Key Takeaways
- Macros (protein, carbs, and fat) are primary nutrients the human body needs in large amounts.
- Counting macros is a popular way to monitor your intake, track your nutrition, and ensure you’re getting the right amount for your health goals.
- An RD/RDN can provide individualized guidance for specific macro ratios.
Macronutrients (macros) are the primary nutrients your body needs in large amounts for energy. Counting macros is a popular way to track and reach nutrition and health goals, such as losing weight or gaining muscle.
1. Understand Your Daily Energy Needs
Before counting macros, it’s vital first to determine your daily calorie needs, which depend on factors like:
- Age
- Body size
- Biological sex
- Activity level
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding status
Most adult males need 2,200 to 2,800 calories if living a moderately active lifestyle, more with increased activity. Most moderately active adult females need 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day.
Once you know your daily calorie needs, you can calculate your optimal carb, fat, and protein balance.
Calories vs. Macronutrients
Calories are a unit of energy, found in each macronutrient as follows:
- Fat: 9 calories per gram
- Carbs: 4 calories per gram
- Protein: 4 calories per gram
An adult might need around 2,000 calories daily, but tracking macros goes further. For a 50% carb, 25% fat, 25% protein split, aim for about 250g carbs, 55g fat, and 125g protein.
Alcohol adds seven calories per gram, so do factor that in if you drink.
2. Determine Your Macro Ratio Goal
For adults, suggested macro ratios include:
- Protein: 10-35% of total calories. Average among U.S. adults is 15.8%.
- Carbs: 45-65% of total calories. Average among U.S. adults is 46.7%.
- Fat: 20-35% of total calories. Average among U.S. adults is 35.8%.
You can adjust macronutrient ratios for goals like muscle building or weight loss (ex., increasing protein and fiber).
Low-carb, high-protein diets may also assist with short-term blood sugar control and weight loss.
However, research does not support low-fat and low-carb diets for long-term weight loss.
Once you set your ideal macro ratio, calculate daily grams by multiplying each percentage by your overall calorie goal.
3. Count Your Macros
Read nutrition labels to determine the amount of macros in your food. The label will contain the number of calories in a portion size and grams of carbs, fat, and protein.
Online tools and apps can help you track your daily macros and estimate the amount of macros in foods without nutrition labels (e.g., produce, fresh cuts of meat, or seafood).
A food scale can help you know exactly how many grams of specific foods you eat.
What Are the 3 Macronutrients?
Proteins, carbs, and fat are the macronutrients your body needs daily for energy and vital functions. Foods vary in macronutrient content, each with a different amount of energy (calories) per gram.
Proteins
Proteins make up most of the tissues in the body and play a role in many vital cellular functions.
Proteins you eat are broken down into their building blocks, amino acids, which your body uses to make new proteins and tissue.
Foods high in protein include the following:
- Meat
- Fish
- Eggs
- Beans
- Milk
- Yogurt
Carbohydrates
Carbs are the body’s main energy source. Your body breaks down carbs into glucose, which cells can quickly use for energy.
| Types of Carbs | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Carb Type | Simple carbs | Complex carbs | Fiber |
| Description | Made of one or two sugar molecules | Chains of sugars that need to be broken down | A type of complex carb, often not absorbed by the body |
| Sources | Fruits, honey, molasses, cane sugar, corn syrup | Grains, cereals, pasta | Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds |
| Additional Info | Quickly raise your blood sugar | Provide long-term energy | Helps regulate digestion |
Fats
Dietary fat is essential to a healthy diet. It’s needed to help the body absorb specific vitamins and cushion key organs.
Some cells in the body, like the heart, rely on fats for energy.
Fats are made of fatty acids, some of which are essential, and you need to get them through your diet.
The following includes a comparison of saturated and unsaturated fats.
-
Solid at room temperature
-
Found in: animal products, coconut, and palm oil
-
Can raise LDL, the “bad cholesterol”
-
Limit to less than 10% of total calories
-
Liquid at room temperature
-
Found in: olive, canola, soybean oil, fatty fish, and specific nuts and seeds
-
Generally considered healthier, may help improve cholesterol
Adjusting Your Macros for Your Needs
Calorie and macro needs can vary based on many factors, such as:
- Age
- Body size
- Sex
- Activity level
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding status
- Presence of malnutrition or other chronic conditions
People with specific health goals can consult a registered dietitian nutritionist (RD/RDN) to guide and ensure their diet provides adequate nutrients.
Benefits of Counting Macros
Counting macros is a popular way to track nutrition and health goals and can increase awareness of how and when you eat. Some benefits of counting macros include:
- Better understanding of your diet and health
- Awareness of the foods in your diet and their nutrient density (nutrients vs. calories)
- Improving blood sugar control and diabetes management
- Improving cholesterol
- Weight loss and changes in body composition
Tips for Counting Macros
Counting macros can be a significant change in helping you keep track of your nutrition, but it can be challenging to turn it into a habit.
- Use macro-counting tools, such as a phone app or a journal, to track your calories and macros. Many are free to use. Tools like the USDA’s MyPlate Plan can help you find your calorie range and nutrient recommendations. Other apps let you scan a food item’s barcode to easily track it.
- Hold yourself accountable. Telling or involving family members, friends, or dedicated nutrition support groups about your plans can help keep you accountable and motivated.
- Meal planning can be a great way to ensure you’re meeting your macro goals and help you better manage your diet and nutrition. Set time each week to plan the week’s meals, followed by a grocery shopping trip.
- Consider getting a food scale and using it until you get the hang of portion sizes and macros.
- Counting macros doesn’t mean you can’t eat out, but try to be mindful of what’s on your plate. Some restaurants may provide nutrition information if you ask. You can also request sauces or dressings on the side and use them sparingly.
- Ensure that you have quick, healthy snacks on hand. For example, keep fresh-cut veggies to dip in hummus in the fridge instead of reaching for a sugary energy bar to satisfy hunger.
- Celebrate your victories. Celebrate your small and big wins, whether it’s improving your nutrition knowledge, making healthy changes, or improving your blood sugar or cholesterol.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/1000x1000pixjpg-f61393eb490a4aeba57e413c255b93af.jpg)