What Are Macronutrients And Micronutrients?

A very common asked question asked is ‘what are Macronutrients and Micronutrients?’ and ‘how much do i need?’  So lets explore and answer…

Macronutrients are those nutrients that your body needs in the largest amounts – Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats.

How you divide up your food intake between these 3 macronutrients and which foods you select from each macronutrient category has a profound effect on your body and your health.

Severe restrictions of any of the macronutrients can lead to nutrient deficiencies and hormonal imbalance. Balancing your protein, carb and fat intake, then, is a foundational principle of wellness nutrition.

Micronutrients are the nutrients that your body only requires in small amounts. These include vitamins and minerals. The key to optimum micronutrient intake is not to be carried away with the latest wonder nutrient or newly discovered super-food but, rather to ensure that you are consistently providing your body with the right mix of nutrients.

Macronutrient Breakdown

A macronutrient breakdown of 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% (good) fats is ideal to supply the nutrients that your body needs, while fuelling for fat loss and muscle gain. Use these percentages to calculate how many calories of each macronutrient you need to be ingesting at each meal.

Here’s an example of the caloric breakdown of each of 6 meals spaced 3 hours apart:

Example: Male. Total daily calories = 2250. Meals per day = 6 (eating every 3 hours)

Calories per meal = 2250 divided by 6 = 375 calories per meal

Carbohydrate = 900 calories total or 150 calories per meal

Protein = 675 calories total or 112 calories per meal

Fat = 675 calories total or 112 calories per meal

Essential Micros

New micronutrients are constantly being touted as the key to good health. The truth is that you need is the right mix of nutrients.

The word vitamin derives from ‘vitality’ They are, indeed, important to your vitality, but it’s important to get them from the right place and in the right amounts.

Similarly, while minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc are essential to keep your body and drain functioning properly, many are highly toxic if consumed in large quantities.

Vital Vitamins

13 vitamins are essential to human health. They are classified as fat soluble or water soluble, according to how they are absorbed and stored in the body. The fat-soluble vitamins are:

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Vitamin K

Fat-soluble vitamins require fat to be absorbed into the bloodstream from the intestinal tract. These vitamins can be stored in the liver and in fatty tissue. This means that toxic amounts may build up if a person takes high doses of these supplements.

The water-soluble vitamins are

Water-soluble vitamins are more easily absorbed but, because the body can only store them in small amounts, we need to consume more of them.

Check out our new series, which gives you the essential information you need on each of these Vitamins.