Macronutrients & Micronutrients, the basics

[AdventureMarc]

Nutritionists and those who study food usually divide food into two main categories: Macronutrients and Micronutrients

Macronutrients are items that we need in larger quantities (hence, Macro) to survive. They are usually broken up into 3 sub categories: Fat, Carbohydrates & Proteins. But there are two other Macronutrients that most people forget: Water and Fiber.
The 3 “main” Macronutrients (Fat, Carbohydrate, Protein) carry an energy load (contain calories). Calories are the yardstick for the measurement of energy. Scientific definition of a calorie is “approximately the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.”

Water and Fiber are Macronutrients, meaning that we need large amounts of them to survive, but our society has chosen not to focus on them as they have no measurable energy value. In the US, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for adult males is 3.7 litres of water per day, and 2.7 liters of day for adult females. This includes water contained in food, beverages, and drinking water. Most medical guidelines recommend a normal person should urinate 4 times per day, and the urine should be a light yellow color. Of course, water needs vary on the temperature, humidity and the person’s level of activity, but most americans are not drinking enough water to fulfill the medical guidelines. With regards to fiber, guidelines from the American Heart Association, the Institute of Medicine, and other groups recommend Adequate Intake for dietary fiber for adults is 25 to 38 grams per day. Early hunter/gatherer societies would get an average of 100 grams of fiber daily, unfortunately the average American gets 13g!!—well below the medical recommendations.

Micronutrients consist of the Vitamins, Minerals and phytonutrients we also need to survive, but we need them in much less quantities. They have no caloric or energy load to them and their purpose is outside of providing energy (some micronutrients support the energy process, but do not directly fuel it.) Our food society has chosen to focus mainly on the energy/caloric load of foods, but that has caused many to get and over consume energy items, but lack most of the micronutrients our bodies need for proper health. This is why we have people in our society that are overweight (carrying stored energy in the form of fat) but suffer from malnutrition: Scurvy, Ricketts, Anemia, etc.

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