The daily requirements for protein vary. More specific protein guidelines are based on age, sex, and activity level. Some people will consume more protein to reach certain fitness or wellness goals.

Many Americans get more than enough protein from the food they eat. While protein supplements are popular and widely used, in many cases, they are unnecessary.

People might try to avoid fat in their diets, but dietary fat plays an important role in the body. Fat provides an important source of energy in times of starvation or caloric deprivation.

It is also necessary for insulation, proper cell function, and protection of our vital organs. Excessive calorie intake in the form of saturated and trans fat, however, has been linked to a variety of diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

When meal planning or shopping for frozen meals , it is important to understand that fat contains double the calories per gram as protein or carbohydrates. There are different types of fat that can be part of your daily diet. Specifically, dietary fats might be saturated or unsaturated:. When saturated fats in a person's diet are replaced with poly or monounsaturated fats, it can decrease their risk of certain diseases including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Another type of fat, called trans fat , is slowly getting eliminated from foods. Trans fat is a polyunsaturated fat that is processed to become shelf-stable. Processed foods like crackers, cookies, cakes, and other baked goods typically contain these hydrogenated fats.

Health experts have advised against the consumption of trans fats. As a result, food manufacturers have started to remove them from their products. Certain foods have trace amounts of natural trans fat, such meat and dairy products, but there hasn't been substantial evidence to suggest whether or not these have the same effects are commercially made trans fats.

It is important to include each macronutrient in your daily diet. This will be easier if you build each meal around a combination of protein, carbs, and healthy fats. That said, finding the exact balance of macros that's right for you can be tricky. The large range of percentages recommended for each macronutrient leaves room for experimentation.

Everyone's body functions differently when various ratios are consumed. One easy way to plan your meals is to use the USDA's MyPlate system, which simply encourages you to use a divided plate icon to plan your meals. Roughly one-quarter of the plate is designated for fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins.

There is also a small icon for dairy. There is a similar system called the Healthy Eating Plate that is provided by Harvard Health. Each plate image can serve as a reminder to get your nutrition from different sources to ensure that your macro and micronutrient needs are met. When you first begin to balance your macros, the goal is to keep each range within its boundaries, but ensure you get enough of each nutrient.

Some people—particularly athletes—track their macronutrient intake rather than their calorie intake because they are trying to reach certain fitness or performance goals.

A person might also manage a medical condition by watching their macro intake. For example, people with type 2 diabetes often count carbs to manage and limit intake. There are pros and cons to tracking calories and pros and cons to tracking macros; the best method for you will depend on your goals.

If your goal is weight management, the success or failure of your program will ultimately rest on your overall calorie intake. You won't lose weight unless you create a calorie deficit on a regular basis, meaning you are taking in fewer calories than you burn.

Some people find calorie counting to be a good motivator in losing weight. There are many factors that affect weight loss, calories being one of them.

Creating a calorie deficit can result in weight loss but this concept complicated and dynamic. People who are trying to reach or maintain weight loss often choose to track the calories they consume. The calorie counts for most foods and beverages can be found directly on the Nutrition Facts label.

If it's not available there, there are nutrition databases that provide accurate numbers online or even in smartphone apps. Tracking calories might appear to be easier since you are only calculating one number, but some people choose to track macronutrients instead to reach specific goals.

Tracking macronutrients is more complex because you need to set goals for three intake numbers instead of just one. For people trying to reach fitness goals or lose weight, these numbers can be helpful. For example, people who are trying to lose weight might discover that they can reach their calorie goal more easily if they get more of their daily calories from protein.

When included at every meal, protein might help you eat less because it generally provides greater satiety than carbohydrates. People who are managing heart disease or a related condition might track their intake of fat—particularly saturated fat—to reduce their risk for a cardiac event.

People who are trying to reach fitness goals often track their macros. For example, endurance runners might target a particular carb intake to ensure that they are properly fueled for a race. Strength-trained athletes might watch their intake of protein to help them reach their performance goals.

If you choose to track your macros , there are different methods you might use to manage your intake. One of the easiest ways is to use a smartphone app. Many health and wellness apps provide calorie and macro data for countless foods.

These apps help you to input each food you consume and then provide updated charts and other graphics to let you see where you're at throughout the day. Another method is to use the old-fashioned pen and paper approach.

You can either plan meals in advance according to the macro balance that you require, or you can use online resources or apps to get your numbers and keep them in a notebook. Each macronutrient provides an important role in the body. While some trendy diets severely restrict or even eliminate some macros, each is essential to your body's ability to function optimally.

You need to consume each of them in balance unless your healthcare provider has advised you otherwise—for example, because you are managing a health condition. Once you've figured out how to balance your macros, you can learn to make healthy choices within each group.

To reach your fitness goals and maintain your wellness, choose lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. It is important to note, however, that intensive counting of macros may be contraindicated in people with a history of eating disorders.

This type of eating approach also limits a person's ability to listen to their internal hunger cues, so it's best to consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before making any significant changes to your diet.

