The Whole Story At A Quick Glance
Macronutrients are the primary components of your diet that give you energy; they consist of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, each of which serves unique functions in your body. Since we only have one, our best bet for a long health, happy, active lifestyle is to ensure we give our body what it needs to care for itself properly.
Proteins are essential for building and repairing tissues, including muscles and organs; they also play crucial roles in the functioning of enzymes, hormones and immune system components. Some of the most important functions in our body!
Fats are a dense source of energy and play a role in hormone production and the regulation of body temperature, while acting as a key component of cells and tissues. Bet you didn't know how important fat is to our survival, did you?
Carbohydrates, these include simple sugars and complex carbohydrates, and are one of the primary sources of energy for our body.
Optimal health is an ongoing journey and you must listen to your body to determine the best macronutrient ratio for you. Everyone is different, and it may take some time for adjustments as our body acclimates to your new way of living. In the end, trust us, it is totally worth it! We have much more to gain from this, than we stand to lose. In my book, it is a no-brainer!
👀 A Deeper Dive
Macronutrients are the primary components of your diet that provide essential energy. They include proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, each serving unique and vital functions in your body. While you need significant amounts of these macronutrients—compared to micronutrients like vitamins and minerals—to function optimally and avoid disease, the precise balance for optimal health remains a topic of ongoing debate.
Historically, I’ve recommended a high-fat, low-carb diet. However, recent insights suggest that many people might benefit from significantly higher carbohydrate intake. It’s important to consider that genetic variations affecting your metabolic pathways can influence your specific nutrient needs, making a one-size-fits-all diet plan ineffective.
While there are basic nutritional principles we should all follow—such as sourcing macronutrients from whole foods rather than ultra-processed options—it’s unproductive to demonize any single macronutrient. Instead, a more informed approach is to understand the individual merits of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and recognize their essential roles in maintaining overall health.
What Are Proteins
Proteins are vital for building and repairing tissues, including muscles and organs. They also play critical roles in the functioning of enzymes, hormones, and immune system components.
Proteins are composed of amino acids, some of which are essential because your body cannot synthesize them; they must be obtained from food sources. High-quality protein sources include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Protein is a cornerstone of the human diet. Regardless of the source, the proteins we consume are broken down and reassembled into new proteins within our bodies. These proteins perform a wide range of functions, from fighting infections to aiding in cell division. In essence, proteins are chains of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.
These chains twist and fold into specific shapes to become functional proteins. When we ingest protein, it breaks down into individual amino acids. Most amino acids have a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group (containing nitrogen) and a carboxylic acid group. This structure is why they are called amino acids. Additionally, each amino acid has a unique side chain attached to this central carbon. Proline is an exception, forming a tiny ring structure instead. Although there are hundreds of amino acids in nature, humans utilize only about 20 to create nearly every type of protein necessary for life.
Those 20 are Alanine, Arginine, Asparagine, Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Glutamine Acid, Glutamine, Glycine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Prolene, Serine. Threonine, Tryptophan, Tyrosine, and Valine.
Five amino acids—alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and serine—are considered non-essential because your body can produce them. However, they are also available through dietary sources. Another six amino acids—arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline, and tyrosine—are known as conditionally essential.
This designation means that although your body can synthesize these amino acids under normal conditions, during periods of illness, stress, or intense physical activity, your body's production may be insufficient. During such times, it becomes crucial to obtain these amino acids from your diet to meet your needs.
Additionally, there are nine essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. These must be obtained from food, as your body cannot produce them. Understanding the roles and requirements of these amino acids is fundamental to ensuring your overall health and well-being.
Understanding these fundamentals helps us appreciate the indispensable role proteins play in maintaining and enhancing our health.
We made an amazing video that goes into a little greater detail, and may help you better understand the importance of getting enough proteins in our daily life, as well as everything we just covered in this article. Check it out below!
What Are Proteins (The Movie Version 😁)
As always, we truly hope you enjoyed today's post, as we put a ton of research, time and effort into making these educational health journey's for everyone.
Thank you for your time and for stopping to check us out. We publish a new article everyday of the week, and would love to hear your feedback. If you have something you would like to know more about, or to have Dr. Dekel's opinion, just call, text, email or even message us on our site or Facebook page.
"Until next time, remember, attitudes are contagious, is your's worth catching?", Brandon Roberts/V.P. of Dr. Dekel's Office of Holistic Health & Anti-Aging! Love to all.
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