Intro to Macronutrients
There are a crazy amount of folks out there telling you what to eat and what not to eat. It’s quite exhausting, isn’t it? My hope is that you build a plate that brings you nourishment, energy, and that will bring your soul to life!
Understanding the nutrients that go into a well rounded plate is going to be your token to feeling satiated and on top of the world. We want a plate that’s beautiful, colorful, and diverse! As you start transitioning your meals to real and less processed foods, it will be just that…a transition. It will take time to grasp what is working best for you. Getting a few staple meals will be so helpful in your process of switching over foods. And remember, go easy on yourself. This lifestyle is a journey and isn’t something we ever perfect, rather its something we’re constantly changing as we listen to our body’s needs.
Understanding Macronutrients and the importance to our diet!
We have three macronutrients our body leans on for structure and function. These are Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins , these categories each have important roles in fueling our body, so let's get to know them a little more.
Carbohydrates: This one always gets thrown under the bus for being a "bad" source for nutrients. But let's break this stigma. There is no carbohydrate that is neither good nor bad. They all affect our bodies differently and it’s important we take notice in how we react when we are consuming carbs. Carbs isn't just bread either. It is so much more than that! Carbohydrates are typically found in vegetables, fruits, tuber (vegetables found underground), legumes, sweeteners, and grains. They’re also a quick sour of energy in the form of glucose in our body for our brain and muscles. hen carbohydrates are in the form of fiber, it helps fuel our gut microbiome and helps our body eliminate waste!
Fats are vital building blocks and a source of long term energy within the body. Every person's daily fat needs vary on age, activity level, goals for your health, insulin sensitivity, digestive functions. Helps to absorb Vitamins A, D, E, and K, improves tastes of food, increases satiety, regulates speed we digest food, high caloric energy for long periods of time, builds cell membranes, hormones, acts as a protective lining for our organs. Fat is also the Heart's preferred source of energy!
Before we move onto protein, I want to share a little something. about what carbohydrates and fats can do for our body. Think about a fire burning, the fire is our energy, the twigs (carbohydrates) come in to help ignite the fire, this being our quick source of energy, then the twigs help light the logs (fat) our long burning source of energy. So in order for our body to sustain energy throughout the day we need fats and carbs together. If we eat our carbs naked we’ll get a quick jolt and quickly crash back down! Keep that fire burning so you can run, play, dance, have energy for yourself and those beautiful babies of yours. Nothing better than building a fire that keeps on giving!
Next is, protein and it is used as building blocks for tissues, organs, nerves, muscles, enzymes, hemoglobin, helps fight infections, transports oxygen around the body. Protein also supports different peptide hormones in the body like oxytocin-the feel good hormone we discussed in the hormone module-great for the connection between you and baby and milk production, insulin, glucagon-2 hormones released from the pancreas to help regulate blood sugar and your energy levels.
Finding the ratio that works best for you when it comes to macronutrients doesn't have to be tricky nor do you have to 100% stick to the numbers that are suggested. Finding what works best for you is important. If you're hungry eat, tap into your innate wisdom listen to your body’s cues it’s giving you.
Here are a few ways to know that you’re getting enough Macros into your diet.
feel full/satisfied
no sweet cravings
you aren't hungry right after eating
great energy after eating
lasting energy long after meal
feel refueled
balanced emotions/happy
clear mind
clear thought process
Signs you are NOT getting enough macros into your diet:
feel physically full, but still hungry
don't feel satisfied
strong craving of sweets
feel hungry soon after meal
low energy
fatigued
jittery, shaky, or anxious
sleeplessness
hyper and exhausted at the same time
mentally slow or spacey
rapid thoughts
not able to focus
depression or sadness
obsessive behavior, hyper anxiety, fearful or irritable
Where do you begin knowing where to start with your ratios? This one is tricky. It’s all based on so many different factors like, if you’re pregnant, postpartum, menopausal, a man, athlete, etc. Each season of life and your genetic makeup can determine what macronutrients will work best!
Understand that there is a beautiful relationship between the all nutrients we consume. They do not work in isolation from one another, rather they work in harmony with each other. Some nutrients can bring out the best qualities of each other, while some can hinder how they function. Its all about understanding what works best for you!
If you have questions about how to balance your macronutrients, let’s hop on a discover call! I’d love to see if working one on one or enrolling in my online postpartum course would be best for you!
