“Are you tracking your macros?” This fairly common question among health aficionados today may not have made sense to nutrition-savvy people of the past. Macros, short for macronutrients, are the building blocks of any diet. Break down any food into its basic molecular components and you’ll find the proteins, fats and carbohydrates that give us the energy to live. And it’s become increasingly common to pay close attention to what proportions of each you eat, whether your goal is weight loss, muscle building, decreased hunger or just improving general health.
Proteins
Your body uses protein to build and repair muscles, organs and other tissues in your body. So even if you’re not working on your bulging biceps, you need plenty of protein in your diet to keep your body functioning. For instance, hemoglobin — the molecule that allows your red blood cells to shuttle oxygen around the body — is a protein. Proteins are also important for building components of your immune system, hormones, neurotransmitters and many structures inside each of your cells.