Macronutrients provide all of the fuel that makes your body work. Your body depends on macronutrients as its only sources of energy. They also contribute to building cells. When people count macros for intentional weight loss , the idea is to hit a target number of grams of each macronutrient each day.

The amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates needed to lose weight varies depending on starting weight, how active a person is, and other complex factors. Because it requires paying close attention to food intake and counting grams of the different macros, it is not recommended for people with a history of disordered eating.

Different foods are good sources for different macronutrients. Whole grains, rice, and pasta are good sources of complex carbohydrates. Chicken, fish, and quinoa provide complete proteins.

Nuts, cooking oils, and avocado are great foods to provide unsaturated fat. Department of Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans Harvard School of Public Health. Types of fat. Sendra E. Dairy fat and cardiovascular health. American Heart Association. Fish and omega-3 fatty acids.

Trans fats. Dietary Guidelines Appendix 7. Nutritional Goals for Age-Sex Groups Based on Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines Recommendations. Table A Dietary Fats. Medline Plus. National Library of Medicine. Total Carbohydrate Fact Sheet. Food and Drug Administration. Protein Fact Sheet.

Over the decades, carbs have waxed and waned in their favorability within the diet. In the s, carbs were recognized as important fuel for athletes, while only 12 years later the Atkins diet was born and carbohydrates were demonized.

In the s, carb-loading was birthed into the sports world as athletes wanted to boost energy before events. Fad Diets Currently, not much has changed in the hysteria and confusion surrounding carbohydrates.

Especially in the fitness realm, protein is touted as the king of macronutrients. Low-carb diets have infiltrated sports nutrition, boasting the benefits of boosted energy and increased athletic performance.

The ketogenic diet is the most prevalent of the low-carb diets today. Some athletes seek to burn more fat during activity to improve performance; however, most studies show no benefit to ketosis during activity. Fat compared with carbohydrates requires more oxygen to produce energy.

This means low-carb athletes would have to work at a higher level to uptake more oxygen to produce comparable energy levels as those achieved with a higher-carbohydrate diet. This means a lb male athlete would need anywhere from to g carbohydrates per day.

Benefits Adequate carbohydrate intake can prevent muscle breakdown from glycogen depletion and prevent hypoglycemia, both of which have been independently proven to reduce athletic performance.

Once this happens, the body needs alternative fuel sources and will turn to protein and fat in a process called gluconeogenesis.

Having enough glycogen on board before exercise and refueling during workouts can help preserve skeletal muscle integrity during exercise. And as exercise intensity is increased, glycogen becomes progressively more important as a fuel source.

During strenuous exercise, muscle tissue damage occurs and can continue after exercise. Due to the anabolic nature of insulin, it increases muscle amino acid uptake and protein synthesis while decreasing protein degradation. After exercise, raising the plasma insulin level within one hour is key for limiting muscle damage.

They can enhance muscle glycogen storage significantly by adding protein to a carbohydrate supplement. This reduces the amount of carbohydrate required to maximize glycogen storage.

If athletes consume both a protein and carbohydrate supplement post workout, they should consume 0. Downside to Low-Carb Diets Though growing in popularity, long-term low-carbohydrate diets are deemed potentially harmful to athletic performance.

Research suggests that low-carb diets can lead to a decline in cognitive performance and mood, perceptions of fatigue, and lack of focus. Other data suggest a stronger risk of skeletal muscle damage during training or competing in individuals following a low-carb diet.

Due to increased reliance on carbohydrates for energy during dehydration and decreased exercise economy from a low-carb diet, researchers are clear that low-carb diets make it difficult to sustain the intensity levels required for competitive and serious athletic performance.

Fueling and Refueling To ensure proper muscle energy stores for sports performance, fueling and refueling before, after, and sometimes during a workout is imperative. Examples of balanced preworkout fuel are egg whites with breakfast potatoes and strawberries, Greek yogurt with berries and granola, or an apple with almond butter and a serving of whole grain crackers.

Within 30 minutes post workout, 1 to 1. An example of a refuel meal would be steak, potatoes, and a side of asparagus or a protein shake with protein powder, fruit, milk, and oats. click to enlarge. Carbohydrate Loading Carbohydrate loading is a dietary practice used to enhance athletic endurance performance by supplying adequate glycogen to the muscles for stored energy.

Muscular fatigue is closely tied to muscle glycogen depletion. Using the practice of carbohydrate loading to maximize these stores may enable an individual to perform at a higher submaximal intensity longer before reaching muscular exhaustion.

Carb loading can improve athletic performance in sports such as marathons, triathlons, ultramarathons, ultraendurance events, Nordic skiing, and long-distance swimming or cycling.

In addition, it has been suggested that mid- to late-game performance in intermittent high-intensity sports, such as soccer and football, might be improved by glycogen loading, specifically when starting levels are low.

Whole grains, fruits, and starchy vegetables are ways to meet this goal. A glycogen-loading meal may include baked chicken, a baked potato, one whole wheat dinner roll, roasted vegetables, a glass of milk, and a side of fruit salad.

Two studies assessed the impact of dietary changes on athletic performance. In the first study, hockey players were split into two groups, one given a high-carb meal and the other a normal mixed food meal.