What Are Macronutrients?

For years people have known that eating food is healthy, but most people don’t understand just how much food is needed in their daily diet. Food is defined as any material consumed with the intent to feed an organism. Food is generally of animal, plant or floral source, and contains various nutrients, including vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, or iron. Humans need a wide variety of food sources to ensure adequate nutrition. Although plants and animals differ in their requirements for food, humans require a wide variety of food to ensure overall health.

One of the main components of food that all of us partake in on a daily basis is carbohydrates, which are needed to produce energy for the body. Carbohydrates can be divided into two major categories: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, and legumes such as beans and nuts; whereas complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains, potatoes, cereals, breads and pasta. The type of carbohydrate you consume comes from the chemical processes in the food, and therefore all carbohydrates provide different benefits. In particular, the carbohydrates you take in provide energy that you require to perform daily tasks, and these carbohydrates can be broken down into several different forms, including simple sugars, which provide no nutritional value, and complex sugars, which provide significant amounts of nutrition.

In addition to providing energy, carbohydrates also are used to create blood glucose in the body, which in turn helps to regulate insulin secretion and metabolism. However, the types of carbohydrates you consume are determined by your overall diet, as certain foods provide more calories than others, depending on your goals and objectives for weight loss. In addition to macronutrients, other factors that affect weight loss include your level of activity, your body size, your age, your gender, and your health habits. Therefore, it is important to incorporate all factors in your diet to achieve a balanced, nutrient-rich diet.