Health is the most important thing for a person. It determines how you look, and feel, and how long you live. It also determines how well you grow.

Health is vital for young people because what they consume now can bite them later in life.

Therefore, they should be living a healthy lifestyle.

However, it’s best you know the role of each macronutrient.

The general role of each macronutrient

Macronutrients are nutrients that your body needs in large amounts to function optimally.

The three main macronutrients are carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

They’re considered essential nutrients, meaning your body either cannot make them or cannot make enough of them.

There are such things as “fake macronutrients”, so having the right macronutrients is crucial. I’ll be telling you the roles of protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Protein

Protein is generally associated with muscle building, and your body needs protein for general growth and maintenance of tissues.

Antibodies are proteins in your blood that help protect your body from harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Therefore, protein is essential for your immune system.

It also keeps you full, an advantage for people trying to lose or maintain weight.

When you lack protein, your body breaks down fat for energy and also uses amino acids from broken-down skeletal muscle if carbohydrate storage is low.

It can occur after exhaustive exercise or if you generally don’t consume enough macronutrients.

Related article: “The Best Protein Sources for Building Muscle”

Carbohydrates

Carbs are often known for putting on mass and bulking, but that isn’t their sole purpose.

One of the primary functions of carbohydrates is to provide your body with energy.

Most carbohydrates in the foods you eat are digested and broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream.

If your body has enough glucose to fulfil its current needs, excess glucose can be stored for later use.

Higher glycaemic carbs provide energy too quickly, therefore your body has to store it for later use, which results in fat gain. (the glycaemic index is a figure representing the relative ability of a carbohydrate food to increase the level of glucose in the blood).

Whenever you consume something, your body releases insulin, and it’s a hormone that helps you regulate your blood sugar levels.

Its main role is deciding whether to store the energy for later use or use it immediately.

The higher in glycaemic index the carb is, the more energy will be stored in you, which is known as excess fat.

Related article: “Top Carbohydrate Sources”

However, carbs aren’t the preferred energy sources, but the best energy sources that make your energy levels and alertness soar are not what most people expect.

It’s healthy fats.

Fats

Fats are often associated with fat gain and obesity (which is what sugar should be associated with), but in fact, healthy fats are the best energy source you can consume.

They also help with nutrient absorption, insulation and organ protection.

Our brain is based on fat (60%), therefore it fancies the healthy fats you consume to increase its performance.

Because fats take longer to digest, they provide us with satiety, which is an advantage for those trying to lose weight and for those trying to reduce cravings and unnecessary snacking.

Here are the fats to look out for:

• Monounsaturated fats: e.g. nuts, seeds and avocadoes.

• Polyunsaturated fats: e.g. fatty fish.

• Saturated fat: e.g. cheese, full-fat butter.

Related article: “Healthy Fats for Fat loss”

“Macronutrients” to avoid

Not all “macronutrients” are good. There are such things as fake carbs, fake protein and fake fats. Here’s a list to alert you on which is which:

Fake proteins 

These are proteins that have additional sugar or ingredients added to them or by-products, like whey protein.

These are bad for your gut, which affects your mood and your immune system, and they increase your chances of getting diseases.

As you know, sugar spikes your insulin, which decreases your energy levels and results in fat gain, and often these sugars added are high glycaemic, like glucose syrup.

• Example: pork bites (ready-on-the-go food items).

How to detect them

Look at the ingredients of every food item you’re about to buy, and if it has ingredients that have long names that you’re not sure about, or many ingredients in general, avoid it and don’t buy it. *Search up the ingredient and see if it’s a sugar or unhealthy fat.

Fake carbs

These are carbs that have the usual added ingredients to them that are mostly sugar to preserve and keep them for longer.

To prove that fake carbs, like doughnuts, are bad for your health, look at how long they can last and the preservatives that are added to them.

Their role is to keep bacteria from growing on them, and the fact that bacteria don’t want to grow on sugar just shows that it’s a no-no for your gut let alone you.

