What are Macronutrients & Micronutrients?
Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are often referred to as macronutrients, from which energy is derived. Minerals, vitamins and water are classified as micronutrients, and these are necessary for regulating bodily functions.
Most foods are mixtures of both micronutrients and macronutrients. Without an adequate supply of nutrients, cells soon lose their ability to perform their tasks. And eventually, the rest of the body is affected, and various health disorders called nutritional deficiencies are developed.
You need to consume food that can produce energy for your body to function properly. This energy is supplied by fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Alcohol also provides energy, but it’s not a nutrient.
Calories measure the energy value of food (yes, calories are your enemy if you’re on a weight-loss diet). Fats are the most concentrated source of calories because one gram of fat supplies 9 calories. Carbohydrates and proteins each contribute around 4 calories per gram. Alcohol, the non-nutrient we often consume, often has 7 calories per gram. Water, vitamins, and minerals supply no calories and thus no energy.
Types of Macronutrients
As mentioned above, your body needs three types of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Carbohydrates
The primary role of carbohydrates is to deliver energy to your body. And although muscles run on both fats and carbohydrates, nerve tissue and brain cells can only burn carbohydrates for energy. So, remember this next time you decide to go on a low-carb diet.
Furthermore, children and adults should consume at least 130 grams of carbohydrates daily. I know this amount sounds a lot, and you’re probably thinking, “that’s so much sugar”, but not all carbohydrates are sugar. There are 2 main groups of carbohydrates: simple (sugars) and complex (glycogen, starch and most forms of fibre). So, as long as you have a balanced consumption of both simple and complex carbohydrates, your blood sugar level will not skyrocket.
Sugars
Sugars are simple carbohydrates, and your body needs glucose (a.k.a. blood sugar) to fuel all cells. However, your body must maintain normal blood sugar levels to avoid health issues like diabetes. The primary food sources of glucose are fruits, syrups, and honey.
Fruit sugar (a.k.a. fructose) occurs naturally in honey and is often added to processed foods. It is important to say that honey is often promoted as a substitute for table sugar but honey supplies the same simple carbohydrates as table sugar. Therefore, there is no nutritional advantage in using honey instead of table sugar as a sweetener. However, compared to table sugar, honey contains very small amounts of vitamins, protein, minerals, and antioxidants, but these are present in less than 1% of the recommended daily intake amount. So, to receive any health benefits from eating honey, you will need to eat large quantities of it. And such quantities would exceed the recommended daily sugar consumption by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Hence, a spoonful of honey will positively contribute to your energy metabolism due to its sugar content yet is unlikely to have any additional beneficial effects.
Easy recipe for preparing healthy peanut butter cookies with dark chocolate and honey
Table sugar (sucrose) is made from sugarcane and sugar beets, and it’s often used in the production of candy, pastries and soft drinks. Table sugar is nearly 100% pure carbohydrate. For that reason, you should limit the quantity of table sugar eaten a day to no more than 10% of your total calories. Otherwise, if you consume too much table sugar, the latter will displace more nutritious foods from your diet. According to studies, people whose diets are high in added sugars have lower intakes of essential nutrients. That’s why sugary foods are referred to as “empty calories.” Also, remember that it is scientifically proven that high sugar consumption causes dental decay.
Starches
Starches are complex carbohydrates because they contain long chains of glucose units (simple sugar). These macronutrients are found in cereal, pasta, beans and potatoes. Starchy foods should be your primary source of carbohydrates. During digestion, the long starch chains are broken down slowly, releasing individual glucose units that are then absorbed by the body. When individual glucose units are combined, they form glycogen. Glycogen is stored in the muscles and the liver. When cells need energy, glycogen is broken down to release glucose.
Fibre
Fibres are complex carbohydrates that cannot be digested in the small intestine, so they move through the digestive tract considerably unchanged. It can be found in plant foods, such as bananas, beans, avocado, whole grains, sweet potatoes, nuts, berries and apples. People consuming diets rich in fibres are very unlikely to experience constipation. The lack of fibres in the body may also lead to the development of intestinal issues such as haemorrhoids, colon cancer and diverticulosis. Therefore, it is important to consume good amounts of fibre daily. The recommended daily fibre intake is 38 grams for men and 25 grams for women.
