What is a “Macro” or Macronutrient? You may have heard this term being thrown around the gym or with your friends when they have talked about their new diet. Macronutrients are nutrients that are required in large amounts, (Macro = large), as opposed to a micronutrient which are nutrients that the body needs in small amounts (micro = small). In this article we will introduce the three macronutrients--fat, carbohydrate, and protein, and discuss the amount of each macronutrient in some common foods.
example #1: almonds
macronutrients in 100 grams
fat 50 grams
carbohydrate 22 grams
protein 21 grams
Above, we see the nutrition facts of 100 grams of almonds (about 1 cup). Immediately we observe that almonds have more fat in them than carbohydrate or protein. Also, the amount of carbohydrate and protein in an almond is essentially a 1:1 ratio. Fat is the major macronutrient in an almond. This also brings up another important concept, rarely do we talk about macronutrients in isolation. There are few foods that are only made up of 1 macronutrient--more on that later (Link to sugar article), usually a whole food, whether it be plant or animal based, is a combination of the three macronutrients.
example #2: ribeye steak
macronutrients in 4oz (~113 grams)
fat 21 grams
carbohydrate 0 grams
protein 28 grams
Next, we see the nutritional value of 4oz (~113 grams) of ribeye steak. Here we see the steak has essentially no carbohydrates, and almost equal grams of fat and protein. Due to the different calories per gram for each macronutrient, the percent calories end up looking a little different--more on this in the individual macronutrient articles. To look at this a different way, for 100 grams of ribeye steak vs almonds, the steak has half the amount of fat as the almonds. Of course we will go into further detail about the differences between plant based and animal based fats in another article.
example #3: strawberries
macronutrients in 100 grams
fat 0.3 grams
carbohydrate 7.7 grams
protein 0.7 grams
We have all enjoyed a strawberry, but probably never thought about the macronutrient breakdown. Maybe some have also heard that strawberries and other berries are “good” or allowed on lower carbohydrate diets. Why is this? Let’s take a look at the macronutrients to see why that may be the case. 100 grams of strawberries has 0.3 grams of Fat, 7.7 grams of Carbohydrates, and 0.7 grams of Protein. So overall the strawberry is mostly carbohydrate which makes sense as it is sweet and sugar is a carbohydrate, but like most whole foods, it has some protein and fat in it as well.
example #4: egg
macronutrients in 100 grams
fat 9.5 grams
carbohydrate 0.7 grams
protein 13 grams
An egg is another great example of a simple whole food which has the following macronutrient breakdown for 100 grams of eggs-- (For reference, a typical egg is 38-56 grams, depending on size). Eggs are a great option if you’re looking for a quick lunch to pack for yourself or your family. (Did you know snacking isn’t really necessary?) Also, don’t fear fat! Eat the whole egg including the yolk.
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