Understanding Macronutrients; Carbs, Proteins, & Fats

Carbohydarates

Lets start with these guys since they are so popular in our daily dialogue.  I tend to have more conversations over these with clients than any other topic.  Meaning, it is what they have been programmed to worry about.  The media and yes, some of our untrained MD's tend to sell or push the simple science around from headline to headline, patient to patient.  

I recall, the 70's being The Atkins Diet first big push. Look at the collected research after this time frame and you will see a lot of health issues we can correlate to unhealthy "bad" fat soaked diets. 

The 80's we were getting more physical (thank you Suzanne & Olivia). We were on to something.  Keep those bodies moving and we could strengthen bones, and lose fat.  Because we wanted to look good in the 80's.  Health was more secondary.

The 90's we had to live fat free...sorry Atkins. Man were the rice cake makers happy!  I blame the 90's by the way for all the hormone issues women are having.  We take so many pills to adjust our poor producing systems (pituitary, thyroid, etc.) and all we had to do was eat healthy fats regularly.  We would be much closer to the healthy mark than we are.  

The 00's we are obsessed with CARBS!

Funny thing is, people really don't understand the makeup and break down of these little guys to gain or lose anything critical.  Well, many are losing their mind avoiding them.  My favorite statement is...Oh, no no, I am not eating carbs.  I say so you are starving yourself...LOL.  ALMOST ALL food items break down into some form or another of glucose.  Yes, our awesome veggies have carbs in them.  Right carbs?  Mostly.  Sometimes, a health program requires you to leave certain veggies and carbs out for a cleansing or allergen based diet.  

CARBS. MADE SIMPLE

• Simple = one or two chains of sugar molecules & Complex = many chains of sugars or polymers
• Simple Carbs or sugars would most often refer to sweeteners and added sugars  =ing about 10% of a healthy diet
• Complex  Carbs would most often refer to starches or fibers =ing 25% of a healthy diet.  Example; sweet potatoes, high fiber cereals, veggies (broccoli & celery) and fruits (berries) lower in natural sugars.
• The average diet requires a minimum of 130 grams of carbohydrates and 20-35 grams of that being fiber.
• The more physical demands you put on your body the more complex carbs you would need.
• Carbohydrates are essential for muscle and body tissue function.  The brain and central nervous system are your two primary takers! 
• The average person has enough stored carbs and fatty acids to get through the average low intensity workout...certainly more than enough for the sedentary individual.
• Starchy white carbs are the ones we want to avoid.  The same rule applies here...dark, rich, colorful carbs higher in fiber are the way to go!

Happy Eating!