes. Complex carbs also have fiber in them, which is 
good for your digestive and heart health. Some examples include:  

Starches like legumes, grains, peas, and potatoes
Dietary fiber like veggies and whole grains
Protein 
 
Proteins are used to repair and build muscles and tissue. It also regulates your 
hormones and digestive enzymes. Some examples include:  

Meats like beef, pork, chicken, lamb
Fish or seafood
Eggs 
Dairy like milk and yogurt
Beans
Nuts
Soy/Tofu products


Fats 
 
Everyone gives fat a hard time, but it can actually be a good thing! Fats are used for 
energy now and can also be stored for energy later. It also stores vitamins, regulates 
hormone production, and protects your organs. There are two types of fats: Saturated 
and unsaturated.  
 
Your intake of saturated fats needs to be limited, because this isn't the good fat. Some 
examples include meat fat, butter, full fat dairy products, chips, biscuits, and cakes.  
 
Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, should play a bigger role in your diet. Some 
examples of these include fish, nuts, avocados, and vegetable oils like olive, canola, 
sunflower, and rice bran.  
 
Hopefully you now have a better understanding of what macro-nutrients are and why 
they play such a big role in your overall health. Stay healthy, and take care!
