We’ve all heard the quotes. “You can’t out train a bad diet”, “abs are built in the kitchen”, “you are what you eat”. It’s all true, you can train as hard as you want in the gym but if you do not have a solid nutrition plan to go along with all the hard work you can say goodbye to achieving your fitness goals.

So what are Macronutrients?

Macros or macronutrients refer to the three basic components of any diet, Proteins, Fats & Carbohydrates. Understanding how to keep track and count these is far superior to just calorie counting. Portion control alone can work for a while, but unless you change to the right food choices your results will come to a grinding halt quickly.

The Three Macros

Protein-4Kcal per gram

In short protein is mainly associated with repairing muscle and mainly found in foods such as meat and dairy. Protein is involved in near enough all body tissue related subjects which is another topic for another blog. For vegetarians and vegans you can get your protein sources from some of the following; beans, grains, eggs, soya & tofu.

Carbohydrates-4Kcal per gram

Whatever you hear or read carbs are not the enemy. Technically you can survive without carbs, but why would you want to? Carbs are the body’s go to source of energy. Carbs help your performance in the gym. Training with no carbs will result in a poor workout.

Good everyday sources of carbs are potatoes, rice, pasta and wholemeal bread.

Fats-9Kcal per gram

Fats are not the enemy. Exact opposite really. They are very calorie dense so you do need to be careful with how much you consume if you are eating a low calorie daily total. Fat needs to be a part of any diet to help with normal hormone levels such as testosterone and growth hormone. Healthy fat choices are nuts, avocado, olive oil and dairy.