What Are Macros?
Need to Know:
The three macronutrients are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Each macro plays a different role in the body, but all three provide the body with calories in varying amounts.
Macros, or macronutrients, are the building blocks of nutrition. Our bodies need these nutrients in larger amounts, as opposed to nutrients like vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) that we need in smaller amounts.
Balancing macronutrients and eating a wide variety of foods can provide the body with balanced nutrition for healthy living.
In nutritional circles, the word “macro” is short for macronutrient. You can learn to track your macros to gain health benefits, but first, its helpful to breakdown the definition of macro and learn more about what macros are so that you can understand how tracking and managing macros may be right for you.
What Are Macros in Food?
Macros—or macronutrients—are nutritional components of the food we eat. These nutrients provide calories or energy for the body to function properly and play other roles such as helping to build muscle, helping to provide insulation to vital organs, and providing energy for the brain.
To fully understand the definition of macronutrient, it is helpful to break the term down into two parts: “macro” and “nutrient.”
The word “macro” is an adjective that means large or large-scale.
A nutrient is “a substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.”
When you combine the two terms, you get “macronutrient,” which is defined as “a type of food required in large amounts in the diet.” In the human body, those three macronutrients are protein, fat, and carbohydrates. You need to consume these three macronutrients for your body to function properly.
But keep in mind that macronutrients are not the only nourishment that your body needs. You also need to consume micronutrients to function. The word “micro” means extremely small or small-scale. The micronutrients that your body needs are vitamins and minerals, and your body needs them in much smaller amounts.
What Are The 3 Macronutrients?
In Macro Diet for Dummies, I explain each macronutrient in detail and provide a complete shopping list for each one. You learn about the benefits of consuming each macronutrient and why making smart choices for those foods is important. If you want to start tracking macros or just consume a healthier diet, pick up a copy of the book to have on hand. It’s a great resource—chock full of tips and recipes—to keep on your kitchen bookshelf!
Here, I’ll offer a brief overview of each macro along with a shorter list of healthy choices and less healthy choices.
What Is Fat?
Dietary fat (the fat provided by food) does not necessarily turn into fat on your body. This is an important fact to keep in mind because you must consume fat to keep your body healthy. Fat plays a number of roles in the body, most notably, it provides energy, insulates your body, and protects your organs.
But fat is also more calorie-dense than the other two macros. While protein and carbs each provide four calories per gram, fat provides nine calories per gram. So it is important to make careful choices when consuming fat and enjoy it in moderation (especially if your goal is weight loss or weight maintenance).
Healthy sources of fat include mostly mono- and polyunsaturated fats. You’ll find these in plant-based foods like nuts, seeds, and avocado. Some fatty fish also provide healthy fat. Consider adding these foods to your diet:
Almonds
Chia seeds
Edamame
Flaxseed
Salmon
Olives
Olive oil
Walnuts
Less healthy sources of fat include foods that provide saturated fat. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that we consume less than 10% of calories from saturated fat as it has been linked to heart disease.(1,2) Foods that provide saturated fat include things like fatty meats, ice cream, fried foods, butter, cream, and cheese. Of course, just because these foods contain saturated fat doesn’t mean you should never consume them. In fact, some of these foods (like dairy) provide important nutrients. But in general, nutrition experts advise that you limit your intake of saturated fat foods.
What Is Protein?
Protein provides structure to hair, skin, nails, bone, and, importantly, to muscle. Protein is made up of amino acids, building blocks used to maintain and repair muscle tissue. Essential amino acids, like leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are not made by the body, so they must be consumed in the diet
When paired with a strength training plan, getting enough protein is your key to getting a strong, fit body. If weight loss is your goal, getting enough protein has been shown to make the process more effective. Having more muscle on your body helps to maintain a healthier metabolism, so you want to be sure to eat protein-rich foods to support a more muscular frame.
Healthy sources of protein provide those important amino acids with less saturated fat. Consider adding these protein-rich foods to your diet:
Green leafy vegetables like spinach
Fish like tuna, trout, salmon, cod, mackerel, or sardines
Lean meats (such as poultry or lean pork)
Nuts and seeds
Protein powder
Quinoa and other whole grains
Soy or soy products, like tofu
Less healthy sources of protein are those that also provide saturated fat in high amounts. As listed above in the fat section, fatty meats and full fat dairy are two culprits. But you may want to steer clear of other protein foods that contain high levels of sodium or other additives. For example, cold cuts or other processed meats are far less healthy than lean meats or plant-based protein.
