When you sit down to a meal, what do you see? Food right? Hopefully there are lots of wonderful colors and smells that make your mouth water. But what’s considered protein, carbohydrates (carbs) and fats in your food? What do they do for your body and how much should you eat of each? Paying attention to what you eat is at the core of healthy eating and understanding what your food macronutrient composition is will put you in the driver’s seat to make good food choices for health. This article will briefly discuss the macronutrients; protein, carbs and fat, in your food and how much you should eat of each.
Protein in food is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks for many compounds in your body. After eating a food that is high in protein, the body breaks it down to amino acids and distributes them throughout the body where they are needed to make important compounds. There are about 20 different amino acids and about 10 of them which are essential which means you can only get them through your diet. The other non-essential amino acids can be made in your body.
Although protein can be used for energy, providing 4 calories per gram of protein, it’s main job is to provide structure and function. An example is for tissue growth and repair or maintaining hair and nails. For function, an example is insulin which is a hormone to manage blood glucose in the body.
The recommendations are quite varied and range from 10-35% of your calories coming from protein. Another way to estimate your protein needs is to multiply your weight in kilograms (pounds divided by 2.2) by 0.8. For athletes and strict vegetarians this factor can increase to 1.2 to 1.8 depending on your sport. Protein needs can also increase for people with illness resulting in loss of protein like burns, wounds or persons on hemodialysis for kidney failure. To better understand how much protein you need speak with a Registered Dietitian.
Good sources of protein are found in fish, chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, and dairy. Plant sources are beans and legumes, nuts, soy, whole grains, and vegetables. A 3 ounce piece of an animal source like chicken is roughly about 20 grams of protein. One large egg is about 10 grams, ½ cup beans about 5-7 grams, 1 tablespoon of nut butter about 4-5 grams, ½ cup cooked vegetable about 2 -3 grams, or ½ cup cooked quinoa 4-5 grams.
Carbohydrates in food are your body’s preferred fuel providing 4 calories per gram. It’s the gas for your engine to make you go. There are many body systems working behind the scenes that require a lot of calories so you can function properly. Also, eating foods containing carbohydrates can spare protein from being used as energy to allow it to do its more important job of providing structure and function.
In food, there are simple and complex carbs. The simple carbs are monosaccharides and disaccharides. Monosaccharides are a single sugar molecule, while disaccharides are two simple sugar molecules linked together. More complex carbohydrates are called polysaccharides and are multiple sugar molecules linked together. Carbs are stored in the body as glycogen in the liver and muscles and available to your body at all times.
Carbs are present in varying amounts in most of the foods you eat including fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes, milk and milk products, and foods containing added sugar like candy, soda and other sweets. Carbs are present in food in the form of starch, sugar and fiber. A plant food that is “Whole” will have the bran and fiber intact, have very little processing and be healthier to eat.
The recommendation is to eat about 40-65% of your calories coming from carbs and to choose most of your carbs with very little sugar. Keep plant foods “whole” and intact. It’s also recommended to eat about 25-35 grams of fiber each day mostly coming from vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
Fat from the food you eat provides your body with the highest amount of energy, 9 calories per gram of fat, and is used as an energy reserve along with many other important functions in the body. It’s needed for absorption of fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. It provides cushion for vital organs and body, assists with making certain hormones, and is important to keep your skin and hair healthy. Every cell in your body is lined with fat and allows proper transfer of nutrients in and out of cells. Eating fat also spares protein from being used as energy.
The recommendation is to get 20-35% of your calories from fat. There are different types of dietary fat that you should be aware of so you can make the right choices. Fats coming from foods are unsaturated fats like poly and monounsaturated fats, saturated fats and trans fat. There are essential fats, a type of polyunsaturated fat, like Omega 3 fats, that your body can only get from food.
Saturated fat which is solid at room temperature is mostly found in animal products like beef, butter and high fat dairy. There are 2 plant sources that contain saturated fat, palm and coconut oils. The recommendation is to eat these foods sparingly since they can raise your blood cholesterol.
Eating unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats can help lower cholesterol. Most of these vegetable oils are liquid at room temperature. Examples of polyunsaturated fats are safflower, sunflower, corn, and soy oil. The polyunsaturated fats high in the essential omega 3 fats, which must come from food since your body does not make them and that are excellent for health, are high fat fish like Salmon or Mackeral, and plant sources like ground Flaxseed or Chia seeds. Examples of monounsaturated fats are olive oil, avocado or peanut butter.
You should avoid trans fats which are found in processed foods. Look for names like “partially hydrogenated fats” or “vegetable shortening” in the ingredients list of foods you eat. These fats significantly raise cholesterol and inflammation in your body.
Using nutrient analysis programs like My Fitness Pal and reading food labels can help you learn more about the macronutrient makeup of your food.
Now that you have a better understanding of your macronutrients; protein, carbs and fat, you can make healthier food choices and put together an excellent meal plan.
By Vincent Alvarez, RDN, NSCA-CPT