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I asked members of the 40+ Fitness Podcast Group what topics I could cover and one of them was about macros (macronutrients). Having a good general understanding of macros is important for maintaining good health and fitness.
1) Building block – This macro is something you must have in order to rebuild. But this is not a “more of a good thing” is good macro. You need to get just enough protein to allow your body to rebuild.
2) Essential amino acids – Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are some amino acids that our body cannot make. We must eat them to have what we need.
3) Complete proteins – A complete protein is one that has all of the amino acids. An egg is often referred to as the perfect protein because it is a complete protein. Vegetarians should be very diligent in their food choices to ensure the way they mix and match their protein sources gives them all of the amino acids.
4) Mono/Poly/Saturated – Saturated fat has been demonized and recent science seems to show this to be unfair.
5) Omega 3 / Omega 6 – When animals are permitted to live their lives the way they choose, their meat tends to have a 1 to 1 ration of omega 3 to omega 6. This is a healthy ratio. When animals are feed grains, their omega 6 goes up, breaking this ratio. As a result, we are not getting enough omega 3. Eating fish or taking fish or kreel oil can help you rebalance if you're not able to get grass fed and finished beef.
6) MCT – This is a medium chain triglyceride. Your body cannot use MCT for anything but energy.
7) Bad fats and oils – Fats and oils can go rancid. Make sure you're properly storing fats and oils to avoid this. You should also be sure you're avoiding partially hydrogenated oil. This man-made oil is very bad for us.
8) Simple carbs and sugar – These carbs are turned to blood sugar (glucose) very quickly. Where there is more than you need, your body produces insulin to protect the brain from excess glucose. It stores the glucose as body fat.
9) Soluble fiber – This fiber is digested very slowly. It is also referred to as a slow carb. These are good sources of energy and should be focus of your consumption of this macro.
10) Non-soluble fiber – This fiber cannot be used by your body so it just passes through you. This can help you keep regular.
11) There are no essential carbs – While our body needs protein and oil, it does not need this macro. Carbs can be part of a healthy diet, but they are not essential.