If you've done any reading or listening about nutrition, you've probably noticed there's a lot of arguing on the Internet (or your family/friend group) about whether certain foods are healthy or not.
Are bananas good or bad for you?
Is diet soda better or worse than regular soda?
Quick links:
A healthy diet has 2 main subjects to consider:
1. The quality of the food (the Micros)
2. The quantity and ratios of different foods (the Macros)
Most people (and diets) only focus on one or the other, not both.
Every food is evaluated in each of these two categories, because they're addressing two different health topics.
Micros
Micro = Small
Found in the Ingredients section of the Nutrition Label
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals. Compared to the Macros, we only need a little dab of these small but important nutrients, usually a gram or two, or even only a few thousandths of one gram per day - which is why they are often measured in milligrams or micrograms (which is 1 millionth of a gram, almost too small to see with regular eyesight)
Micro also covers the other small but important things:
Phytonutrients
Antioxidants
Chemicals
Oxidation and processing of food
The Mediterranean diet lives here, and the discussion centers around quality of food.
The Micros group states: "Eat closer to Nature."
Less factories, more farms.
Eat more real food coming from the land or out of the water:
Fruits
Vegetables
Other plant foods like herbs, nuts and unprocessed grains
Fresh animal products, seafood and dairy
The Micros topic mainly covers the inflammatory issues of the human body:
Immune system
Digestive Diseases
Mental Health
Diseases of Aging: heart disease, cancer, dementia, and more
At the heart of the discussion of food quality and Micros is 2 topics:
1. Nutrient Density (how much of vitamins-minerals-antioxidants-etc per calorie)
2. Inflammatory vs Anti-Inflammatory
Making things simpler, these two fortunately go hand in hand:
Most anti-inflammatory foods have a higher nutrient density, and most inflammatory foods are lower in nutrients.
Macros
Macro = Large
Found in the black and white Nutrition Facts panel
Macronutrients are Carbohydrates, Fats, and Proteins, which is where calories come from. A calorie is a unit of measurement of energy that is produced when you burn something - Macros are the fuels that we burn. They are called macros because we need tens or hundreds of grams of them per day.
The Keto Diet lives here, and the Macros discussion centers around the amount and ratio of food.
The Macros group asks the question: "How much?"
How much fruits vs how much vegetables?
How much meat vs how much grains?
How much carbs vs protein vs fat?
Macros covers the metabolic issues of the human body:
Weight Control
Blood Sugar
Fatty Liver
Pancreatitis
Other issues with breaking down/metabolizing foods
I discuss ratios a bit when talking about Intermittent Carbing and Understanding Ketosis - the amounts of carbs vs fats vs proteins.
If you want a full walkthrough on the foundation of understanding the 3 Macronutrients and how our bodies use them, check out the Macros and Metabolism infographic.
So to summarize:
The Micros topic states: Eat more unprocessed food and less processed food. The closer you get to a plant or animal, the better.
The Macros topic asks: How much? How much fruit vs how much vegetables? How much meat vs how much grains? How much protein vs carbs vs fats?
If you want to learn more about how to control your inflammation, check out the Anti-Inflammatory series.
If you want a full walkthrough on the foundation of understanding the 3 Macronutrients and how our bodies use them, check out the Macros and Metabolism infographic.
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