MACRO NUTRIENTS⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Macro nutrients are required in large amounts as they are used to provide energy for the body. Carbohydrates, fat and protein are all macro nutrients.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
MICRO NUTRIENTS⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In contrast, micro nutrients such as vitamins and minerals are only required in small amounts enough to meet your body’s essential physiological needs. Whilst they are indispensable, they do not provide energy and therefore are only required in smaller quantities.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But at the end of the day no matter what eating pattern you have, make sure variety is at the forefront of your mind. This will maximise the nutritional benefit you gain from what you eat.
Be careful of restrictive diets that cause you to cut out whole food groups. Whatever you omit will need to be replaced elsewhere. Try to have a wide range of foods too and avoid diets that are heavily based on one type of food. For example having a nut based breakfast muesli, followed by an almond meal banana muffin too, using coconut oil and then coconut milk in all your meals or making a breakfast fruit smoothie followed by an acai bowl which is far more fruit than you need for the day.
There’s nothing wrong with any of these individually. However, the key is to mix it up!
Anne-Sophie Rayment, Nutritional Advisor.
References:
E. Whitney, S. R. Rolfes, T. Crowe, D. Cameron-Smith, A. Walsh, Understanding Nutrition: Australian and New Zealand Edition, (2011), 1st Edition, Cengage Learning Australia Pty Ltd