Staying consistent with a healthy diet plan might seem like a difficult task nowadays, but it’s not impossible if you take a strategic approach to nutrition. Whether you’re an athlete trying to maximize your performance in training or if you simply want to tone your body and feel energized, there’s no denying that healthy eating is the way to achieve your goals.
That said, you can’t just wing it when it comes to healthy eating, because you have to be mindful of your macronutrient intake if you want to reach your target weight and get your weight loss motivation. Now that many of us are stuck in lockdown, finding the motivation to eat healthy carbs, protein, and fats might seem like a challenge, but all you really need is to plan ahead.
Here are the five tips to get more healthy macros into your diet and why macronutrients are so important.
Start with your calorie requirements
Before we start talking about the individual macronutrients, we have to lay the right foundation. No matter how much you focus on your macros, you will always fall short of your goals if you’re not managing your daily caloric intake. Calories matter most when it comes to weight loss, weight gain, and weight management in general.
Eat more calories than you’re expending, and you will add weight to your frame. Eat less calories than you’re expending, and you will lose weight. It’s important that you calculate your caloric requirements in order to factor macronutrients into your daily meal plan so that you’re always on track with your muscle-building or weight management goals. Once you know how much you need to eat every day, you can start working the different macros into your nutrition plan.
Carbs as your primary fuel source
Carbohydrates are often to blame when people are unable to lose unwanted weight or when we find ourselves gaining fat even though we’re training rigorously. Now that the pandemic is turning our focus on health and healthy eating, it’s more important than ever before to manage our carb intake in order to gain energy without gaining unwanted weight.
When you consume fast-acting carbs found in sweets, sugary drinks and junk food in general, you’re adding empty calories to your diet that leave you feeling drained and tired. On the other hand, when you consume slow-acting, healthy carbs found in vegetables, legumes, and various whole grains, nuts and seeds, you’re providing your body with a sustainable energy source that will help you feel energized and boost your performance in training.
The bulk of your carb intake should come from medium-acting and slow-acting carbohydrates.
Focus on a protein-rich diet plan
Of course, the most important macronutrient for athletes and those who want to lose fat, build muscle, and maximize their performance, is protein. It’s important that the foundation of your daily diet plan consists of protein sources that will allow your body to recover from exercise, burn fat, and stay energized.
It can be difficult to sustain a protein-rich diet plan on a daily basis, but with a combination of meal plan delivery services and home-cooked meals, you can have protein-rich meals throughout the day whether you’re at home or at the office. It’s important that you stick to a healthy protein diet daily in order to feel sated for longer and refrain from reaching for unhealthy substitutes like junk food, sweets, and more.
Don’t neglect the healthy fats
Protein is extremely important for active individuals, and carbs are an excellent source of energy, but that doesn’t mean that you should neglect the healthy fats. Healthy fats are found in various tasty foods, including seeds and nuts, fatty fish, eggs, dairy products, red meats, avocados, olive oil, and various other healthy foods. Eating primarily healthy fats is a great way to safeguard your mental health and activate your immune system to fight acute and chronic conditions.
You should, on the other hand, stay away from less healthy fats, known as trans fats found in snack foods, commercially baked pastry products, fried foods, margarine, and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Make sure to drink plenty of water
You might not have known it before, but water is actually a macronutrient because we require plenty of it to ensure the proper functioning of all bodily processes. That said, water doesn’t contain any calories and does not contain any other macro or micronutrients. It does, however, help bring nutrients to our cells, removes waste from our bodies, and helps regulate body temperature, metabolism, and more.
With that in mind, it’s important to drink plenty of fresh water every day, even though you don’t need to stick to the over-hyped rule of drinking eight glasses of water every day. Simply remember to sip on pure aqua throughout the day, and drink water when you feel thirsty and you will feel more energized and healthier.
Wrapping up
Macronutrients are an essential part of a healthy diet plan, whether you’re an athlete or just trying to stay fit. Use these tips to build a healthier diet plan and a winning eating regime that will help you achieve your goals.
