Importance of Nutrition – Macronutrients & Micronutrients

Whenever you go to a bodybuilding site or any site, magazine
or book dealing with nutrition you will always hear that nutrition is the most
important thing whether it comes to muscle building, getting lean or just
losing weight. I have spoken a few times about nutrition but I have never gone
in depth about nutrition so I thought it would be best if I started from the
very beginning.

I would like to start by talking about essential nutrients,
which are nutrients our body cannot synthesise by itself, we get these nutrients
from consuming food sources, this is basically most of the stuff we eat or we
are supposed to eat such as vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins and
carbohydrates.
Food Is A Source of Nutrients

Nutrients are divided into two groups’ macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients are the bulk of the nutrients we consume; examples of
macronutrients are fats,   carbohydrates, proteins and macro minerals. We
need macronutrients for energy to carry out bodily functions and daily tasks
and to work out; we need them to maintain our current state and to grow.
Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are can all be used as sources of energy for
our body, fat has about 9 calories per gram whereas protein and carbs both have
4 calories per gram, something to consider next time you are eating fatty foods
or creating a diet/meal plan for yourself.
Micronutrients are your vitamins and your minerals. We
require very little amounts of these but they are needed none the less,
examples of micronutrients are Vitamin A, C, D, E, K and minerals such as
copper, zinc, sodium, fluoride and so on…As I said earlier on we need them in
small amounts and the lack of micronutrients could lead to serious health
problems caused by a micronutrient deficiency but also the overdose of
micronutrients leads to serious issues as well. Did you know that vitamin C can
help make you better when you have a common cold; it is also linked with
protection against immune system deficiencies, cardiovascular disease and so much
more
?
A well balanced diet is the best to make sure that you eat
enough macronutrients and micronutrients. Your diet should include all of the
essential nutrients to make sure you do put yourself at risk. It is always wise
to have a nutritionist help you set up your diet when you need to modify it
towards weight gaining or fat loss goals, especially if you can afford it.
I will go into more detail on each of the two classes of
nutrients in the next couples of weeks just to show you how important nutrition
is just for general health and muscle building.

Leave a Reply

© Copyright 2024 Promoting a fit and healthy lifestyle | Zulu Muscle Express