The Three Amigos
The trio.
The trifecta.
The trilogy.
Three is a powerful number, even considered holy in some religions.
It's no coincidence, then, that your body was designed to function off of a healthy balance of three macronutrients (aka macros).
Somewhere along the line, however, the man decided that, rather than follow the natural order of how our bodies are designed, it would be a keen idea to trick our bodies into losing fat and, thus, developed ideas such as no or low carb diets and low-fat diets (among a plethora of others).
I don't know about you, but I'm pretty damn impressed by what the human body can do. The last thing it needs is little human me attempting to trick it and override its natural design, thankyouverymuch.
Let's take a look at what these macronutrients are and, more importantly, why you need a healthy balance of all three.
Carbohydrates
(aka carbs aka deliciousness)
I wanna give carbs a big ol' delicious hug.
They get such a bad rap and are the first ones kicked off the team when looking for a quick fix, often a fad diet.
Carbs are our energy source.
In addition to doing some pretty important stuff if, you know, you consider muscle growth and recovery and brain function important.
When you go on a super low or no carb diet, you are literally tricking your body into looking for other sources of energy.
Unless you have a serious allergy or severe aversion to them (which, I'm sorry, if you have an aversion to carbs we can't be friends), your body is designed to process carbs.
Learn to make healthy choices.
Learn to eat them in balance.
But eat them.
Fats
(aka don't be a terrible human)
If you haven't uttered the words, "Sorry for how I acted yesterday, my hormones were out of wack," are you even human?
Biochemistry is real, my friends. There are chemicals at play within our body at all times which require a delicate balance to not be, you know, a terrible human being.
In addition to aiding in the ever-important roles of brain function and vitamin absorption, fats help to regulate our hormones.
Lookin' for a sure-fire-one-way ticket to Moodyville? Stay in a low fat diet. (Just be sure to lose my number before you do.)
Despite their name, poor guys, fats do not automatically make you fat. Your body needs them to maintain balance. Again, the key is to focus on healthy fats and to eat them in proper portions for your goals.
Protein
(aka be a badass)
If I ever become a movie star and act in a movie about macros, I wanna be Protein. These bad boyz are the powerhouses, the building blocks.
Your muscles, your bones, your cartilage...all built from protein.
Many of us are not getting enough protein for our body to operate at Maximum Capacity (that's in caps 'cause I just decided it's the name of this movie).
The key to protein is to get as much as possible from whole food sources.
Protein powders and bars are called supplements for a reason: They're meant to supplement-add to-what you're already getting from your food.
Whether you're in the gym or not-but especially if you are-give your body the protein it needs to function at Maximum Capacity. (Now I hear an announcer's voice when I say it...coming June 2021).
The answer to getting your health in check doesn't live in the next fad diet. It's in getting educated: learning how to fuel your body with the proper balance of all three macronutrients.