Counting Macros & Achieving Health Goals: Quality Over Quantity

Macronutrients, or “macros,” are the building blocks of nutrition. You probably know them better as carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Macros are the nutrients you need in large amounts, as they provide your body with the calories it needs to function. 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.

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. 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.

Carbohydrate + Protein + Fat = Total Calories

Carbohydrate: Provides fuel, the energy for your body and brain. It’s found in all plant foods, like grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and also milk and yogurt.

Protein: Helps to build and repair your muscles, organs, skin, blood, and different chemicals, like hormones, in your body. 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.

Fat: Insulates and protects your bones and organs, acts as backup fuel for energy, and helps in brain development. Healthy, unsaturated fats are found in olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish, like salmon, sardines, and mackerel. Unhealthy saturated fats are found in high-fat beef, pork, butter, full-fat dairy, and processed foods, like cookies and donuts.
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How Much of Each Macro Do You Need? Well that depends on what you are trying to achieve.

The numbers are not set in stone by any means, but you do need to take in a certain amount of each macro. The flexibility allows you to pick a style of eating that fits your needs, food preferences, and health goals. The USDA recommends the following healthy ranges.

Carbohydrate: 45 to 65 percent

Protein: 10 to 35 percent

Fat: 20 to 35 percent

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. Which makes aiming for a particular ratio of carbs to protein to fat to build a balanced diet a lot easier.