What Are Carbs?
Carbohydrates provide energy to your body. In fact, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred energy source. While carbs were maligned in the media for years, healthy carbs are essential for a balanced diet.
Carbs can be simple or complex based on their structure. Simple carbs include foods like table sugar or the sugar found in candy and sodas. Complex carbs come from foods like grains, legumes, and vegetables. Complex carbs generally provide fiber and other nutrients like vitamins and minerals, so you might want to prioritize these foods in your diet.
Healthy sources of carbohydrates include:
Beans (red beans, lima beans, black beans, white beans, etc)
Dairy products
Fruit (berries, citrus fruit, melon, etc)
Lentils
Vegetables (cruciferous or green leafy veggies, colorful peppers, cauliflower, etc)
Whole-grain pasta or bread
Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, farro, oats, and more)
Less healthy sources of carbs include ultra-processed foods with added sugars, like sweetened beverages (coffee drinks, sodas, energy drinks), candy, baked goods made with refined grains, packaged snack foods such as chips, some crackers, and sweetened cereals (many of these foods are also high in sodium).
How Do I Determine My Macronutrient Needs?
Each person’s macro needs are based on several factors, such as age, activity level, health status, and their own personalized health goals. However, the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provides recommendations for general health (1). They advise that you consume:
45% to 65% of your calories from carbohydrates
20% to 35% of your calories from fat
10% to 35% of your calories from protein
More recent guidelines (2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans) moved away from providing specific percentages for each macro, but advised that we get 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.(2)
These recommendations can help you achieve general health goals. But if you have more specific goals, such as building muscle or losing weight, you can fine-tune your macros to help reach your goals more effectively. A macro calculator can provide numbers based on your goals and preferences.
👉 Daily Macros Calculator: Get Your Personalized Numbers Instantly 👈
Should You Track Macros?
In general, tracking macros helps ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of each vital nutrient for optimal physical functioning. But there are more specific reasons that some people count the grams of fat, carbs, and protein that they consume.
Weight loss: Making sure that you consume adequate protein, carbohydrates, and fat can help you reach your weight loss goals with greater ease. Getting enough protein can help maintain muscle mass for a healthy metabolism. Consuming high-quality, fiber-rich carbs can help curb hunger throughout the day, and consuming adequate fat helps your body absorb certain vitamins and contributes to diet satiety (a feeling of fullness).
Gaining muscle losing fat: Bodybuilders and other strength-trained athletes often track their macros to promote muscle protein synthesis, or building muscle. Often, they alternate between periods of bulking, when they focus on adding muscle, and periods of cutting, where they seek to cut fat without losing muscle.
Optimizing health: Many people look to nutrition to optimize their overall health. Especially during transitional times (such as pregnancy or menopause) you can help improve daily energy levels, minimize illness, and maintain healthy skin, muscles, and bone by eating a well-balanced nutritious diet. Tracking your macros can help you reach that goal.
People count macros and seek to reach specific macronutrient targets using smartphone apps or macro tracking spreadsheets. But you don’t have to track your meals at that level to gain the benefits of a macro diet. There are many ways to reach your macro targets without tedious counting and tallying. In Macro Diet for Dummies, you’ll learn more about other methods of macro tracking that help you gain the benefits of the practice without the hassle.
Are There Any Downsides to Macro Tracking?
Everyone’s nutritional needs are different. While macro tracking can help accommodate personalized goals and health conditions, there are some people who may find that tracking macros works against them.
Some people find tracking macros to be too time-consuming. Others may find that they focus less on diet quality in an effort to reach nutritional targets. And lastly, people who do meal prep as part of their macro tracking efforts may reduce food variety and limit the nutrients they consume as a result.
Most importantly, people at risk for an eating disorder or with a previous history of eating disorders should avoid counting calories or tracking macros. Using tracking apps or any counting mechanism can contribute to intrusive thoughts or other emotional or physical harm.
If you are not sure about tracking macros, reach out to a registered dietitian to discuss your personalized needs.
Sources:
Levinson CA, Fewell L, Brosof LC. My Fitness Pal calorie tracker usage in the eating disorders. Eat Behav. 2017 Dec;27:14-16. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2017