All About Macros: Carbohydrates
Have you been hearing more and more about “Macros” when looking for information on diet and nutrition? It seems to be coming to the forefront in mainstream media but is it just another trend in diet culture?
Before we can answer that question, let’s first learn what macros are.
Macros is the short name for Macronutrients. When it comes to discussing macronutrients for the human body, these are the nutrients our body needs in large quantities in order “do life”. Macronutrients provide our body with energy so that we can function!
Proteins, carbohydrates, and fats are macronutrients. Each macronutrients works to fuel our body not only in movement but organ function too!
In this blog, we are going to take a closer look at each macronutrient and hopefully get to the bottom of the hype surrounding them.
Let’s start with carbohydrates. I mean, they are the macronutrient that has the worst reputation, but that’s not why we are starting with them. We are starting with carbohydrates because they are our FIRST and MAIN source of FUEL or ENERGY!
Carbohydrates once consumed and broken down, turn in to glucose in our body. All of our body tissues such as the brain, kidneys, muscles, heart, etc. can use glucose to carry out the tasks they were meant to do. This leaves opportunity for our other macronutrients to help with tissue and cell growth and repair.
Carbohydrates are EVERYWHERE. Most of us think of carbohydrates as our breads. You aren’t wrong, but there are TONS more carbohydrates to think about- your fruits, vegetables, rice, cereals, and pastas are also carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates should make up about 45-65% of your intake. Slightly mind blowing? I get it. We’ve been told forever and ever from diet culture that carbs are “BAD”. “Low carb is the way to go.” But what if I told you… diet culture is WRONG!
We need carbohydrates to function at our very best! We just need to make sure we are more often than not, choosing the right carbohydrate sources. Here is what I mean by that… Carbohydrates can be broken down further in to 2 categories. Simple and Complex. The terms simple and complex just refers to chemical make up of carbohydrates. Simply put, simple carbohydrates are digested and absorbed faster than complex carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates are high in sugar and are not nutrient dense. Some examples include your white breads, white pastas, fried foods, chips, donuts (most all baked goods really), pop/soda, fruit juices, etc. These foods are quickly broken down in to glucose and give us a spike of energy but this spike of energy is short lived and we “crash.” Not only do we crash, but we consume more simple carbs in an effort to get another burst of energy but all we are really doing is giving our body empty calories with minimal to no nutritional benefit. This is where we have a tendency to gain weight.
Complex carbohydrates on the other hand are high in starch and fiber. They take longer to digest and absorb giving us a slow and steady stream of fuel or energy while also making us feel full longer. Examples of your complex carbs include whole wheat breads/pastas, vegetables, some fruits, beans/legumes, brown rice, etc. Complex carbohydrates provide us with more nutrients per serving than simple carbohydrates even if their calories are the same. More nutrients for our body allows us to feel better for a much longer period of time which helps with weight management.
So, carbs are not the enemy. In fact, they are a key player in making sure we feel our best but that’s just one piece of the macro puzzle. Come back next week to learn about proteins and their macro role and we will get closer to figuring out if macros are the REAL DEAL or just part of another trend.
Written by: Jackie Giese, Physical Therapist Assistant, Fitness Nutrition Specialist
