(Part 1 of 2)
Keto, Atkins, Paleo, Whole 30, high protein, low carbs... What does it all mean and what does it have to do with weight loss?
Let's explore Protein and its power in weight loss and good health.
MACRO vs MICRO Nutrients
Macro- and
MicroNutrients are categories of food. Macro means 'big' and includes larger nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fat. Micro, meaning 'small', includes the smaller nutrients of vitamins and minerals. Macronutrients provide us with energy, while micronutrients perform functions in our bodies to help keep us healthy, including digestion. It's important to track both macro- and micronutrients to ensure we are getting proper nutrition for good health, especially when dieting.
Proteins, a macronutrient we hear a lot about these days, is vital to good health, proper functioning of the body and weight loss.
Proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are essential to a variety of bodily functions. Our bodies use 20 different amino acids. Your body can create only 11 of them; the other nine we get from our diet and are called essential amino acids.