Food contains a multitude of chemicals. I am going to start with the big three called macronutrients and later I will discuss some of the others. The three macronutrients are Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fats. Each has its own job and is an important part of the diet. However, some of the sensationalized news reports have made some of them seem more important than others and has villainized some of them. Today I will cover the highlights of each them. In future posts I will cover each one in depth.
Carbohydrates- These nutrients have really gotten a bad reputation in the last little while. The main purpose of carbohydrates is to give you energy but not all carbs are created equal. Some cause spikes in blood sugar level while some are absorbed more slowly. In addition some of the sources of carbohydrates provide essential micronutrients while others do not. Bottom line not all carbs are bad.
Protein- You need protein to build your tissues. You do NOT need protein for energy. Most people get adequate amounts of protein yet once again not all protein sources are created equal. Some provide micronutrients that are good for you while others provide ones that are bad for you.
Fat- Most people are immediately turned off by the word, fat so we try to avoid it. Most of us want to lose fat so logically we shouldn’t eat what we are trying to lose. If only it were that simple. Fats provide about half of your energy and are vital to making cell parts so we really need fats. Once again there are good fats, bad fats and really bad fats.
I hope I can help make some sense of all of this in the coming posts.