The Big Three

This new series that I'll be starting is all about the stuff you probably have no clue about. If you didn't know, macro-nutrients are the three big ones: protein, carbs, and fats. When someone turns a food item around and reads the label or tries to, they'll most likely see those three macros.

The first word of advice that I can give you is to not panic when you see percentages and "based on a 2,000 calorie diet" on the back of a food item. And another thing - never fear any of these macros. You need every single one of them, some more than others but all of them nonetheless. Keeping that in mind, let's actually look at what these macros are and how important they are when planning out a diet. As far as going into specifics about these nutrients, I'll save that for another post.

Protein:

Ah, one of the "dreamiest" words you'll ever hear. If hearing the word "protein" doesn't make you dream nice things, then I don't know what will. Protein is hands down THE most important macro you need. I know you're probably thinking, "Protein! But that's the stuff all those icky bodybuilders eat. I'll never eat one gram of it, ever!"

Well buster, you better get used to eating it and a good bit of it. How much? A good rule of thumb to follow is to eat 1 gram of protein per 1 lb of body mass.

Example: A 180 pound guy would eat 180 grams a day.

Now, for those of you who have doubts about eating this much protein, check this out: many studies have been conducted where athletes eating over 200 grams of protein (and weighing well less than 200 lbs.) every day for long periods of time showed no kidney problems. And besides, are humans not adaptive organisms? If we perform cardio continually in the gym, don't our hearts become stronger than before? Same deal with other organs. Our kidneys will and should adapt to any amount of protein it is given.

So, where can we find protein? We can find it primarily in meat, nuts, and beans. Sure we can find protein in milk as well, but the sugar content is not all that good for us. Not to mention that the cow producing that milk was probably injected with more hormones than Ronnie Coleman, I'd pass it up.

Don't get hormonal on me Ronnie.

Carbohydrate:

Wait, don't run away! It's only a carb! Carbs are probably the most misunderstood macro-nutrient out there. They are so misunderstood in fact that people go on "low carb" and "zero carb" diets. Not only are such diets harmful to your system, they just don't work long-term and they're not conducive to muscle growth. Besides, carbs taste damn good. But how important are they?

Well, that all depends on your activity level. If you're sewed to the seams of your couch then carbs are not in your future. People tolerate them differently. There are those who can eat carbs and tolerate them, while there are others who just at the sight of a spaghetti strand blow up into a balloon and fly away. How well can you tolerate carbs? Well, that's for you to figure out.

Carbs are definitely not for him.

As far as carb sources go, here's another rule you should try to follow: if it ain't whole wheat, then don't eat it. Believe me, the nutritional profiles of white carbs and whole-wheat carbs is huge.

While what type of carb you eat is very important, when you eat it is just as important. A good rule of thumb is to eat the majority of your carbs in the first 2 meals of the day.

Fat:

Meet probably one of the most feared things in the world. No really, people fear fat. They fear putting it on as well as eating it. While not wanting to put on fat is perfectly understandable, it's not understandable to not want to eat fat. Let me come right out and just say it: if you want to lose fat, then you MUST eat fat. Now, of course this doesn't mean that you can just eat all the bacon you desire and expect to see fat melt right off your body. No, no. But why is fat important? Well, it's a must for adequate hormone function. Fat also keeps you full and satisfied, and that's always a nice feeling.

How much fat do you exactly need? Around 80-90 grams will do. Does that mean you can eat 90 grams worth of bacon? No, of course not.

Like carbs, the quality of the source matters. The best source of the fats you need come from fish, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, cheese, and meat.

That's it! Later on I will be going more in depth of the role these macros play in one kick ass diet.

- Juice