In addition, there are two types of fibre: dietary and functional. Dietary fibre is the edible, nondigestible component of carbohydrates and is naturally found in plant food. Functional fibres are isolated, extracted from natural sources, or synthetic. An example of such functional fibres would be pectin extracted from citrus peel and used as a gel in jellies.
Suppose you’re a person who doesn’t eat much fibre but wants to increase its consumption. In that case, it’s recommended that you add fibre to your diet gradually because the gastrointestinal tract often reacts negatively when one consumes too much fibre too quickly.
Fats
Nowadays, fats have received a lot of negative publicity for a type of macronutrients that is highly important in the diet. Fats are not the only source of body fat. Extra calories supplied by dietary carbohydrates, proteins, and fats may all be transformed into triglycerides and stored in adipose cells as body fat for future energy needs. Fats provide a significant portion of the energy used by muscles. Moreover, certain types of fat cannot be made by the body and are essential for your health, so don’t eliminate fats from your diet.
Saturated Vs Unsaturated Fats
Fats tend to be either saturated or unsaturated, depending on their chemical nature.
Unsaturated fats are found in plants and are liquid at room temperature. For instance, vegetable oils are rich in unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Both of these fatty acids decrease blood cholesterol levels and lower the risk for heart disease. However, polyunsaturated fatty acids reduce the “good” type of cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) rather than the “bad” type called low-density lipoprotein (LDL). For that reason, monounsaturated fatty acids are a better choice.
However, people must consume food that supplies them with two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids – omega-3 fatty acid and omega-6 fatty acid – because neither is synthesized in the body. The deficiency of either one may lead to the development of issues such as scally skin or dermatitis.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are present in many vegetable oils, fish oil, salmon, walnuts and pumpkin seeds. The recommended daily intake is 17 grams for men and 12 grams for women.
- Omega-6 fatty acids can be easily found in milk, nuts and seeds. The recommended daily intake is 1.6 grams for men and 1.1 grams for women.
Saturated fats are present mainly in animal sources – fat in meats and dairy products (e.g., cream, butter, and cheese). Also, unlike most plant oils, coconut and palm oils have high amounts of saturated fats. Unbalanced consumption of saturated fats may lead to the creation of blocked arteries and hence, the development of cardiovascular diseases. Saturated fats elevate the level of “bad” cholesterol, and because of that, their consumption should be as little as possible.
Trans-Fatty Acids
Another type of fat is trans-fatty acids. These have physical properties generally similar to those of saturated fatty acids, and their presence tends to harden oils. Trans-fatty acids are often present in cookies, crackers, meats, dairy products and fast foods. They increase the risk for heart disease by boosting levels of LDL (the “bad” cholesterol).
Trans-fatty acids provide no known health benefits, and for that reason, their consumption should be brought to a minimum. Many studies also show that eating trans fat, just like eating saturated fat, seems to increase blood cholesterol levels.
Protein
The last type of macronutrients is protein. Protein is needed to grow, repair, and maintain all cells in the body. Key body structures, such as organs, bones and muscles, are made of protein. Your skin, hair, and nails are also made up of protein. Protein consumption is needed to create the enzymes that accelerate chemical reactions, certain hormones, and immune system components. A tiny amount of protein can also be used for energy. However, the human body prefers to use carbohydrates and fats for energy and conserve proteins for its other essential functions.
Proteins are built up of smaller units called amino acids, and there are about 20 amino acids in the body. The diet must supply nine essential amino acids, and the body can create the remainder of eleven amino acids. To grow, you need to have all of the essential amino acids available because body growth slows or stops if the diet is protein deficient. During digestion, your body breaks down proteins, releasing and absorbing the amino acids in their units.
How to prepare tasty banana & chocolate chip protein pancakes
There are two types of protein: animal and plant. Most animal proteins – for example, those found in meat, fish, eggs and poultry – contain high amounts of essential amino acids. For that reason, animal proteins are called complete or high-quality proteins. On the other hand, plant proteins are found in beans, nuts, seeds, and cereals and contribute small amounts of protein to the diet. However, individual plant proteins are incomplete and are not good sources of essential amino acids. But, in combination, plant food proteins can supply reasonable amounts of the essential amino acids.
The recommended daily protein intake is based on body weight, and the usual adult recommendation is 0.8 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of body weight. However, the need for higher protein consumption increases for people who do sports or are into bodybuilding.