The nutrients we receive from macro- and micronutrients are essential to who and what we are. Macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that help give us energy, fight disease, build muscle, and rebuild body tissue. Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals we get from different foods to help keep our bodies running like an efficient machine. But how we choose our macronutrients makes us that lean machine we want to be!
Here’s the breakdown:
FATS come in two forms: the good and the bad. With the bad, think French fries and cookies. This is a saturated fat. Have you ever watched someone drain the grease from a skillet into a cup or jar after making bacon? The fat takes on a solid form when kept at room temperature. Whereas unsaturated fats (monosaturated and polyunsaturated) are in a liquid form such as olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil. Fat is our largest fuel tank, storing energy so we can play and work all day long, building brain cells, and helping to protect our skin against weather that is too hot or too cold.1 Fat acts as a cushion for our organs, protecting our hearts, kidneys, and everything else in our bodies from injury. Check out these good fats!
- CARBOHYDRATES also come in two forms. Bad carbohydrates, like cakes and cookies, are mostly sugar which our bodies digest very quickly then crave more. Good carbohydrates, however, are fiber-filled so when eaten, our bodies digests them slowly and evenly, leaving us feeling full and energized. They give us energy, help us think, and keep our bodies running healthily. But the wrong kind of carbohydrates can cause insulin surges and unhealthy cravings. Check out this list of good carbs!
- PROTEINS build muscle and fuel the development of organs in our bodies. Protein makes us strong and is very filling but not all proteins are created equal. Check out this list of the less beneficial proteins. No matter the protein, however, it is filling. Unlike sugary foods that allow us to eat and eat and eat, protein fills our stomachs and keeps us satisfied longer. Also unlike sugary-based foods, excess proteins in our bodies are not stored as fat. Instead, our bodies excrete it as waste. Look at this list of healthy proteins.2
1 The Truth About Fats: The Good, The Bad, and the In-Between. Harvard Health. (2015, February, 3). Retrieved July 5, 2015.
2 Allred, A. (2005, June 7). Nutrition (Reading Essentials in Science), Perfection Learning.
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