Balance Your Macros to Reach Your Health Goals Which makes aiming for a particular ratio of carbs to protein to fat to build a balanced diet a lot easier. Not sure where your eating habits put you? The food logging feature in the Fitbit app can estimate your macronutrients when you log items from the food database! At the end of each day, you can view an estimate of daily totals as percentages, as well as in grams. The USDA recommends the following healthy ranges.
The flexibility allows you to pick a style of eating that suits your needs, food preferences, and health goals. The numbers aren’t set in stone, but you do need to consume a certain amount of each macro within a range. Unhealthy saturated fats are found in high-fat beef, pork, butter, full-fat dairy, and processed foods, like cookies and donuts. Healthy, unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. It’s found in large amounts in meat, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy, tofu, and eggs, and in smaller amounts in nuts, seeds, and whole grains.įat : Insulates and protects your bones and organs, acts as backup fuel for energy, and helps in brain development. Protein : Helps to build and repair your muscles, organs, skin, blood, and different chemicals, like hormones, in your body. It’s found in all plant foods, like grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and also milk and yogurt. Carbohydrate + Protein + Fat = Total CaloriesĬarbohydrate : Provides fuel, the energy for your body and brain. But macros are just the individual elements, and most foods are made up of a blend of all three-pasta actually contains a little protein, and meat definitely has fat! Understanding macros can help you lay a solid foundation for a balanced diet. It can get a little confusing, because people often refer to foods as macros: saying bread and pasta are “carbs,” and talking about meat as “protein.” Those foods contain more of that specific macronutrient than the others. (Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals, and although they’re essential for good health, they don’t provide any calories and only trace amounts are needed.) Macros are the nutrients you need in large amounts, as they provide your body with the calories it needs to function. You probably know them better as carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Macronutrients, or “macros,” are the building blocks of nutrition.
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