While this is a little bit of a tangential discussion from the typical micronutrient nerdiness that this show covers, Stacy wanted to dig into this topic

Macronutrients were something that Stacy did use to track when she was on a lifting schedule because she found that it did help with her performance

Stacy has noticed that it is common to see foods marketed today towards the keto community

These foods tend to be macronutrient heavy in one way or another

Recently on Instagram Stacy saw someone sharing a product with crazy macronutrient ratios

It was a fat bomb that just didn't make sense on a macronutrient level

What concerns Stacy about people going so focused on macros is when all acknowledgment towards balance is ignored

Sarah has seen in gyms how they promote macro tracking

At her gym, in particular, they have an 'Eat Your Macros' program

In these instances, you see some people who aren't nutrient literate hitting their numbers with unhealthy foods/drinks

Being overly focused on macronutrients runs into problems when it is not connected to a food quality conversation and a micronutrient conversation

There is also this other part of this conversation that is happening right now where we are seeing these macronutrient extreme diets

Examples include:

Low/zero carb

Keto

Low fat

Carnivore

Sarah wants to take this episode to unpack macronutrients a little bit

What is the difference between macros and micros?

Macros really just translate to energy

Macro means big

It is nutrients that we need from food in big quantities

Carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber

Micro means small

It is nutrients that we need from food in small quantities

Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, essential amino acids, and essential fatty acids

The stuff that we need in big quantities translates into energy

There is also some raw material stuff in macronutrients

Protein is used to make proteins in our body

It's not just making muscle, it is making components of every single cell

Fat makes up cell membranes

Our brain is about 60% fat

Hormones are fat based molecules

We use some of these things as building materials and the rest we use as energy to drive chemical reactions

Fiber is really about feeding our gut microbiome

Even though we need micronutrients in small quantities, it is quite a challenge to get micronutrient sufficiency

This is the nutrient density piece that is always be covered on the show

As soon as you try to get all the micronutrients that your body needs in adequate quantities from whole foods, you are forced into a Paleo or AIP style diet

This means eating seafood, organ meat, a ton of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, fresh herbs

This is how you get micronutrient sufficiency

(14:27) Our Needs Through the Scientific Lens

Sarah is going to come at macronutrient guidelines by looking at basic ideas about human anatomy and physiology

One of the ways to do this is by looking at hunter-gather intakes

What is the macronutrient range that we see among hunter-gather populations, given that human evolution was often driven by the energy density of our food

Sarah dug into these studies that have been completed across the world

How foods are used to correct macronutrient imbalances

We look at these societies that mimic the diet that we would have had for at least the last few hundred, thousand years of evolution

These diets don't have any of the chronic health problems that are associated with industrial, western countries

We observe the trends and form a hypothesis regarding the macronutrient levels that are likely ideal

AMDR

The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has set Accepted Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) for protein, fat, and carbohydrates based on evidence from interventional trials with support of epidemiological evidence that suggests a role in the prevention or increased risk of chronic diseases and based on ensuring sufficient intake of essential nutrients

Levels of too much or too little are associated with some kind of health problem

This is completely based on contemporary studies

AMDR for fat estimated to be 20 to 35% of total energy for adults

AMDR for protein estimated to be 10 to 35% of total energy for adults

AMDR for carbohydrates as an estimated 45 to 65 percent of total energy (and below 25 percent from sugars) doesn’t quite align with hunter-gatherer intakes

We can take this information and through the lens of our philosophies on understanding science, we can add some interesting additional things on to that

We know that higher protein intake is really really important for weight management

We know that there are some genes where lower fat is really important

25% of people have one or more copies of the gene where a diet lower in fat is ideal for their bodies

We know that with the modern food supply sugars are actually more important to limit than total carbohydrates

When we start to add in this extra insight by taking in an even bigger picture view of the scientific evidence, we can come up with a macronutrient intake range that sort of fits modern science and hunter-gather intakes

This will give us a pretty good target with a lot of wiggle room for self-experimentation

When Sarah looks at all of this data together, here is what she ends up with:

20-35% of our total calories coming from fat

20-35% of our total calories coming from protein

30-60% of our total calories coming from whole food sources of carbohydrates

This is what Sarah refers to as balanced macronutrients

This doesn't mean that every meal needs to be super regimented

The body seems to respond really well to fluctuations in macronutrients

Ex: seasonal variability, macro timing throughout the day

These macronutrient ranges don't look like any of the diet extremes

To learn more about the challenges that arise from extreme diets, check out episodes 140and 305

Fad diets, where the primary goal is weight loss, are not designed to be healthy

When we look at macronutrients and we look at them in this way, we are really looking at:

What is the range where we are going to be able to maintain health?

