Guidelines for counting and tracking the Macronutrients

Guidelines for counting and tracking the Macronutrients

Macro-nutrients are the compounds that are required in very large amounts. Macronutrients are those nutritive components of food that provide energy and maintain the structure of the body and system. Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids are examples of macro-nutrients.

When we talk about fitness tracking then counting the calories is a common way. It can help you to make sure that you are taking the right amount of fuel for your body each day. But there is another thing that is very important to track that to get fitness goals or simply we can say that ‘to stay healthy’ is macro-nutrients.

To have a balanced diet, it is necessary that you have to eat a variety of nutrients that provide energy to the body and help in the working of your digestive system. Doing that it will help you to reach your health goals faster than focusing on calories that you are taking.

It is very helpful for tracking the macros over calories for many reasons. This method of food logging will help you to understand which food makes you feel good or bad, which food is better for your athletic performance, and which food will help you focus or make you drag.

This counting macro will be helpful for you to change your habits to healthier patterns for the long term.

Three main macro-nutrients:

As we know the macronutrients are those which are required in very large amounts. In contrast, the micro-nutrients are those which are required in a very small amount. For example, minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes are micronutrients.

The three main macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids. Despite fad diets, you need all these three. If you cut anyone of macronutrients, you will face the problem of nutrient deficiency or illness.

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates are an urgent source of energy. When you eat carbohydrates, your body will convert them into glucose. This sugar can be used at once or it can be stored in the form of glycogen which is used during the exercise or in between meals. Complex carbohydrates such as starchy vegetables and grains also help in the promotion of digestive health because these are rich in dietary fibers.

Protein:

Protein is very helpful for you in some functions such as growth, repairing of injuries, the building of muscles, and fending off infections. Proteins are made up of amino acids that are the building block of the structures present in your body. There are 20 different types of amino acids that you need. Nine types of amino acids are called essential amino acids that your body can not prepare on its own. You obtain these amino acids from the food.

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High-protein-containing food is poultry, beef, fish, soy, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products. If you remain on plant-based diets, some starches, vegetables, and beans are the best sources of proteins.

Lipids:

Your body requires dietary fat to do work. Your body requires fats for the absorbance of the fat-soluble vitamins, to insulate your body during cold weather and keep you without eating for a long time. Dietary fats are also helpful for the organs supports cell growth, and maintain hormone production.

How many calories are present in each macronutrient?

Each macronutrient has a specific amount of calories per gram.

·         4 calories per gram are present in carbohydrates

·         4 calories per gram are present in proteins

·         9 calories per gram are present in fats

How many macronutrients you should eat?

There are no words to answer this question. Because every person is different and requires a different amount of macronutrients. However, the federal recommendations for macronutrients are:

·         45 to 60% carbohydrates

·         20 to 35% fats

·         Remainder from proteins

The federal suggestions are based on the fact that carbohydrates work as a main fuel source in the body and these are the easiest macronutrients that convert the food into energy. The metabolic processes of fats and proteins are too much complex and time taken. This is the reason that these would not serve you when you need quick energy.

Your macronutrients ratio is totally dependent on your health and fitness goals. It also depends on how your body responds to a specific food. For example, some people grow on a low-carbohydrate diet but I perform with my best at 50% of the carbohydrates.

Similarly, you may feel better with the high-protein diet while the other may feel discomfort with that amount from consuming proteins. It is to be noted that some people which are on the keto diet, count net carbohydrates instead of total carbohydrates. To obtain the net carbohydrates, subtract grams of fiber from the grams of the carbohydrates.

Why do we count the net carbohydrates? The reason is that our body cannot digest fibers. So these do not absorb by the small intestine and do not provide energy to our body. In this sense, we cannot count the calories from fibers.

How to calculate your macronutrients?

You know well that what are macronutrients and how many calories they have. In the next step, you have to do some math. This is because your food intake is written in the percentage. But nutrition information is provided in grams. Here I use my macronutrients as an example.

1.      Firstly, you need to know that what and how many calories you eat every day. I want to eat roughly 2300 calories per day.

2.      Now, determine the ideal ratio. I would like to eat 50% carbohydrates, 25% proteins, and 25% fats.

3.      In this step, multiply your daily total calories by the percentage.

4.      Finally, divide the calorie amount by its calorie-gram number.

If you do not like the math, then no worry. Internet is the home that will do the math for you to a range of macronutrients calculators.

Some best macronutrients calculators:

1.      IIFYM:

It is free and you have to provide your email address to get your final results.

IIFYM stands for the ‘If It Fits Your Macronutrients’. This calculator is comprehensively available. It can collect the health information and lifestyles that many other calculators cannot such as how active you are during work, what kinds of wishes you have and what you have in your medical conditions?

2.      Healthy Eater:

It is also free. Healthy eater’s macro calculator calculates your macronutrients ratio that is based on your age, gender, weight, height, and activity level. With the help of this calculator, you can customize your weight whether you want to increase or decrease your weight or maintain it.

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