Consuming Fats Often Gets a Bad Rap

You may not know what macronutrients are, but you eat them every day. Balancing your intake of carbohydrates, protein and fat can allow you to lose weight while retaining metabolically active muscle mass. Fad diets often are based on eliminating or severely restricting consumption of one or more macronutrients. However, research studies have shown that healthy fats such as avocados or olive oil can actually help you shed unwanted fat.

• CARBS - As you start a weight loss program, your macronutrient ratios and overall intake of calories will continually change. That's why it is essential for you to make the necessary adjustments in the foods you eat. Fiber increases the volume of the food you eat but is not broken down as fuel. If you are prone to eat more carbs than you should, you can end up creating a metabolic state that is not conducive to losing weight.
• FAT - Fats help maintain healthy tissues and cells as well as ensure proper nerve and brain function while increasing your body's ability to absorb fat-soluble vitamins. Fat often gets a bad rap because it is the most calorie dense macronutrient but consumption of healthy fats is important for normal body functions like hormone production or good nerve health.
• PROTEIN - Proteins do a lot of work regulating functions throughout your body and are the building blocks responsible for growth and maintenance of your skin, hair, eyes, nails, organs and muscle tissue. The low fat crowd is quick to point out that fat is the most calorie dense micronutrient, whereas the low-carb group claims that managing insulin spikes is the key to losing weight.

Truth is everyone's body is unique and your menu plan needs to include a balance of healthy whole foods based on your specific needs. Creating a menu plan that allows you to hit your nutritional targets allows you to determine which macronutrients works best for you, then stick to your plan without needing to completely eliminate either carbs or fat. Micronutrients are very important but are not needed in the large quantities. They do work with macronutrients to keep the body functioning for physical and mental well-being.