Macronutrients, what are they? What do they do? After this article you may not look at your meal the same way again.

Sitting down at the table, you hear and see the usual traffic of friends’ taking photos of their dinner for social media, seflies, thumbs up and the list goes on. What most people see is a variety of meat, noodles, chicken, soup ready to satisfy any tastebuds – yum right? Well it is delicious and nothing should stop you from devouring that meal, however many people tend to ignore what they’re putting into their body. Once you understand macronutrients, other than it being the key to easily control your weight, you’ll also benefit from a healthier diet, lifestyle and even perhaps a cheaper grocery bill.







So what are these mysterious macros?

Well there are 3 main Macronutrients – Carbohydrates, Fats and Protein. Each of these have their own purpose that help us get through our very busy lives and also affect the way we can feel during the day. Our bodies are constantly working during the day and to a lesser extent while we are sleeping.

Let’s begin with the main culprit, the kid that always gets away from the “Oh that’ll make you fat” blame game. It’s not Fats that make you fat, it is however the amount of Carbohydrates you eat during the day. It’s our main source of energy and the macronutrient we need in the largest amounts. It’s found in fruits, milk, grains, potatoes or some of the more enticing foods like cakes or sweets. Our body’s organs need to use carbs to be able to function properly during the day – brain, kidneys, central nervous system, heart and muscles. This makes carbs a vital part of our diet; having low carbs during the day will keep you from being the fun energetic person you are.

So earlier you said, “Fats don’t make you fat?”. Yep, they’ve certainly built up a bad reputation over the years. It’s time to cut through the smoke and mirrors and reveal that Fats aren’t the main reason those love handles are there. It’s okay to eat fats, in fact it’s essential for our survival. Fats aren’t the black sheep everyone makes it out to be. Let’s not get carried away, they are high in calories (per gram) but they help in absorbing vitamins, provide energy, growth and development and also helps lubricates the joints. Be aware that there are 3 types of fats – saturated, unsaturated and trans fat. Keep your unsaturated fats close to you and the saturated and trans fat further away as they increase the chances of heart disease.







Finally, Protein – Arnold Schwarzennegger’s secret ingredient. This macronutrient is well known for building muscle. What we don’t realise is that Protein is broken down into many different types of amino acids that are then put together for different uses which eventually make up the solid matter in our body.

With all that being said, what does this all mean and how does it affect your diet or weight? Each macronutrient contains a certain amount of calories – Fats provide 9 calories per gram and both carbohydrates and protein contain 4 calories per gram. Without going into too much detail about a daily caloric intake, to maintain a certain amount of weight we need to eat a number of calories per day. However, pigging out one day doesn’t mean you’ll wake up with an extra inch around the waist. It takes time to reduce your weight just as it takes time to put on weight.

Now we’re aware of the basics of Macronutrients, we’re now able to control what goes into our body and enjoy those delicious dishes many of us have seen on our instagram feed. Come back next time as we discuss how dieting does not mean you have to eat less.