Nutrition 101- understanding Macros for longterm health.

It is safe to say that there is certainly no shortage of advice for us these days when it comes to nutrition!  Every time you turn a corner there is the newest, latest and greatest diet – telling us how to eat or not eat.  In one bookstand alone, you can be told to try low-fat high-carb; high-fat no-carb; high protein;  keto; paleo; vegan… but, the simple truth remains that consistently, these ‘diets’ don’t work.  In fact over 90% of diets fail. Lets go back to a little Nutrition 101 and take a look at Macros and how they can help you gain longterm health.

Why don’t diets work?  Well, the truth is that nothing will work for all people – it just won’t.  We are all so different and ultimately what our bodies need, is so different.  There is no one size fits all.  However, while we all get to choose our own adventure when it comes to what we need to eat, the fundamentals of how our bodies function is the same.  So let’s look at what our bodies need, nutrient-wise.

Enter: the macronutrients – the nutrients that our body requires in BIG (or MACRO) doses…. these are carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  The beauty of this discussion is that a ‘balanced diet’ that contains all 3 of these, can be the foundation for everyone’s nutrition, forever, regardless of their dietary preferences.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbs have been really demonised in the past few years but the reality is that not all carbs are created equal and some carbs play a very important roles in our body, including:

• Primary energy source for our body – providing energy for our cells and brain
• Aiding in the recovery from physical activity
• Building muscle (yes! it’s not just protein)
• The fibre in carbohydrates feeds our gut bacteria, keeping our gut healthy and digestion regular

Carbohydrates come in many forms but are most often categorized as simple vs. complex carbs.

Complex carbs are the real powerhouse here when it comes to energy and include foods like dense root vegetables (potato, sweet potato, parsnips, etc), legumes (like chickpeas, lentils, beans etc) and whole grains and pseudo-grains (like oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, freekeh, whole wheat/spelt/kamut).  Complex carbs also contain big amounts of fibre and basically, fibre is good, people.  The human body can’t digest fibre, which means it remains undigested in the stool, allowing for the digestion and absorption of food to slow down, while also acting as a broom to “sweep out” the intestines. Some of these fibres also act as a prebiotics or food for our gut bacteria and keep a healthy balance of the good guys.

This is important as fibre keeps blood sugar levels balanced and reduces cravings, therefore giving you sustainable energy and a feeling of fullness.

Simple carbs consist of lighter salad vegetables, most fruits, but also includes more processed foods (like breads, cakes, biscuits, sweets, fruit juice and any ‘white’ carbs like white flour, pasta, rice etc) and sugars (including sugar, honey, maple syrup etc).  Obviously just as all carbs are not equal (complex v simple), not all simple carbs are equal either and while fruit and salad veggies are integral to your diet for the vitamins and minerals they possess, the processed simple carbs are not a necessary part of any diet.

PROTEIN

Protein seems to be having its moment in the sun right now, with it being a key ingredient in lots of the current diet trends, and for good reason. Protein does play a very important role in the body and is vital:

• As a source of energy
• For stabilizing blood sugar levels
• Cellular renewal
• Creation of hormones
• Supporting detoxifying pathways
• Structural function & regulation of body tissue and organs
• Repairing & building muscle, tissues and enzymes

Protein is found in both animal and plant foods.  Good sources of protein include:

• Animal protein: quality organic (where possible) grass fed meats, fish, eggs, dairy (if you can tolerate it well);
• Plant-based : nuts/ seeds, legumes, tofu/ tempeh, leafy greens, hemp, quinoa, plant-based protein powders.

FATS

First of all, forget the old idea that fat makes you fat.  Fat is an important nutrient and among other things, can:

• Enhance brain and nervous system functions such as mood, intelligence and behavior
• Role in cellular structure
• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase energy and performance
• Give you healthy skin, hair, and nails
• Improve organ and gland function and
• Healthy hormone production.

Fat is also critical for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K.

Maybe you remember the “Low-Fat Diet Craze”, where you could find low fat, and fat-free everything? A time where we became terrified of all sources of dietary fats for fear of weight gain (yep, we fell for that too!!).  But we now know that when manufacturers removed fat from our diets, it changed the creamy, fulfilling taste and texture to more of a dull and bland taste. To make up for this and to enhance our enjoyment of the food, companies started adding sugar and emulsifiers. This did not bode well for our health or our waistlines. And now we are asking, are fats really that bad?  Well, once again, not all are created equal.  For this purpose, we are going to focus on the good guys or Healthy Fats.

Healthy Fats

Healthy fats are found in a variety of foods such as organic eggs, nuts (and their related oils), seeds, olives/ olive oil, avocados / avocado oil, and oily fish, like salmon, sardines. It is important that you purchase the highest quality that your budget allows.

A good fat source should generally come from an organically grown, plant-based source with minimal processing to preserve its “raw” nutrient state. Look for oils that are virgin and cold pressed and have not undergone a distillation or purification process.

In addition to olive oil, there are many other oils you can include in your diet: hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, and pumpkin seed oil.

Fats that have a bad rep are found in fast foods, processed foods, chips, crackers, cookies and many snack foods. Most processed foods contain hydrogenated oils (also known as man-made trans fats), which are highly processed oils that we want to avoid. These oils trigger inflammation in the body and inflammation is one of the leading causes of chronic diseases.

Just like adding protein to your meal will help keep you full longer, adding some healthy fat will do the same. The ideal quantity guideline that we recommend for added fat during a meal is the size of your thumb (or approx 1 tbsp).

Combining Macros

Not only are these macronutrients incredibly important to your body’s function, but it is when they are combined together and balanced, that great things tend to happen.  This is truly a case of the sum of the parts being greater than the individual parts themselves.  These three macronutrients work best in unison.

• your weight,
• your thyroid function,
• your metabolic function,
• your mental health & clarity and
• your ENERGY!

While we will all undoubtedly prefer different sources of our carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats (that is how it should be!!) the aim is to become more aware of how you are putting these all together on your plate.  Think of each meal and snack as a puzzle –> every time you eat, aim to include the three necessary pieces-  a source of protein, some complex carbohydrate and a healthy fat.

Understanding your macros is a longterm, sustainable way of eating that allows you to maximise your body’s function and to help your body truly thrive! It has been a true game-changer for us.

Let us know what you think?