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5 Super Macronutrients Food Sources

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The three macronutrients are required by your body in relatively large quantities and are essential for life. Without them you could not survive. Carbohydrates provide your body with energy, dietary fats support overall good health and protein helps build, maintain and repair your body’s cells.

But which foods can provide you with these three important nutrients? Keep reading for five super macronutrient foods.

macronutrients

1) APPLES

Apples are a fantastic carbohydrate source making them a great energy food. They also contain high levels of antioxidants (which protect your body from oxygen related damage), fibre (which keeps your blood glucose levels stable and promotes good bowel health), flavonoids (which act in a similar way to antioxidants), phytonutrients (which also act in a similar way to antioxidants) and vitamin C (which helps your wounds heal and keeps your immune system strong).

2) ALMONDS

Almonds are an excellent source of monounsaturated fats and protein. On top of this they are a great source of vitamin B2 (which helps your body break down macronutrients for energy), vitamin E (a powerful antioxidant), copper (which assists in the production of many important substances), manganese (which activates a number of enzymes in the body) and potassium (which helps maintain proper muscle contractions and regular heartbeats).

3) BEEF

Despite the negative press, beef is actually a very nutritious food. It is a super source of monounsaturated fat, protein and saturated fat. Beef is also a fantastic source of vitamin B2, vitamin B3 (which helps convert blood glucose into energy), vitamin B6 (which helps break down protein), vitamin B12 (which assists in the production of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA)), selenium (an antioxidant) and zinc (which protects your blood vessels and promotes a strong immune system).

4) EGGS

Eggs are a quick, convenient, healthy food containing high levels of monounsaturated fat, protein and saturated fat. They are also rich in a number of vitamins and minerals such as iodine (which promotes thyroid health), tryptophan (a mood boosting amino acid), vitamin B2, vitamin B5 (which helps your body break down the three macronutrients), vitamin B12, vitamin D (which assists in the absorption of the bone strengthening nutrients calcium and phosphorus).

5) SPINACH

Spinach is an excellent carbohydrate source. It is also a great source of calcium, iron (which supports the production of haemoglobin), magnesium (which helps your muscles and nerves function properly), vitamin A (which promotes healthy vision) and vitamin K (which helps your blood clot).

As you can see there are plenty of foods out there that can help you get your daily intake of macronutrients. Most of them will also provide you with a healthy dose of important vitamins and minerals. I hope this list helps you find some good macronutrient food sources but if none of them are to your liking remember the most important rule is to stick with natural, unprocessed foods such as fresh meat, fruits and vegetables. A varied diet that is low in processed foods will very often provide the balance of macronutrients that your body needs.

The Macronutrients of Nutrition

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Nutrition can be a confusing subject for the ordinary person. Of course we have all heard about vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fiber, complex carbohydrates and sugars but how does it all fit together?

Well to start with, our bodies require certain amounts of macronutrients to survive. There are a few people who focus on one nutrient over another and they consume more of one and less of the others but in general we all need some of these nutrients and a healthy diet consists of a good balance of the all three macronutrients.

macronutrients

The macronutrients are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Protein and carbohydrates both provide 4 calories per gram, while the more dense fat contains 9 calories per gram. A calorie is at its most basic description the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1g of water 1 degree Celsius. While that is a rather confusing definition for most of us it is easier for us to just know that a calorie is just a measurement that we use to determine the energy content of food.

Due to this discrepancy of 5 additional calories per gram, it was believed for a few years that the fat in our diet was the main cause of the fat on our bodies. It has since been proven that this all too simple explanation is not quite true. The fat on our bodies is caused by a number of different factors including the eating of too many calories altogether be they from fat, protein or carbohydrates.

Protein is the building blocks of the tissues in our bodies and it is essential to all of the processes within our cells. Protein can be found in animal tissue, dairy products and eggs but also vegetarian sources such a beans, legumes and especially soybeans.

Carbohydrates are the main energy source of our bodies. A simplistic explanation of carbohydrates is that they convert to sugar in our bodies, which in turn provides the energy that we need. Carbohydrates can be further broken down into simple carbohydrates, which include sugar, candy, white flour and more and complex carbohydrates, which include whole grains and vegetables. Simple carbohydrates break down in our bodies at a very rapid level, causing energy swings and increased hunger while complex carbohydrates break down slowly which gives us sustained longer-term energy.

Fat was long misaligned as being bad for our health but that is not completely true. The saturated fats and trans fats are destructive to our bodies but there are also essential fats that we need to maintain good health. Those would include the monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats such as olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil and the fats found in nuts and seeds, avocados, olives and the acai berry. The bad fats are the saturated fats such as the fat found in animal products and the “fake” fats or trans fats that are created by hydrogenation.

The macronutrients of protein, carbohydrates and fat are the building blocks of nutrition and all of the rest of the positive nutritional factors, like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and more are found within one of these three macronutrients.