In today’s world, it is easy to get confused with all the mixed messages regarding nutrition. According to some, fat is good. Others consider fat bad. And man you better watch out for those carbs! Yet others believe you need to eat a lot of them. In previous blogs, we have discussed the amount of information and disinformation regarding diets. In this post, we will discuss just exactly what these macronutrients are.
When it comes to food, there are three main macronutrients: proteins, carbs, and fats.
Proteins
Protein is the most important macronutrient on a day-to-day basis. The reason for this, is that it supports muscle and bone growth, and is important as we age. Protein should be the most stable macronutrient in your diet. I personally believe most people do not eat enough. No matter what your training goal (gaining muscle, losing fat, or maintaining), a high amount of protein will be critical to get you there.
So how much should you eat? At a minimum, you should eat the # of grams in protein as your bodyweight. Thus, if you weight 180 lbs., you should be eating a 180 g of protein daily. A caveat to this would be if you are trying to add muscle mass. If this is the case, I suggest eating the amount of protein (in grams) as your desired body weight. So, if you are 180 lbs., but would like to weigh 190 lbs., you should eat 190 g of protein daily.
Protein comes in a variety of sources. The most common types are animal proteins, found in anything that swims, runs, or flies. Within this group of proteins, there are differences in the amount of fat found in each. Typically, the darker the meat, the more fat in the protein source. Chicken, turkey, and white fish remain high in protein while lower in fat, compared to other animal sources. This is something to keep in mind.
Protein is also found in other foods, such as rice, beans, lentils, etc. It is also the easiest macronutrient to supplement. Powders, shakes, and other exogenous forms are readily present at every supermarket and convenience store. Even if you don’t eat meat, you should be able to hit your protein goal.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a controversial macronutrient, as there are two different camps when it comes to eating them. One camp implores that carbohydrates are extremely important, and they are, in fact, what your brain and body run on as fuel. This is correct. The other camp suggests that carbohydrates are not necessary, and you can do just fine without them. This is also correct.
So which tribe should you align yourself with? Well to put simply, BOTH. I believe that we shouldn’t be all in or all out on carbs. And if we understand exactly what carbohydrates are, and what they do, we can manipulate then to help us achieve our goals.
All carbohydrates break down into sugar. The most common sugar, in which you have probably heard, is glucose. This is something closely monitored by your physician, and discussed often when it comes to disease, especially diabetes. Carbohydrates found in fruit break down into a close cousin of glucose, called fructose. You probably recognize fructose from the added sugar known as “high fructose corn syrup”.
Carbs are misunderstood because they are actually not as necessary as we think. In the days where homo sapiens were roaming the plains, they were not readily available for consumption. Carbs were essentially found in fruit and honey, and were a rarity to come by and extremely seasonal. Hunter gatherers would typically consume protein and fat from animal sources, and by luck stumble upon fruit or a beehive.
Carbs are like lighter fluid, and are the quickest form of energy. That’s why endurance athletes eat goo’s, drink sugary drinks, and consume carbs. They allow us to push our limits physically. Because of this, I think they are important in the diet, if you are training regularly.
My favorite way to manipulate carbs, is to eat the majority of them around training. If you are going to the office, and not training until the evening, then it is probably justified to not eat a carbohydrate heavy breakfast. You don’t need to be mugged by donuts in the break-room before 10AM. Instead, save your carbs for later in the day, and use them to give you a boost for training.
To know roughly how many grams you should eat, you should multiply your bodyweight by a factor of 1.5. So, if you weight 200 lbs. you should eat approximately 300 g of carbs per day. This can further be manipulated based on your goal of losing, maintaining, or gaining. If you are losing, take this base number and subtract 50. If you are trying to gain, add 50. This is a very simple method to get you in the ballpark.
Fats
Another misunderstood macronutrient is fat. I will argue that, in all reality, we shouldn’t focus too much attention on them. Instead, I believe that if we methodically eat our protein goal, keeping in mind whether it is leaner or fattier, and eat our proper amount of carbohydrate, our fat consumption will take care of itself.
I have done this exercise many times when food tracking. Typically, when I eat fairly lean protein sources and keep my carbohydrates under control, my fat usually falls in line with my goals. That being said, a most basic goal of fat consumption is to eat your bodyweight multiplied by a factor of 0.5 in grams. So, if you weigh 200 lbs. you should be eating approximately 100 g of fat per day. Again, this is to just get you in the ballpark.
I believe we run into trouble with fat for two main reasons: eating too many fatty protein animal sources, and eating foods that are high in both carbohydrate and fat. If you are choosing heavy, dark sources of animal protein at every meal, chances are you are over consuming fat. I used to eat two ribeyes a day, and boy was I overeating fat (see blog “Why Do Most Diets Fail”).
The second harmful scenario with fat is consistently choosing foods that are high in both carbohydrate and fat. For me, the easiest example of this is pizza. Pizza is high in carbohydrate with the crust and dough, and high in fat with the toppings and cheese. Think about what meats you typically top a pizza with, and you will quickly see how fast the fat adds up. This is another case in which focusing on protein is extremely helpful. When you look at a pizza, you don’t see a lot of protein there, thus it is probably better to avoid most times.
Conclusion
Macronutrients can be confusing and overwhelming. In my opinion, protein is the basis for eating, and should be the most consistent macronutrient tracked. Carbohydrates come in many shapes and sizes, and although not biologically necessary, are important for your training goals. Manipulating them will kickstart your journey. Fat, also misunderstood, probably gets too much attention. Eating the proper amount and types of protein, will usually keep fat consumption under control.
Macronutrient breakdown:
Protein = Bodyweight x 1 g
Carbohydrates= Bodyweight x 1.5 g
Fats= Bodyweight x 0.5 g