Micros and macros \u2013 what\u2019s the difference, and what exactly ARE they? Are some calories more \u2018valuable\u2019 than others? I\u2019ve done a lot of digging on the subject and have put all the info together to ensure your food gives you the energy you need!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s hard to miss the current protein hype. Every second product in the supermarket reads \u2018added protein\u2019, and the quark shelf will soon take over the entire dairy section. There\u2019s protein bread, protein porridge and \u2013 hold on to your hats \u2013 protein ice cream and protein sweets (!). We stuff ourselves with protein left and right, often forgetting that protein is just ONE of our three main sources of energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carbohydrates and fats have also had their heyday \u2013 especially in the context of LCHF diets \u2013 which stands for low-carb, high-fat. But there have also been periods when it was all about \u2018low-fat products\u2019, and fat was something to be avoided. And I\u2019m sure everyone remembers the old advice of \u20186-8 slices of bread a day\u2019, right? There was certainly no carb phobia then …<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Often, one energy source is singled out as better than the others. \u2018More protein\u2019 \u2013 but how much more? And does fat make you fat? Or was it carbs we were supposed to avoid? There\u2019s so much confusion! So let\u2019s tackle our \u2018Macros\u2019 \u2013 carbohydrates, protein and fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The word macros is a shortening for macronutrients, which consist of our three primary sources of energy: carbohydrates, fat and protein.<\/strong> As you know, food is our body\u2019s fuel and all the food we eat gives our body energy in the form of calories. The amount of calories in every food is determined entirely by the amount of carbohydrates, fat and protein it contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is how many calories each macro provides:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 100 g of salmon contains 12 g fat, 18 g protein and 0 g carbohydrates. By using these figures, we can easily calculate how many calories are in the salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12 g fat x 9 kcal = 108 kcal Total: <\/strong>180 calories per 100 g salmon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fat, protein and carbohydrates all have vital functions in our bodies. I\u2019ll say it again: VITAL \u2013 that means of course that it\u2019s important to ensure you get enough of each one. The amount of each energy source you need to eat varies a little from person to person, but a good starting point is to distribute the energy sources evenly and eat about the same amount of each. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you may need more carbohydrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re probably thinking \u2018That\u2019s easy! I\u2019ll just split my plate into three and put an equal amount of protein, carbohydrates and fat in each section!\u2019 I agree that it sounds like it makes sense \u2013 but don\u2019t forget that fat contains more than twice as many calories as protein and carbohydrates do. This means that if you\u2019re aiming to have an equal percentage of each source, the fat on your plate needs to be about half as much as the protein and carbohydrate sources to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We often read \u2018Eat more protein\u2019, \u2018Eat less carbohydrates\u2019, \u2018Cut down on fat\u2019 … and although this advice is a bit too drastic, it is based on the fact that we generally eat a bit too much fat and carbohydrates, and protein falls by the wayside. You know what I\u2019m talking about, a creamy carbonara = a typical example of a bad ratio. Loads of carbs, a lot of fat from the cheese, cream and bacon, and although these foods also contain protein, there\u2019s not much of it to speak of as a whole. But the above advice doesn\u2019t mean that carbohydrates are forbidden, that all fat is bad or the more protein the better. Everything has its limits, and we need all three sources, but too much or too little of any one thing results in either too much energy or too little nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A typical meal with the correct energy distribution<\/u><\/strong> So, doesn\u2019t it matter WHICH foods we eat, as long as we have an even distribution of carbohydrates, protein and fat?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n YES, IT DOES! This is where things can go wrong. We now agree that our macros are important and that we need all three of them to feel good, get good results from exercising and stay healthy in the long run. That means it\u2019s time to start talking about MICROS \u2013 micronutrients, which are more commonly known as vitamins and minerals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to fat, carbohydrates and protein, the food we eat contains other nutrients that are also vital for us. The nutritional value can differ greatly between one carbohydrate source and another. Check this out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you pause here, you\u2019re probably thinking: OK, so one contains a few less carbs, but they have the same amount of calories \u2013 so there\u2019s not much difference!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n BUT if you take a look at the micronutrients you will see that there is, for example, THREE times as much iron and FIVE times as much magnesium in the rye flour as there is in wheat flour. So choosing wholegrains over the refined white sources makes a huge difference to our nutritional intake, as does choosing good sources of protein and carbohydrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Protein<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705<\/strong><\/a> Lean pork and beef \u2705<\/strong><\/a> Tempeh<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705<\/strong><\/a> Paneer<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carbohydrates<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705<\/strong><\/a> Wheat berries Fats<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2705<\/strong><\/a> Avocado What to think about:<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first priority is always to meet your energy needs with good food choices and nutritious foods. If you choose from the above foods, you get a lot of food for your calories while meeting your nutritional needs in the best way possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, make sure you have an even distribution of the different sources of energy \u2013 include foods from all these categories, preferably in each and every meal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Micros and macros \u2013 what\u2019s the difference, and what exactly ARE they? Are some calories more \u2018valuable\u2019 than others? I\u2019ve done a lot of digging on the subject and have…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":15004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[254],"tags":[156,255,135,123,82,165],"class_list":["post-15003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diet","tag-kolhydrater","tag-dietary-advice","tag-fett","tag-naring","tag-protein","tag-vitaminer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
18 g protein x 4 kcal = 72 kcal
0 g carbohydrates x 4 kcal = 0 kcal<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705 150 g chicken
\u2705<\/strong> 55 g wholegrain rice (uncooked weight)
\u2705<\/strong> 100 g stir-fried vegetables
\u2705<\/strong> 50 ml sauce made with cooking cream\/coconut milk<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Game meat
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Chicken and turkey
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Eggs
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Cottage cheese
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Quark
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Fish and shellfish
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Low-fat cheese (12%)
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Tofu<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Quinoa
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Brown rice
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Beans\/lentils
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Wholegrain bread
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Oats
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Potatoes and sweet potatoes
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Root vegetables (parsnips, carrots, beetroot, swede)
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Fruit<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Oily fish (salmon, mackerel, herring)
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Seeds (chia seeds, linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.)
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.)
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Nut butters (unsweetened)
<\/strong>\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Olives
\u2705<\/strong><\/a> Oils (rapeseed oil, olive oil)<\/p>\n\n\n\n