(0:41) Welcome
Welcome back to The Paleo View!Stacy has no idea what day it isThe Toth/McCarry crew is currently in Salt Lake City and will soon be heading on to DenverThey have a whole lot of country left to explore, and lots of events on the calendarStacy shared details on their zigzag travel plansSarah sent out a warm Happy Canada Day to all the Candian listeners! And a Happy Independence Day to the American listeners!Special thank you to this week's sponsor, Wild ZoraThey are not just sponsoring this show but are also fueling Stacy's family as they are traveling across the countryTo check them out visit: wildzora.com/thepaleoviewUsing that link you can get free shipping and 30% off your orderWild Zora is jerky that has vegetables incorporatedStacy said they are delicious and the texture is perfect(7:15) Macronutrients & Micronutrients
On this week's episode, Stacy and Sarah are going to talk about macronutrientsWhile this is a little bit of a tangential discussion from the typical micronutrient nerdiness that this show covers, Stacy wanted to dig into this topicMacronutrients were something that Stacy did use to track when she was on a lifting schedule because she found that it did help with her performanceStacy has noticed that it is common to see foods marketed today towards the keto communityThese foods tend to be macronutrient heavy in one way or anotherRecently on Instagram Stacy saw someone sharing a product with crazy macronutrient ratiosIt was a fat bomb that just didn't make sense on a macronutrient levelWhat concerns Stacy about people going so focused on macros is when all acknowledgment towards balance is ignoredSarah has seen in gyms how they promote macro trackingAt her gym, in particular, they have an 'Eat Your Macros' programIn these instances, you see some people who aren't nutrient literate hitting their numbers with unhealthy foods/drinksBeing overly focused on macronutrients runs into problems when it is not connected to a food quality conversation and a micronutrient conversationThere is also this other part of this conversation that is happening right now where we are seeing these macronutrient extreme dietsExamples include:Low/zero carbKetoLow fatCarnivoreSarah wants to take this episode to unpack macronutrients a little bitWhat is the difference between macros and micros?Macros really just translate to energyMacro means bigIt is nutrients that we need from food in big quantitiesCarbohydrates, fat, protein and fiberMicro means smallIt is nutrients that we need from food in small quantitiesVitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, essential amino acids, and essential fatty acidsThe stuff that we need in big quantities translates into energyThere is also some raw material stuff in macronutrientsProtein is used to make proteins in our bodyIt's not just making muscle, it is making components of every single cellFat makes up cell membranesOur brain is about 60% fatHormones are fat based moleculesWe use some of these things as building materials and the rest we use as energy to drive chemical reactionsFiber is really about feeding our gut microbiomeEven though we need micronutrients in small quantities, it is quite a challenge to get micronutrient sufficiencyThis is the nutrient density piece that is always be covered on the showAs soon as you try to get all the micronutrients that your body needs in adequate quantities from whole foods, you are forced into a Paleo or AIP style dietThis means eating seafood, organ meat, a ton of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, fresh herbsThis is how you get micronutrient sufficiency(14:27) Our Needs Through the Scientific Lens
Sarah is going to come at macronutrient guidelines by looking at basic ideas about human anatomy and physiologyOne of the ways to do this is by looking at hunter-gather intakesWhat is the macronutrient range that we see among hunter-gather populations, given that human evolution was often driven by the energy density of our foodSarah dug into these studies that have been completed across the worldHow foods are used to correct macronutrient imbalancesWe look at these societies that mimic the diet that we would have had for at least the last few hundred, thousand years of evolutionThese diets don't have any of the chronic health problems that are associated with industrial, western countriesWe observe the trends and form a hypothesis regarding the macronutrient levels that are likely idealAMDRThe Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine has set Accepted Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDR) for protein, fat, and carbohydrates based on evidence from interventional trials with support of epidemiological evidence that suggests a role in the prevention or increased risk of chronic diseases and based on ensuring sufficient intake of essential nutrientsLevels of too much or too little are associated with some kind of health problemThis is completely based on contemporary studiesAMDR for fat estimated to be 20 to 35% of total energy for adultsAMDR for protein estimated to be 10 to 35% of total energy for adultsAMDR for carbohydrates as an estimated 45 to 65 percent of total energy (and below 25 percent from sugars) doesn’t quite align with hunter-gatherer intakesWe can