Nutrition part 2 - Macronutrients, what's the story?
- Richard Humberstone
- May 23, 2020
- 5 min read
After a long hiatus I'm back to break down and help you understand key and sometimes complex information, so read on.
What is a macronutrient?
Protein, Carbs and Fats these are a few of my favourite things. Macronutrients, welcome to the most asked about and most frequently misunderstood topic in fitness! but here I go at simplifying it for you to understand and hopefully start applying it to your diet with confidence.
Macronutrients are what's in the different types of food that you eat. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats, each are essential and are responsible for certain roles in the body from energy, repair and vitamin absorption. Macronutrients are essential within your body to maintain health, fitness and strength.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is the macronutrient that is the bodies primary source of energy. Often misunderstood by the general public and has been demonised by the media, poor trainers, nutritionists and people generally after your money selling a product. Carbohydrates are certainly not the enemy. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose then through a process called glycolysis, the body creates ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The body utilizes ATP as energy during physical activity it continues this for a period of up to 3 minutes it is at this point your body/muscles become tired and you need to slow down or take a break. That's as scientific as I will go as I don't want to bore or confuse you.
Not all carbs are created equal. It still shocks me to this day how people don't understand what food is good or bad for them. So in terms of what carbs are good and what carbs are bad. To get into a little more detail a system called GLYCEMIC INDEX is a great way to know as what carbs are better for you than others.
This picture shows the glycemic index for certain foods. This indicates as to how much they affect the sugar levels in the blood and how quickly the energy is released into the body. The higher the numbers the higher spike in blood sugar resulting in a higher energy feeling. Except now your body has to increase the amount of insulin the body produces to reduce the high blood sugar levels resulting in you crashing and feeling sluggish. So now you find yourself needing more sugar to pick you up again. This repeated overtime causes many health problems including obesity, high blood pressure and also can lead to diabetes.
Pick lower count foods for a slower release of energy to keep consistency. This will lead to less blood sugar spikes and reducing binge eating. Here is the link my blog on sugar to get more of an understanding of how sugar affects the body.
Protein
Onto the most talked about macronutrient, protein. The main role of protein in the body is for growth and repair of tissues, bones, tendons cartilage etc.. It is also responsible for building enzymes and hormones.
The biggest misconception with protein is that it builds extra muscle and this is why you see people taking excessive amounts of protein but all they're doing is adding more calories to their diet that inevitably leads to weight and fat gain. The truth is the only way to build excess muscle is through exercise and more specifically resistance training with weight training being the supreme king. Remember protein is used to repair and grow tissues, so when you lift weights your muscles become damaged and get micro-tears in the muscle fibres, with the use of protein the muscle repairs bigger and stronger ready for the next round of torture.
How much protein?
Probably the most frequent question I'm asked about protein is "How much do I need and should I take protein shakes?" Well, this is totally dependant on you. What are your goals? are you wanting to increase muscle mass? maintain muscle mass? lose muscle mass? The first thing you need to identify is your own personal goals. When you distinguish this, only then can you move forward.
Look forward to a future blog about how to build muscle for more information and a deeper understanding on this hot topic. Though, just a teaser, the general consensus for muscle growth is 2.2 grams of protein per KG of body weight, it is not one size fits all so you may need to experiment to find what works best for you.
The next mistake people do is thinking they need protein shakes. Why?! Supplements are exactly that, a supplement to your diet. The best and highest quality protein you can get is from food not shakes.
Now, if you're big and weigh a lot then consuming the amount you need can be difficult. So, protein shakes can be useful. Another situation is that you are time restricted and getting a quick shake is handy but is it that you're time struck or poor time management? I'm not saying don't have shakes all I'm saying is they should be secondary and not your primary source of protein.
I generally find supplements are a waste of money and companies tell you that you need them to reach your goals, in reality, they're just playing on your ego, insecurities or lack of knowledge to make money. EAT FOOD! remember you get more than just protein from food.
Fats
Now, to the final and most commonly misunderstood of the macro-nutrients Fats! Fats are essential to our bodily functions, we can't survive without them. First of all let me start by saying fats do not make you fat and if you're intentionally avoiding them, for this reason, don't be daft and read on for some clarity.
There are many roles of Fats/triglycerides/cholesterol in our body from storing energy, insulating and protecting the vital organs, they help the body absorb other minerals and vitamins, muscle and cell growth and they help regulate the immune and metabolism systems plus many more functions that I have no idea about.
Fats are often broken down into two main categories, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and low-density lipoproteins (LDL) more commonly known as good fats and bad fats. There are many more but these are the main ones you need to be concerned with.
I've come across many people talking about fats and high cholesterol who typically spread false information. for example, saying you can't eat too many eggs in a week because they're high in cholesterol. Again another statement they've read on some weight watchers website or magazine or heard it from "this guy in the gym " and because he's in good shape it must be true! Wrong. I've had this discussion with people before who only eat the egg whites because of the high cholesterol. Yes, they do have cholesterol but HDL (the good cholesterol) that helps transport cholesterol to the liver for it to be processed. Eating only egg whites is like peeling a banana, throwing the banana away and eating the peel. Not eating the yoke that has the majority of protein and other vitamins is just ridiculous.
LDL is known as the “bad cholesterol” because it can lead to a buildup of plaque in the arteries that can lead to atherosclerosis. This is where the cholesterol sticks to the walls and narrows the arteries restricting blood flow. This can increase the risk of blood clots in your arteries. If a blood clot breaks loose and blocks an artery in your heart or brain, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
So fats are good and bad. This doesn't mean you can't eat high LDL foods just be aware of how much you're eating. Here is a list of good fats to include in your diet and bad fats to avoid in your diet.
Good fats
Olive oil, eggs, beans and legumes, whole grains, high-fibre fruit, Fatty fish, Flax, Nuts, Chia seeds.
Bad fats
Fried food, fast food, processed meat, processed foods, desserts and sweets
So there it is my breakdown of what macro-nutrients are and what they're used for. I will be going into more detail as to what ratios to eat for different goals such as weight loss, weight gain and maintenance in a future blog.
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