Blog #7 Macronutrients

The purpose of the last blog was to just get you thinking about what you eat.  In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives we often become disconnected with our food and that was evident in many of your posts.  Several people said they do not eat breakfast because they do not have time or eat whatever is around for an after school snack.  This lack of attention paid to what we are putting in our bodies has had a dramatic affect on our overall health as a society.  We will get into the scary statistics in a future post but just just know that the quality of the food you put into your body has a direct influence on your overall health.  The problem is we do not always see those affects immediately, it is a gradual process over time.

Food is made up of calories and calories are energy.  We need energy to support our efforts throughout the day so we need food.  Every food that you eat can be classified as one of three macro nutrients.  You have probably heard of them before they are Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins.


Carbohydrates provide energy for the body's cells including the brain.

Proteins are required for tissue maintenance, replacement, function, and growth, but in the absence of carbohydrates and Fats can also be used to provide energy.

Fats are required for tissue growth and hormone production, as well as regulating body temperature.  They are also a source of energy for the body.

Common sources of carbohydrates - starchy foods (like grain, bread, cereals and potatoes), fruits, milk, and yogurt. Other foods like vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and cottage cheese contain carbohydrates, but in lesser amounts.

Common Sources of proteins meats, poultry, fish, meat substitutes, cheese, milk, nuts, legumes, and in smaller quantities in starchy foods and vegetables.

Common Sources of fat meat, poultry, nuts, milk products, butters and margarines, oils, lard, olive oil, avocados, nuts, and coconut oil.

Your body needs all three macro nutrients in order to function optimally.  Recommendations for how much of each macro nutrients individuals need vary based on several factors and are the topic of much debate and we will discuss this more.

For this weeks blog, I want you take a look at the day of eating you posted last week and use the information about macro nutrients above to break your day of eating down into its macro nutrients. 

Your post should be in percentages, based on you meals throughout the day.  For example, my daily macro nutrient profile usually looks something like this.

Carbohydrates: 35%
Proteins: 35%
Fats 30%