As a sports dietitian, people often ask me about counting
macronutrients or ‘macros’.
When I say macros, I am talking about the amount of
carbohydrate, protein and fat consumed in a day (or sometimes a meal). To give
you an example, yesterday I consumed 250g carbs, 108g protein and 76g fat. This
means I received 49% energy from carbs, 20% from protein and 31% from fat (due
to fat being higher in energy content). Though these numbers tell you nothing
about the quality of my diet during the day. FYI I could have had 1 ¼ Cups
sugar to get that carb intake (though I didn’t).
Why are Macro’s important?
Different training regimes require different macro
distribution. The most important factor being the amount of endurance exercise
someone is participating in. Endurance exercise requires a greater quantity of
carbohydrate to perform. For example a 70kg elite Ironman triathlete during
heavy training may require upwards of 560g carb/day. This is only a ballpark
figure though it highlights the importance of macros. After we have that carb
figure we can then provide guidance on adequate protein, with the remainder of
energy being from fats.
For someone interested in muscle gains, focusing on having
sufficient protein intake (without going overboard) would be the first port of
call. Then ensuring they have enough carbs to get through their sessions, with
the remainder being from fat. In these cases it is important to have knowledge
about specific macros, more for ensuring minimum requirements of these specific
macros are being met.
Why macros aren’t important
Providing someone with a set macro schedule, for example 33%
Carb/33% Protein/33% Fat, without understanding their energy requirements,
exercise program and personal preferences can be counterproductive. As
discussed above, more important is the amounts of specific macronutrients.
Sports dietitians have moved away from macro schedules and prefer a much more
individualised and periodised nutrition strategy, focusing on the requirements
of training. Furthermore, there is always flexibility in macros to address
personal preferences.
As suggested above, macros also don’t provide an idea of
diet quality. While most people are able to choose protein foods to fit into
their macro requirements, fats and carbohydrates are another matter. Sometimes focusing too much on the % macros
will reduce your range of foods, which can compromise vitamin and mineral intake.
Yes ‘my only veg is broccoli’ friends, I am talking about you.
What does this mean for you?
In a nutshell; having an idea on the specific macronutrients
for your training/exercise/sport and how to obtain them is important. Focusing
too much on numbers without consideration for the quality of your diet can be
counterproductive. Finally, everyone has individual dietary preferences and it
is always important to incorporate those in any meal plan.
Happy eating.
Peter Herzig, AccSD, APD