And these are the ranges that we end up in

30-60% calories from carbohydrates give us a lot of playing room

(25:03) The Balancing Act

What's curious to Stacy is the idea of this balance of macronutrients

If you talk to three different people they would tell you three different things about what the ideal is

Stacy does think it is true that it is an individual thing

Sarah thinks that what we are learning is that too much or too little of any macronutrient is associated with health problems

With micronutrients, we know that there is a range that is considered sufficient for most people

Then there are these extra situations where you might need extra of certain micronutrients

We also see that kind of variation in macros

For example, if you are someone who is very active, that increases your protein requirements

Every diet works to help you lose weight, but most of these diets promote both lean muscle mass loss and fat loss

Depending on the diet, it can be up to a pound for pound (fat to muscle) loss

When you lose muscle, you lower your basal metabolic rate

Preserving lean muscle is really important for preserving metabolism

If your metabolism tanks than you need lower amounts of calories to keep losing weight

If you lose weight too quickly, you increase your hunger hormones, which drives appetite

You have this perfect storm of being hungrier than you would normally be

Making it harder to maintain your diet

One of the ways to get around this is to up your protein intake and to incorporate some weight bearing exercise

Aim for a moderate caloric intake so that you are not losing weight too quickly

Yes you lose weight more slowly, but it is easier to keep the weight lost off

Sarah provided more examples of where people will fall within the ranges based on certain attributes and medical conditions

We have within these ranges people who will do better at the low end or at the high end, and there are so many different situations that will determine where you fall

We probably are supposed to have seasonal variability as well

Sarah recommends playing within these ranges

If we are going to take a micronutrient approach and aim to get enough fiber (which is really critical) and enough protein and balance the plant versus animal food so that we achieve micronutrient sufficiency, it almost forces you into those ideal ranges

It is incredibly challenging to get enough fiber and not end up with about 40% of your calories from carbohydrates

Our dense fiber foods, like 3.5 cups sweet potatoes, has 25 grams of fiber

Which would be the USDA fiber allowance for a woman

Sarah noted that this probably half of what we actually need

This is not a ridiculous amount of sweet potato to eat throughout the whole day, which will give you 150 grams of carbohydrates

You can get the same amount of fiber from 24 cups of spinach

Which would give you 50 grams of carbohydrates

Dense sources of fiber are going to work best for most of us

In order to get enough fiber, it is really tough to do without your total carbohydrates ending in the 200 to 300-gram range

From a fiber intake perspective, getting enough vegetable matter to get our fiber intake up to where it is supposed to be, that automatically puts us in the higher carbohydrate range

If you think about your plate being 3/4 vegetables and using some fat to make things tasty, adding some nuts and seeds, and having quality meats; it is almost impossible to not end up in those balanced macronutrient ranges when you start thinking about micronutrients

This is why you need balanced macros

You cannot get the micronutrients you need once you start skewing your macronutrients into these extremes

You are going to miss out on something

There are micronutrients packaged up with our macronutrients that are really important

Part of aiming for balanced macronutrients and having a food quality criteria for choosing foods is achieving micronutrient sufficiency

Stacy is shocked that it came back around to micronutrients

It makes sense that athletes, for example, are turning to products that are targeted to increasing whatever macro they are focused on and not necessarily the micros associated with it

Stacy loves the way Sarah framed her explanation

That if you think for a minute of just the basic necessity of fiber and the micronutrients you need, and then from there consider the macro piece, you will be in the right headspace

It is a struggle overall to achieve balance because there are so many factors that go into it

However, when we consider the goal and where we are coming from, we are able to make decisions based on long-term health goals

One of the things that Sarah wants to emphasize is that this is a learning curve

Sarah will do a 3-day food diary once a quarter

She uses the Cronometer app

With this data, she is checking in on her fiber, protein, and her micronutrients

She lets fat and carbs land where they may because they are going to land in healthy zones if she is getting enough fiber and enough protein

Sarah thinks that for most people fiber is where people are most challenged when getting their macronutrients in balance

Protein is typically second

It takes a few days, maybe a week, of measuring foods and looking at databases for nutrition information to get a sense for where you are at and where you can fine-tune to hit your numbers

Find the foods that fill in the gaps for you

Figure out what your place looks like

Then you can wean off the measuring and logging, and simply execute what you found out about your ideal plate makeup

And from there you can check in every once in a while to make sure you are on track

Food journaling is a phenomenal tool for weight loss

Awareness around what you are eating is really important for the behavioral modification of weight loss

However, Stacy noted that for those with a history of disordered eating it can be problematic

Be mindful of this when identifying how best to check your macro and micro levels

Stacy shared her experience with being respectful of the emotional pieces associated with tracking

It doesn't need to be an overwhelming experience if we come from the perspective of what is my intent, what am I trying to achieve, is this food choice the best for me in this moment

With that, Stacy suggests eating Wild Zora bars to increase your vegetable intake

Sarah loves Wild Zora and it has been a staple in her house for years

Zora has a very food quality focus in all of her products

She is very micronutrient focused

It is both packed with vegetables and high-quality protein

The diversity of products that they offer is amazing, especially as a convenience food

Wild Zora is a woman-owned, family-run company from Northern Colorado that manufactures meat and veggie bars, dehydrated backpacking meals, soups, and instant teas

They have many AIP options available

The products are great for packing and leaving in the car

Remember, you can go to this site to get free shipping and up to 30% off their products

(54:47) Closing Thoughts

Thank you to Wild Zora for sponsoring this show!

As Sarah noted, health is really about macronutrients and micronutrients

Thank you, listeners, for tuning in - Stacy and Sarah will be back next week!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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