Gray Wolf Fitness
Nutrition at Work
Which is more important? What does each one do?
To get you thinking about how Macronutrients and Micronutrients work together, I use this analogy. Think of your car, the engine is the Macronutrients that gives you energy and strength to move, the oil you have to put in is what allows the engine to run smoothly and this is your Micronutrients.
So, most of you know that Macronutrients are made up of Protein, Carbohydrates and Fat. These items we get in the food we eat. Macros is what I work off of to help people eat healthy with whole foods. Everyone’s macros will be different due to how our body functions. Understand that there is a starting point that different professionals will start you at, but then there will be tweeks in the numbers in order to get your body to react correctly to get you to your goals. Even anyone is interested to understand more about macronutrients, please message me and I will be glad to discuss further.
Now I am going to switch gears and talk about Micronutrients, which is what our vitamins and minerals make up. Micronutrients is not something our body can help create or change to meet our needs in the area of vitamins and minerals. Micronutrients are critical to maintaining robust human metabolism and overall human health. Deficiencies in micronutrients are the cause of diseases like scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), rickets (vitamin D deficiency), and blindness (vitamin A deficiency). Additionally, deficiencies in micronutrients such as magnesium can impair glucose metabolism and deficiencies in selenium can result in muscle pain and bone disorders. So what makes up Micronutrients? In the vitamin area, you have two types, water-soluble and fat soluble. Water-soluble vitamins are B1(Thiamine), B2(Riboflavin), B3(Niacin), B5(Pantothenic Acid), B6, B12, C, Biotin and Folic Acid. Water-soluble vitamins are not stored in the tissues and excess levels are excreted. Therefore, urine becomes a vibrant, bright yellow after consumption of large dose of vitamin B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C and multivitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are the fat-soluble vitamins. Because of their solubility, they are stored in the tissues of the body and play critical roles in metabolism and proper hormonal function.
Minerals is where we finish making the micronutrients. The minerals for health are Chromium, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Sodium and Zinc. These minerals are vital for our health. They support our system in transporting, regulating, reacting and creating antioxidants that our bodies need for efficient function.
In order to easily achieve complete micronutrition, it is best to avoid diets that utilize severe restriction of macronutrients (e.g., very-low-carb diets), omit entire food groups (e.g., vegan diets or the keto diet), or eat very-low energy for extended periods of time. Further, these specific protocols, or any others, should be discussed with a RDN and supported by a Nutrition Coach. While there are special considerations for unique populations, the moderate, balanced approach achieves complete macro- and micronutrition for greater than 90% of the population.
Here are some studies that support the issue of micronutrient deficiencies that are observed in many popular diets. For example, one study that examined micronutrient status in people following the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet, the Best Life Diet, and the DASH Diet found that all four diets led to nutrient deficiencies in one or more micronutrients (Calton, 2010). The deficiencies were quite large in each diet. The Atkins Diet was only 44% sufficient, meeting only 12 out of 27 essential micronutrients, while the Best Life Diet was 56% (15 out of 27), the DASH Dietwas 52% (14 out of 27), and the South Beach Diet was 22% sufficient (6 out of 27). Similar findings were observed in a study examining a commercial vegan diet (Eat to Live-Vegan, Aggressive Weight Loss) as well as a commercial high-animal protein, low-carbohydrate diet (Engel, Kern, Brenna, & Mitmesser, 2018).
So if you are someone that is working on losing weight, please consider what you are doing and look for support from a Register Dietician. Also, don’t hesitate to look at supplements to help you maintain the right amount of micronutrients in your diet.
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