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Common Sense Nutrition: Macronutrients VS Micronutrients
There’s a lot of focus on macronutrients nowadays. People are always going on about hitting their macro numbers. They fixate on achieving their protein, carb and essential fat targets, yet there is very little thought given to micronutrients.
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals that are found in all foods, including herbs and spices. In fact, the micronutrient content of herbs and spices makes it a good idea to flavour your foods with them. You should also eat a healthy range of vegetables as well as different protein sources.
Micronutrients are essential to the body because they include the vitamins and minerals that are vital to a healthy immune system and to the production of energy in the body. Minerals are also important for muscle growth and bone health. Eating a range of different foods will give you a full complement of micronutrients.
You can’t get the range of micronutrients that your body needs by simply eating the same foods every day of the week. If you cook two kilograms of chicken with broccoli for the whole week, you will not be getting the variety of micronutrients you could potentially be consuming. You will only achieve this by eating a range of different sources of protein, vegetables and herbs and spices.
The bottom line on getting your micronutrients is to mix up your foods. For example, in terms of protein, you could have lamb for lunch, beef for dinner and chicken the next day. By doing so, you’ll be fuelling your body with the macronutrients AND the micronutrients that can give you the training and nutrition edge.