These carbs give you more rapid and larger spikes in your blood sugar, which results in tiredness, lack of concentration & awareness, and fat gain.

They also weaken your immune system, increasing your chance of catching diseases and conditions.

How to detect them

Look at the ingredients of every food item you’re about to buy, and if it has ingredients that have long names that you’re not sure about, or many ingredients in general, avoid it and don’t buy it.

*Search up the ingredient and see if it’s a sugar or unhealthy fat 

I wouldn’t class refined carbs as fake carbs. However, you should switch to whole wheat and whole grain alternatives, like brown rice instead of white, and semolina pasta instead of white pasta.

It is more important for people trying to lose fat, as refined carbs generally spike your insulin more than non-refined carbs.

For people not trying to lose weight, take a gradual approach.

Fake fats

McDonalds, five guys, French fries… Do these names ring a bell? Yes, they should, because most of the foods in those fast food restaurants and French fries are drenched in refined oil.

They are all trans fats.

Trans fatty acids can also suppress HDL (good) cholesterol levels, or “good” cholesterol.

Doctors have also linked trans fats to an increased risk of inflammation in the body.

This inflammation can cause harmful health effects that may include heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Many studies have shown trans fats to reduce testosterone and increase estrogen, and also mess up hormones in both men and women.

It can result in anomalies in your mood, and general behaviour, and can even make it harder for you to build muscle. 

• Example: fast food fries.

Avoid fast food in general and use less flower and seed oils.

Rather use vegetable oils, and avoiding that as well will be beneficial, and instead, you can use animal fat or butter.

Choose the right foods

Nowadays, more people are deceived into eating the wrong foods and making the wrong food choices.

Since the food and fitness industry has grown, so have the ingredients in most foods.

Companies market all their unhealthy junk food by putting big, bold letters on their packaging promoting some truth and some lies.

They lure you in by writing things like “high in protein” on the front packaging or “less calories”.

They purposely have colourful packaging on their food items or cartoons to lure your children into wanting them, and because the younger generation is our future, they’re TARGETING OUR FUTURE.

It has come to the point where shops display junk food over healthy food!

However, choosing healthy foods isn’t hard because companies are not legally allowed to hide the ingredients of food items.

How to choose the right food

Read the ingredients of any food you buy.

It’s that simple!

If the ingredients list is long (like more than 3), it is generally less healthy. But that isn’t always the case.

It is about WHAT ingredients are in the food. If you see unknown names in the ingredients, it is likely a chemical you aren’t meant to consume, which is bad for you.

PRO TIP: Ingredients that end with “-ose” are just words for saying “sugar”, and these are generally worse for you as they are high glycaemic sugars, so they create a large and rapid spike in your blood sugar when you consume them.

Here are a lot of names for sugar: 

The majority of sugars you should consume should be from the unrefined carbs you eat (e.g. sweet potatoes).

Should I completely cut out ultra-processed foods?

Unless you want to do a challenge, no. If you’re trying to be healthier, it’s best to gradually cut out ultra-processed foods and eat them less often.

For example, if you have crisps every day, cut it down to every other day, and later, twice a week. 

Preparing your food is what you should be doing, as you know what you’re putting in your food, and you can make it to suit your preferences.

Related article: “The Best Meals for Muscle Gain” *Meals for gaining muscle are also healthy meals!

You don’t need vitamin supplements!

If you prepare your food at home and have a healthy diet, you will have all the vitamins and minerals you need for your body, so there’s no need to buy supplements.

They are a waste of money and most are even ultra-processed and sweet to get children addicted to them and to ruin your health even further.

Conclusion

If you want to stay healthy, your diet should consist of as minimal ultra-processed food items as possible. It should also consist of healthy fats, animal protein (or beans, nuts), vegetables and non-refined carbs.

Make sure you spread them out evenly (for example 25% 25% 25% 25%).

Stay healthy and happy!