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Macronutrients

Macronutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—are essential for providing the energy the body needs to function. They support growth and tissue repair. Each plays a unique role: carbohydrates are the main energy source, proteins build and repair cells, and fats support brain health and hormone production.

Protein

Proteins provide the raw materials to: 

  • Build, repair, and maintain muscle

  • Support healthy metabolism and critical biochemical reactions throughout the body 

  • Maintain fluid balance + pH balance in the body 

  • Support optimal liver and thyroid function 

  • Produce neurotransmitters 

  • Help regulate blood sugar

  • Support weight loss and maintenance 

  • Support a sense of calm, balance, and focus

  • Support the immune system

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​Over the years, meat, such as beef and pork, a major source of animal protein, has received a bad rap, especially red meat. Here's why: poor quality meat, or any poor quality protein source, is counterproductive to our health. There is an enormous difference in the content of grass-fed beef and factory-farmed beef. 

Grass-Fed Beef: 

  • High level of Omega 3s

  • High levels of antioxidants

  • High levels of Vitamin A, E, and B12

Factory Farm Beef: 

  • High level of Omega 6s

  • Contain antibiotics and hormones

  • Has been exposed to pesticides

  • Lower levels of antioxidants and vitamins

VS

High quality sources of protein - what creates the quality of animal protein is the quality of what they've been fed. They are what they eat too!

  • ​Grass-fed beef

  • Pasture-raised pork

  • Pasture-raised chickens

  • Eggs from pasture-raised chickens and ducks

  • Liver and other organ meats

  • Wild-caught fish and seafood 

    • Salmon - fresh or canned​

    • Oysters 

    • Tuna

    • Trout

    • Sardines

    • Mackeret

    • Anchovies

    • Herring

  • Organic turkey

  • Plant proteins 

    • Organic tempeh​

    • Organic quinoa

    • Hemp

    • Chia seeds

Carbohydrates

Carbs provide the raw materials for: 

  • Stable energy​​

  • Stable blood sugar levels 

  • Preserving muscle mass

  • Fueling our brain health and function

  • Feeling fuller longer

  • Promoting a sense of calm 

  • Providing beneficial fiber

  • Providing high levels of vitamins and minerals

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Wait, what? Carbs are not bad for us? Carbs are not only good for us, they are required for optimal health, and here's why: there is a broad spectrum of sources for carb consumption. As an example, fruits contain carbs, and so do Skittles. 

Apples: 

  • High in fiber

  • Powerful antioxidants

  • Promotes balanced blood sugar

  • Promotes heart health

  • High in Vitamin C

  • Low in calories, high in nutrients

Skittles: 

  • 0 fiber

  • 0 vitamins or minerals

  • Promotes blood sugar dysfunction

  • High in calories, zero nutrients

  • High in processed sugar

  • High in toxins, flavorings, and colorings

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This example is deliberately extreme, I think most of us know an apple can be good for us and Skittles aren't a health promoting food. It gets trickier in between, and the goal is to find whole food sources and avoid the "carbage."

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High-quality sources of carbs: 

  • Squashes

    • Butternut squash​

    • Acorn squash

    • Hubbard squash

  • Potatos

    • Sweet potatoes ​

    • White potatoes

    • Fingerling potatoes 

  • Yucca

  • Fruits

  • Legumes 

  • GF grains

Fats

Proteins provide the raw materials to: 

  • Build and balance hormones ​

  • Enable absorption of Vitamins A, D, E, and K

  • Critical for optimal brain health and function 

  • Promote energy production

  • Promote balanced moods and mental health

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There is no way to be healthy without eating adequate amounts of healthy fats. So why do they get a bad rap? There are two reasons why fat has been vilified over the years. One, fat has more than double the number of calories as proteins or carbs. If you subscribe to the theory that calories in, calories out is the key to weight loss or weight management, then fat must make you fat. Wrong! This is extremely misguided and has been promoted for decades through diet trends and food manufacturing. Low-fat and no-fat diets aren't good for optimal function. The food industry adopted this notion and began reengineering packaged food to appeal to the low-fat/no-fat world, replacing most or all of the fat in foods with sugar and chemicals to compensate for the loss of flavor and texture naturally provided by fat. It's possible that we weighed less for some amount of time, but we were also destroying our blood sugar regulation and wreaking havoc on our hormones and our brains.

 

The second reason fat has a bad reputation is the spectrum of quality. Just like proteins and carbs, there are nutrient-dense sources that contribute to our health, and there are ultra-processed, denatured sources that cause dysfunction and promote disease. 

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High-quality sources of fat: 

  • Olive oil

  • Avocados + Avocado oil

  • Coconut oil

  • Grass-fed butter and Ghee

  • Walnut oil 

  • Flaxseed oil

  • Olives

  • Nuts + seeds

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