Macronutrients are the 3 main nutrients (Protein, carbohydrates and fats) that your body needs to keep itself going on a daily basis. Your energy expenditure, which is dependent on your life style, will dictate how much of each macronutrient your body needs for energy and for optimal recovery.
For each gram of macronutrients there is a number of calories that have been assigned to its corresponding macronutrient. For every gram of protein there are 4 calories, carbohydrates 4 calories, but for every gram of fat there are 9 calories.
For example, because there are 4 calories for every 1 gram of protein, say you were going to have a 4 oz serving of chicken, there are roughly 23 grams of protein (for example sake we won’t worry about the fat or carbs in chicken) so for this 4oz amount of chicken we have 92 calories that are protein calories only: 4kcal X 23g of protein =92kcal… Make sense?
Calorie assignments have been determined by the use of a device called the bomb calorimeter, this device measures the thermal energy of the food and this process is referred to as a direct calorimetry.
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Carbohydrates are defined as sugars, starches and cellulose. This macronutrient is responsible for many different functions for energy and blood glucose maintenance and it is important to know that carbs are your body’s preferred source of energy. Things that are considered carbohydrates are grains, fruits and vegetables.
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Proteins are defined as amino acids linked by peptide bonds. They have many different functions in the body such as building, maintaining and protecting skeletal muscle as well as repairing your body’s cells. Things that would be considered protein are meats, and fish.
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Fats vary in their chemical makeup but the main fats in food and in the body, are known as triglycerides. Triglycerides are made up of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol (simple polyol compound in lipids) molecule. Fats are the most energy dense of the three macronutrients and play a huge role in hormone activity in the body. Things that are considered fats: any oils, butters, nuts, and most spreads.
*Note: there are foods that overlap in their macronutrient make up like sweets or desserts, dairy, quinoa, eggs and some fish.