What Are Macronutrients And Why Should I Care?:
Diet fads come and go, but things don’t need to be so complicated and expensive when it comes to nutrition. Ditch the diet pills, stop cutting out complete food groups, and try calculating your macronutrient needs, or “Macros.”
Macronutrients are “substances required in relatively large amounts by living organisms, in particular.” In other words, Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat, which make up the bulk of the human diet. You can count calories all you want, but getting the proper amount of calories for your goals still doesn’t mean that you’re fueling your body optimally to reach your health and fitness goals.
How Do I Calculate MY Macros?
The macro breakdown that works best for you, will be different than what might work for someone else. A good macro calculator takes into consideration factors such as gender, age, activity level and more. Our favorite can be found here!
Okay, Now How Do I Actually Track Them?
Great question!
Apps like My Fitness Pal are awesome for tracking! You can use the apps macronutrient suggestions, or even enter your own based on what you plugged into a more advanced calculator like the one linked above!
Once you have your numbers all set you can search for foods by name, label, or even restaurant! Then, you have the option to adjust serving size and to break up your day based on different meals!
When you’re first getting started, or just trying to incorporate small changes to improve your overall health, there is no need to go crazy! Don’t worry about the food scale and exact measurements unless you’re looking to get a little more serious about your diet or have a larger goal in mind (competitive bodybuilders, bikini competitors, etc. I see you!) Measure what you can, otherwise, eyeballing your servings will work just fine! Like anything, you’ll get better at tracking your macros with time!
Remember: neither diet nor exercise alone will be the most effective way to reach your goals. Find a balance between an active lifestyle and overall healthy choices, food and otherwise, and you’ll be sure to see and feel a difference with time and consistency!