Macronutrients by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Health & F tness Macronutrients: Building Blocks of Our Diets

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

When discussing nutrition, it is crucial to understand the role that carbohydrates, fats, and protein play in our diets. Our bodies need these macronutrients in large amounts in order to function every day. While they are all needed, they function differently in their unique roles in our bodies. Carbohydrates and protein contain 4 kilocalories per gram, while fats contain 9 kilocalories per gram. We can see that fat is higher in calories than carbs and protein, but it does not mean that we should avoid fats. Thus, it is important to understand the roles that carbs, fats, and protein play in greater detail.

Fats

There are three main types of fat: unsaturated fat, trans fat, and saturated fat. First, unsaturated fat is the one we want to consume. These are known as being healthy because they decrease your risk for heart disease. These healthy fats come from plant sources such as avocados, nuts and nut butters, seeds, olives, and oils (olive, canola, safflower). They can also be found in animal sources such as fatty fish including salmon, sardines, and tuna.

Second, most trans-fat comes from hydrogenating or adding hydrogen molecules to unsaturated fat which produces a hydrogenated oil. This helps to increase the shelf life of the product. Consuming trans-fats increases your LDL, which is the bad, plaque-forming cholesterol, leading to higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Trans-fats can be found in margarine, shortening, baked goods, doughs, and fried foods.

Third is saturated fat, which is also one of the less healthy fats. In large amounts, it is known to increase cholesterol levels and your risk for heart disease. Decreasing the amount of saturated fat in your diet can be beneficial. Saturated fat is found mostly in animal sources with high fat contents such as fatty beef, lamb, poultry with skin, cream, butter, full fat cheese, and dairy.

If you are interested in eating healthy and living a longer, disease-free life, then it would be advisable to avoid foods that contain trans-fats and saturated fats.

While fats are the highest in calories, this doesn’t mean that they should be avoided. The type and amount of fat being consumed is what is important when choosing a food that contains fat. When choosing foods that are “low-fat,” you should also pay attention to the added sugar and caloric intake from the carbs. For example, a low-fat muffin can be very high in carbs and sugar.

Carbohydrates

Nowadays, carbs are thought of as “bad” and “not allowed” in many diets. It’s important to learn the truth behind them. When we eat carbs, they are broken down into glucose, which is the body’s main source of energy. There are also carbs that help make specific amino acids and allow for consistent bowel movements. Fiber is a type of carb that can’t be broken down into sugar molecules so it doesn’t give you energy but it does rid your body of waste. It’s mainly found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It also helps to control blood sugar (it doesn’t spike blood sugar like other carbs), protect your heart, maintain your digestive health, and keep you full. In order to add fiber into your diet, try to incorporate it into breakfast, choose whole grains rather than white, and snack on fruits and veggies.

There are two types of carbs: simple and complex. Fruits, along with honey, yogurt, and milk, are considered simple carbs because your body breaks them down easily for energy. Fruit contains a natural sugar called fructose, although they also have vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals, and fiber. When we eat simple carbs, our bodies break them down into glucose (a type of sugar). The sugar enters the bloodstream, which causes your blood sugar levels to rise. The pancreas will then release more insulin, which allows your cells to absorb sugar from the blood. It’s important to keep our blood glucose and insulin levels in line!

Complex carbs are long strands of sugar molecules that take longer for the body to break down. The body converts these sugar molecules into glucose and uses it for energy. Complex carbs are found in grains such as rice, pasta and bread and starches such as potatoes, peas and corn. Non-starchy vegetables

like beans also have carbs, although less. Complex carbs usually have fiber unless the grain was stripped from the bran to make foods such as white pasta, bread, and rice. These carbs don’t contain much fiber, making them easier for your body to digest.

Protein

Protein allows your body to grow, build and repair tissues, and protect lean body mass or muscle mass. Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. There are two types: non-essential and essential. Non-essential amino acids are not required to be consumed through the diet because our bodies make them on their own. Essential amino acids, however, need to be consumed via your diet so it’s important to eat foods that contain all nine of them. Protein rich foods that contain all amino acids include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. You can also get your amino acids from plant protein sources such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy as well as lower amounts in grains, vegetables, and fruits.

Now What?

In order to maintain a healthy diet, it’s important to consume all three macronutrients because they provide energy and are the building blocks of your body’s structure and functions. Each one has a specific function in our body. We also need our micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) which don’t contain calories but are necessary for extracting energy from food and aiding most bodily processes. medications will also affect those needs. Diseases or disorders are another aspect to consider. Someone who is insulin resistant should be eating less carbs because that would reduce the amount of insulin circulating the body. A person with heart disease should consume more unsaturated fats and less trans/saturat-

ed fat and cholesterol. Unsaturated fats decrease the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood and raises the good cholesterol.

Those who are athletes or highly active may often need more carbs and protein than those who are less active. They should aim for the higher end of the recommended ranges. Extra protein supports muscle building after exercise, while carbs provide calories to replenish energy stores. If you are trying to lose weight, you should consume more calories from protein and less from carbs. A high protein and low carb diet preserves muscle mass, improves blood sugar control, and lowers the risk for heart disease. Also, you will feel satiated quicker from protein rather than carbs. However, make sure to be mindful portion control because excess protein is usually stored as fat.

Carbohydrates, fats, and protein act as three basic building blocks of food and our diets. By understanding the role that they each play, the health benefits or risks associated with them, and our own dieting goals, we can make intelligent and healthy eating choices that provide our bodies with the proper amounts of these macronutrients.

It’s important to consume all three macronutrients because they provide energy and are the building blocks of your body’s structure and functions.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidelines, carbs should be 45-65% of your daily calories, protein should be 1035% of your daily calories, and fat should be 20-35% of your daily calories. These guidelines are very general and must be modified for each person. It’s important to keep in mind that every individual has a different lifestyle and needs. Different

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @ alizabeer.