WEBVTT - What Are Macronutrients and Micronutrients?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Volga bomb Here. Once upon a time, calories bore

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<v Speaker 1>the brunt of dieters. Ire would be weight watchers meticulously

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<v Speaker 1>crunched numbers on nutrition labels and brands made major bucks

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<v Speaker 1>shilling snacks made of little more than artificial sweeteners and air. Then,

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<v Speaker 1>as the world learned more about the potential waistline expanding

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<v Speaker 1>and otherwise unhealthy power of processed sugars, many people begin

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<v Speaker 1>paying less attention to their total cloric intake and more

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<v Speaker 1>attention to the composition of their meals. Focusing on quality

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<v Speaker 1>over quantity isn't a bad idea, since nutritionists are adamant

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<v Speaker 1>that not all calories are created equal, meaning your body

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<v Speaker 1>will process a hundred calories worth of kale much differently

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<v Speaker 1>than wild process a hundred calories worth of ntella, which

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<v Speaker 1>sadly isn't very much to tella. But breaking down the

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<v Speaker 1>benefits of what's on your plate requires some basic knowledge

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<v Speaker 1>of the building blocks of food. So do you even

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<v Speaker 1>count Macro's bro Should you ever find yourself down in

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<v Speaker 1>Instagram fits bow rabbit hole, you may be overwhelmed by

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<v Speaker 1>the amount of talk about macros. Along with pounding protein

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<v Speaker 1>powder and nailing dead lifts. Fitness enthusiasts often discussed the

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<v Speaker 1>practice of counting macronutrients to hit their goals. Macronutrients are

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<v Speaker 1>what constitute the foods you eat, and they can be

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<v Speaker 1>broken down into the following basic categories. Carbohydrates, proteins including

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<v Speaker 1>essential amino acids, and fats including essential fatty acids, though

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<v Speaker 1>experts often also tack on water and fiber to this

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<v Speaker 1>list as your body needs them for healthy organ function

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<v Speaker 1>and digestion. Different types of macronutrients have different amounts of

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<v Speaker 1>calories per serving. Fats yield about nine calories program, while

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<v Speaker 1>proteins and carbs contain about four calories program each. Dietitians

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<v Speaker 1>generally recommend divvying up your diet so that you get

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<v Speaker 1>a variety of macronutrients, since each type provides different payoffs. Carbs,

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<v Speaker 1>most commonly found in foods like grains, fruits, and vegetables,

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<v Speaker 1>fuel your brain and body with energy. Proteins often obtained

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<v Speaker 1>from meat, dairy, eggs, tofu and lagoons, help prepare and

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<v Speaker 1>build your muscles, skin, and organs, and aid in hormonal production.

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<v Speaker 1>Fats found in foods like avocados, olive oil, seeds, nuts,

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<v Speaker 1>and various animal products are stored in your body and

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<v Speaker 1>then used as backup fuel and to protect and insulate

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<v Speaker 1>your organs and bones, including one that we particularly prize

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<v Speaker 1>around here, your brain. Everyone's nutritional needs are different, but

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<v Speaker 1>the U. S Department of Health and Human Services generally

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<v Speaker 1>recommends the following daily macro ranges for adults forty to

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<v Speaker 1>sixty of your diet from carbs, ten to thirty pc

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<v Speaker 1>from protein, and twenty from fat. But micronutrients matter too.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Donald hens Red, head of the Mayo Clinic Healthy

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<v Speaker 1>Living Program, recently talked about micro and macronutrients in an

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<v Speaker 1>addition of Mayo Clinic Minute. He said, we need both

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<v Speaker 1>macronutrients to help with energy, and we need micronutrients to

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<v Speaker 1>help our body be healthy and digest those macronutrients. The

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<v Speaker 1>World Health Organization has an even more colorful definition of

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<v Speaker 1>micronutrients quote called micronutrients because they are needed only in

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<v Speaker 1>minuscule amounts. These substances are the magic wands that enable

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<v Speaker 1>the body to produce enzymes, hormones, and other substances essential

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<v Speaker 1>for proper growth and development. What both of those definitions

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<v Speaker 1>mean essentially, is that micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals

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<v Speaker 1>found in food, and as you can imagine, there are

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<v Speaker 1>a ton necessary to keep your brain and body in

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<v Speaker 1>top shape. They typically fall into the following categories. Water

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<v Speaker 1>soluble vitamins like vitamin C and B, vitamins, fat soluble

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<v Speaker 1>vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K, and essential

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<v Speaker 1>trace minerals from chromium to zinc. About thirty vitamins and

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<v Speaker 1>minerals are considered essential. That means your body can't manufacture

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<v Speaker 1>enough of them on its own, so you need to

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<v Speaker 1>get them from food. And five micronutrients vitamin B, six,

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<v Speaker 1>vitamin C, B of an, E, magnesium, and zinc are

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<v Speaker 1>important for keeping your immune system boosted, so it's a

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<v Speaker 1>good idea to ensure your food choices are chalk full

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<v Speaker 1>of them. But one last thing, not all micronutrients supplement

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<v Speaker 1>pills actually deliver a useful amount of vitamins and minerals

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<v Speaker 1>to your body. As Dr Howard D. Sso, Associate Professor

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<v Speaker 1>of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health, you

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<v Speaker 1>should ideally try to meet your vitamin and mineral needs

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<v Speaker 1>through your diet rather than supplements, and indeed research shows

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<v Speaker 1>that wild supplements can be a stop gap for a

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<v Speaker 1>poor diet. It's better to spend your money and effort

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<v Speaker 1>on eating a balanced diet. It'll probably taste better too.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Michelle Konstantinovski and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Klang. For more on this and lots of other

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<v Speaker 1>nutritious topics, visit our home planet, how stuff works dot com.