Macronutrients: Why You're Not Getting As Much As You Think
I never thought about nutrients until I started thinking about my health. Most people don't.
I knew I needed nutrients, but I didn't know exactly what a nutrient was in relation to my health. I didn't know that without a sufficient amount of nutrients, my body wouldn't thrive, that I'd become weak, tired, even sick. I ate without understanding how essential organic, whole foods are to my health, and how processed foods lacked these key nutrients and even harmed my body.
Our bodies need essential nutrients. An essential nutrient is a vitamin and/or mineral that the body can not make on its own, or an adequate amount, and needs to come from an outside source (food, supplement). There are seven essential nutrients: fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. We'll discuss macronutrients.
Fat, protein, and carbohydrates are macronutrients. These nutrients provide us with the bulk of our energy. For any calorie conscious person, you're use to balancing these in numbers relation to weight or muscle gain. A standard American diet (SAD) mostly consists of unhealthy carbs, fats and proteins in exorbitant amounts; too much processed carbs and meats, and not enough healthy fat.
USDA dietary guidelines state that the bulk of our diet should consist of processed carbs (bread, pasta, cereal, etc). This makes me question the intelligence of the organizations in control of educating America because in a country where over 100 million adults and children have diabetes and pre-diabetes, the last thing we should be encouraging people to eat is more of the stuff that's causing their disease. I'll go more into this insanity in another blog.
Our carbs should predominantly come from fruits and vegetables, mainly vegetables, and mostly raw or steamed, depending on the veggie. Cooking, frying, and baking vegetables destroys most, if not all, of the nutrients and enzymes needed.
Listen, I'm not a nutrient tyrant. I understand that we live in a world where we need quick and convenient food, but let the majority be wholesome, while the minority be horribly toxic (kidding, sorta).
This means letting go of your love for all things white and processed. You can find a better, stronger, more lasting love with whole foods, I promise. A love you could never imagine unless you give it a go. You deserve a love that gives you all you need without asking anything in return. Drop that zero-calorie slice of wheat and get with a hero.
On to fat. Fat is our friend. Regardless of what you've heard with the whole low-fat movement, our bodies need healthy fat. There are different types of fat. Some are good for you, while some are bad. Good fat, saturated and monounsaturated, are found in meat, nuts, butter (full fat, not margarine), ghee, avocado, to name a few. Bad fat, polyunsaturated and trans fat, are found in all processed foods, even if you don't think it's in there, it is. There are levels to which these fats must meet in order to be put on the label. The food industry is not your friend, ok. They know that these types of fats are addicting, serve no nutritional value, and are slowly killing you, yet they're still walking happily to the bank while you're suffering from disease after disease. I might sound a little dramatic, but it's the truth. I am your friend, believe me.
Also, when something says "no-fat" or "low-fat" you must stop and think, if they're taking out the fat, which is what makes it taste so good, what are they replacing it with that makes it taste so good? Sugar and carbs, that's what. So, they're taking away healthy goodness that our bodies need and replacing it with empty calories, additives, preservatives and guilt. You think you're eating that low-fat brownie without guilt? Nope. It's full of guilt, you just can't taste it, but it will show up in your mood swings, excess weight gain and diabetes. Uh, I'll take the full fat option, please.
Protein. Did you know that we actually don't need that much protein? It all comes down to protein quality, digestibility and your daily caloric intake. If you're consuming protein from nutrient dense foods, such as free-range, grain, hormone and antibiotic free eggs, grass-fed meat, wild caught fish, organic fruits and veggies, and sprouted nuts and seeds, you're getting optimum nutrition from these sources. If you're getting your protein from heavily processed burgers, factory farmed chickens, conventional fruits and veggies full of pesticides and herbicides and farm-raised fish, you're a) missing out on a ton of vital nutrients, b) loading your body up with harmful chemicals, and c) not allowing for full absorption of foods.
If you're eating good, sustainable protein, you don't need much of it because what you eat contains what you need and your body is able to properly digest and burn it. If you're eating bad, nutrient-poor protein, you need a lot of it because it lacks what it's suppose to give your body. Also, all the additives, chemicals and stress hormones can trigger an immune reaction inside your body causing inflammation and a plethora of other diseases and symptoms. AND! Your body doesn't know what to do with half of the ingredients and ends up storing it as fat. Hello love handles.
We actually only need about 5-6% of our daily calories from protein. That's not much, and it's a heck of a lot less than you're use to eating. Of course, there are exceptions for pregnant women, children and body builders, but everyone else, tame it down a bit, and eat more veggies and fat.
What a wonderful time we live in. We have access to the truth about food and food production at our finger tips. The difficult part is discerning through all the information since there is a lot of it on both sides of the coin. All I know is, you probably won't get heart disease, cancer, diabetes, asthma, eczema, obesity, high blood pressure—need I go on?–from eating organic, wholesome, nutrient dense, natural foods. In fact, these foods heal the body from those listed above.
The choice is yours.