By Frive | 3rd November, 2023 | Health & Fitness

Macronutrients are the foundations of promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is therefore important to know about what they are, their sources and the impact on your body. So we spoke to advanced fitness coach and nutritionist Khalid Keshta. Here he offers his expert knowledge in this area.

Macronutrients and Micronutrients Explained

Macronutrients are types of food that are required in large quantities and are measured in grams. They are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Micronutrients are types of food that are needed in small quantities such as milligrams and micrograms. These include vitamins and minerals.

What is the Difference Between Counting Macros and Calories?

Calories are a unit of energy. Macronutrients are what make up the energy. The effect of the calories is related to weight gain and weight loss. But calories don’t determine your muscle gain and fat loss. The main contribution to this is the macronutrients that make up the calories.

How Does Macro Counting Work?

Each food will have at least one type of macronutrient such as: protein, carbohydrates, fats; or all of them. Each macronutrient has a specific amount of calories per gram. Both protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram. Fat has 9 calories per gram. Which means when you count your macros, you are controlling the calories consumed.

Do Macronutrients Matter for Fat Loss?

If you eat a junk food item like a cheeseburger or something that is worth 300 calories, it is not going to affect the body the same as if you had two meals with the same calories that are made of healthy fat, proteins, and carbohydrates. So they do matter, it is not just about calories.

A Healthy Macro-Friendly Frive Meal?

For Khalid, a healthy macro-friendly Frive meal would be something that has the same amount of protein as it has carbs. So on the current menu, he would go for the satay chicken with fried rice and smashed cucumbers.