Macronutrients and how they affect your diet

MACRONUTRIENTS AND HOW THEY AFFECT YOUR DIET

When people diet, they tend to focus more on calorie intake than anything else. While counting calories has its merits, a more important factor to consider is the macronutrients you are consuming.

You could eat 2,000 calories a day, but if all those calories came from donuts and cookies, you wouldn’t be eating healthy. Most of the calories in these foods are heavy with simple carbohydrates and saturated fat. The 2,000 calories must be made up of foods that have nutritional value.

Today on the Dynamic DNA Labs blog, we’re going to talk about macronutrients, how they affect your diet, and how the Dynamic DNA Labs DNA Nutrition Test can help.

What are macronutrients?

Simply put, macronutrients are the main categories of foods that your body uses in large amounts to function efficiently. The three main macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

1.  Carbohydrates: Your body converts carbohydrates into glucose, which is one of your biggest sources of energy. Complex carbohydrates are particularly beneficial. It’s important to remember that although carbohydrates have a bad reputation, they are essential for your body to function at peak performance. You can get good carbs from things like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
2.  Protein: Proteins are used as building blocks for muscles and much more. They are broken down into amino acids that can repair muscles, skin, and bones. If you want to build muscle, a high protein intake is essential to your diet. You can get protein from poultry, meat, eggs, and seafood.
3.  Fats: Fats, like carbohydrates, get a bad rap, but they are essential for the body to function. Fats are especially important for vitamin absorption. When it comes to fat consumption, it’s important to eat good fats and keep them to a reasonable level. Foods containing good fats include avocados, nuts and seeds.

Without the right number of macronutrients, your body could not function properly. Too much of one or too little of the other can cause you to lose too much weight or muscle. Balancing your macronutrients is essential if you want a diet or exercise plan to produce real results.