What Are “Macros” and Should You Be Counting Them?
For the new year we are bringing things back to basics and talking about macronutrients, commonly referred to as our “macros”, aka the 3 categories of nutrients we eat the most of: carbohydrates, fats and protein.
In the nutrition and fitness world (particularly among weightlifters and CrossFitters) you often hear people talk about “counting their macros”meaning they are counting the grams of carbohydrate, fat and protein they eat.
The grams of macronutrients in foods can be found on the nutrition label of any packaged food, and for whole foods the information is easily available online. Once you start practicing counting your macros you’ll quickly learn what the macronutrient composition is of the foods you regularly eat.
It’s often recommended for weightlifters and physically active people to follow a 40/30/30 macronutrient split, meaning that your daily food intake should ideally consist of 40% carbohydrates , 30% fat and 30% protein. These are general guidelines and most of us will need to adjust levels according to our fitness and nutrition goals.
Each macronutrient contains energy, which is commonly measured in calories:
Protein has 4 calories per gram.
Carbohydrate has 4 calories per gram.
Fat has 9 calories per gram.
Potential benefits of counting macros:
*Gaining a better understanding of what you’re eating- counting macros helps you know where your calories are coming from and adjust accordingly
*It’s a less restrictive way to eat than many “diets”- no foods are “off limits” as long as you stay within your macronutrient split
*Improved performance in the gym- consuming sufficient carbohydrates and protein can increase endurance and build muscle
However, It’s important to remember that counting macros doesn’t take into account food quality, which is where many of our micronutrients are found. You could, theoretically hit your desired macro split on a diet of ice cream and cheeseburgers, which would obviously not be recommend for long-term health.
If counting macros is something you’re interested in trying, play around with a few days of counting the macronutrients in your foods-you may be surprised by what you discover.