Macronutrients Provide What You Need for a Healthy Weight

Any personalized menu plan needs to consider each macronutrient's role in maintaining your body's energy levels, metabolism, cellular function and overall well-being. Balancing your intake of carbohydrates, protein and fat can allow you to lose weight while retaining metabolically active muscle mass. Each macronutrient plays a unique role in supporting your well-being. While counting macronutrient intake may be the nutritional ideal, it may not be practical to measure every serving or tabulate every percentage.

• CARBS - Carbohydrates are divided into simple and complex classifications. Larger carb molecules like starch are considered complex due to the time it takes to break them down into usable components. Major sources of added sugars that you should avoid during dieting include soft drinks, cookies, cakes, pies, fruit punches, dairy desserts and candy.
• FAT - Healthy fats are good for you but try to eat most of your fat from unsaturated sources, which include avocados, nuts, olive oil and seeds. Essential fats, not saturated or trans fats, are a necessity for any healthy menu plan. As is the case with other macros, the fats in nuts and fatty fruits also contain fiber and beneficial micronutrients to keep you healthy.
• PROTEIN - Arguably, the king of macros for fitness freaks is protein. It is normally associated with the building and repair of muscle tissue but its uses extend beyond the gym, as it is the core component of all tissues in the body including organs, bones, hair and enzymes. Proteins are made of helpful amino acids.

No single type of food contains all of the many micronutrients that your body needs, which explains why eating foods from all macro groups coupled with proper supplementation is needed to boost your weight loss results. If you are insulin resistant and your macro menus are moving the scales in the right direction, try increasing your fat intake while reducing your carbohydrate intake. If you stay focused on your goals, you will quickly learn how to judge serving sizes for each macronutrient.