When we asked Lose It! Facebook users to submit their nutrition questions to dietician Maria Adams last week we had so many related to macronutrients and how they related to weight loss. In hopes of answering these questions and more we asked Maria to give us a brief overview of each macronutrient we track in Lose It! to find out more about the make up of the foods we’re eating. Here you can learn information about calories, carbohydrates, sugars, fibers, protein, fat, cholesterol, and sodium along with other information related to food composition.
What are macronutrients?
The body needs nutrients for growth, metabolism, and other functions. Macronutrients are nutrients that provide calories. There are three main macronutrients: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Micronutrients are also essential, but are needed in smaller amounts; vitamins and minerals are micronutrients.
What is a calorie?
A calorie is a unit of energy. Carbohydrates and proteins both have 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram. So if you look at a food label and see that the product has 15 grams of carbohydrate, 1 gram of protein, and 0 grams of fat, you can figure out that this translates to 64 calories.
One pound translates into 3,500 calories. So if you want to lose 1 pound per week, you should aim for a shortage of 500 calories per day. This could come from a combination of eating fewer calories and exercising more.
Alcohol also provides calories, but because it’s not essential for the body, it’s not considered a macronutrient. Alcohol provides 7 calories per gram.
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel. Based on the Dietary Reference Intakes, about 45% to 65% of our calories should come from carbohydrates. Carbohydrates consist of sugars, starches, and fiber.
Sugars refer to carbohydrates consisting of just one or two sugar molecules. Examples include glucose, table sugar (sucrose), fruit sugar (fructose), and milk sugar (lactose). Sugar adds to the flavor, aroma, texture, color, and body of food, but provides no vitamins and minerals. Unlike table sugar, however, fruit and milk, both high in natural sugar, are also packed with many healthful nutrients.
When you see “sugars” listed on a nutrition food label, it is referring to the total amount of natural and added sugars in that product.
Starches are essentially just many sugar molecules put together (polysaccharides). They are found in plant-based foods such as rice, pasta, potatoes, beans, and grains. While starches are broken down and absorbed by the body in the same way that simple sugars are, they are generally found in nutrient-dense foods.
Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest, and therefore does not provide energy. Fiber is found in plant-based foods, including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. It is also often added to dairy products such as yogurt and kefir in the form of inulin.
Why should I eat a diet high in fiber?
Studies show that a high-fiber diet can prevent constipation and hemorrhoids, improve cholesterol, and leave you feeling fuller. In the long term, a high-fiber diet can decrease the risk of heart disease and obesity. Fiber increases the volume of food, allowing you to eat more without increasing the calories. Foods with fiber are more work for your body to break down and provide fewer calories. So they don’t raise your blood sugar as much as carbohydrates with fiber and generally leave you full longer. Thus, high-fiber foods are helpful for people trying to lose weight.
Protein is essential for growth and tissue repair, making hormones and enzymes, and proper immune functioning. It also helps grow and preserve muscle mass. When there is not enough carbohydrate available for energy, the body starts breaking down the protein in muscles.
Protein is made up of amino acids. Animal foods contain all the amino acids and are therefore considered complete proteins. Vegetarian sources of protein don’t contain all the amino acids and are considered incomplete. But by eating a variety of vegetarian sources of protein, you get a complete protein. Rice and beans, for example, form a complete protein together, as do cereal and milk and peanut butter and bread.
According to the Dietary Reference Intakes, about 10% to 35% of your calories should come from protein. If you are trying to lose weight, aim for the higher amount on this range; research suggests that including protein in your meals can help you lose weight.
There are 3 main types of fat: unsaturated, saturated, and trans. Unsaturated fat includes mono- and polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats are found in olive and canola oil, avocados, nuts, and natural nut butters. Polyunsaturated fats are found in safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, and sesame oils. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods such as fatty fish and flax seed. Saturated fat is found in butter, lard, whole-milk dairy products, and meat. It is also found in vegetable shortening, palm oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. Hydrogenated or “trans” fat, is found in margarine, vegetable shortening, snack foods, and fried foods.
For years people tried to avoid fat and sought out fat-free products. It is now well documented that it is not all fat that we need to avoid or cut back on, just certain types. Namely saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol. Research shows that these fats can increase the risk of heart disease and certain cancers when eaten in excess amounts. But as far as weight loss goes, fat provides the same number of calories, whether it’s in the form of healthy omega-3 fatty acids or not-so-healthy trans fats.
Fat is essential for absorption of carotenoids and the fat soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K. The body also needs fat to help the brain and nervous system function as it should and to maintain healthy skin. Babies and children need fat for proper growth and development. And as any chef will tell you, a little fat in food also adds flavor, and it can help you feel more satisfied after a meal.
What is cholesterol?
Our body makes some cholesterol and it’s found in animal products, with the highest amounts in fatty meat, egg yolks, whole milk, cheese, shellfish, and organ meats. It is normal and important to have some cholesterol in your bloodstream. And while you should not eat a high cholesterol diet, it’s a misconception that high cholesterol foods such as eggs are the main contributors of high cholesterol blood levels. The main dietary culprits when it comes to your blood cholesterol are saturated fat and trans fat.
How are fat grams related to losing weight?
If you are trying to lose weight, be sure to include healthful fats in all your meals. Because fat moves mores slowly through your stomach than carbohydrates or protein, including a bit of fat will help satisfy your hunger more than if you eat a very low-fat meal. According to the Dietary Reference Intakes, about 20% to 35% of your calories should come from fat.
Sodium is a mineral found in many foods. Sodium is essential for maintaining proper fluid balance, regulating blood pressure, transmitting nerve impulses, and helping muscles relax. Yet most of us consume much more sodium than we need. The Dietary Guidelines recommend eating less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day for most people; people with high blood pressure, African Americans, middle-aged and older adults should consume no more than 1,500 mg per day.
Table salt consists of sodium and chloride. Just one teaspoon of table salt contains about 2,300 mg of sodium. While it’s important to limit use of the salt shaker, most of the salt in food comes not from what we add at the table or during cooking, but from the sodium added during food processing. Food products highest in salt are canned foods, frozen dinners, snack foods, packaged starchy foods, baking mixes, deli meats, cheeses, sausages, and cured or smoked meats.
Why is it so important to limit sodium?
For many people, diets high in sodium can increase blood pressure and lead to edema (water retention). High blood pressure can raise your risk of stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure.
This advice is intended for informational use only. Always consult your physician or other qualified health care professional regarding questions or concerns about your health and before making any changes to your diet or exercise regime.