take this information and through the lens of our philosophies on understanding science, we can add some interesting additional things on to thatWe know that higher protein intake is really really important for weight managementWe know that there are some genes where lower fat is really important25% of people have one or more copies of the gene where a diet lower in fat is ideal for their bodiesWe know that with the modern food supply sugars are actually more important to limit than total carbohydratesWhen we start to add in this extra insight by taking in an even bigger picture view of the scientific evidence, we can come up with a macronutrient intake range that sort of fits modern science and hunter-gather intakesThis will give us a pretty good target with a lot of wiggle room for self-experimentationWhen Sarah looks at all of this data together, here is what she ends up with:20-35% of our total calories coming from fat20-35% of our total calories coming from protein30-60% of our total calories coming from whole food sources of carbohydratesThis is what Sarah refers to as balanced macronutrientsThis doesn't mean that every meal needs to be super regimentedThe body seems to respond really well to fluctuations in macronutrientsEx: seasonal variability, macro timing throughout the dayThese macronutrient ranges don't look like any of the diet extremesTo learn more about the challenges that arise from extreme diets, check out episodes 140and 305Fad diets, where the primary goal is weight loss, are not designed to be healthyWhen we look at macronutrients and we look at them in this way, we are really looking at:What is the range where we are going to be able to maintain health?And these are the ranges that we end up in30-60% calories from carbohydrates give us a lot of playing room(25:03) The Balancing Act
What's curious to Stacy is the idea of this balance of macronutrientsIf you talk to three different people they would tell you three different things about what the ideal isStacy does think it is true that it is an individual thingSarah thinks that what we are learning is that too much or too little of any macronutrient is associated with health problemsWith micronutrients, we know that there is a range that is considered sufficient for most peopleThen there are these extra situations where you might need extra of certain micronutrientsWe also see that kind of variation in macrosFor example, if you are someone who is very active, that increases your protein requirementsEvery diet works to help you lose weight, but most of these diets promote both lean muscle mass loss and fat lossDepending on the diet, it can be up to a pound for pound (fat to muscle) lossWhen you lose muscle, you lower your basal metabolic ratePreserving lean muscle is really important for preserving metabolismIf your metabolism tanks than you need lower amounts of calories to keep losing weightIf you lose weight too quickly, you increase your hunger hormones, which drives appetiteYou have this perfect storm of being hungrier than you would normally beMaking it harder to maintain your dietOne of the ways to get around this is to up your protein intake and to incorporate some weight bearing exerciseAim for a moderate caloric intake so that you are not losing weight too quicklyYes you lose weight more slowly, but it is easier to keep the weight lost offSarah provided more examples of where people will fall within the ranges based on certain attributes and medical conditionsWe have within these ranges people who will do better at the low end or at the high end, and there are so many different situations that will determine where you fallWe probably are supposed to have seasonal variability as wellSarah recommends playing within these rangesIf we are going to take a micronutrient approach and aim to get enough fiber (which is really critical) and enough protein and balance the plant versus animal food so that we achieve micronutrient sufficiency, it almost forces you into those ideal rangesIt is incredibly challenging to get enough fiber and not end up with about 40% of your calories from carbohydratesOur dense fiber foods, like 3.5 cups sweet potatoes, has 25 grams of fiberWhich would be the USDA fiber allowance for a womanSarah noted that this probably half of what we actually needThis is not a ridiculous amount of sweet potato to eat throughout the whole day, which will give you 150 grams of carbohydratesYou can get the same amount of fiber from 24 cups of spinachWhich would give you 50 grams of carbohydratesDense sources of fiber are going to work best for most of usIn order to get enough fiber, it is really tough to do without your total carbohydrates ending in the 200 to 300-gram rangeFrom a fiber intake perspective, getting enough vegetable matter to get our fiber intake up to where it is supposed to be, that automatically puts us in the higher carbohydrate rangeIf you think about your plate being 3/4 vegetables and using some fat to make things tasty, adding some nuts and seeds, and having quality meats; it is almost impossible to not end up in those balanced macronutrient ranges when you start thinking about micronutrientsThis is why you need balanced macrosYou cannot get the micronutrients you need once you start skewing your macronutrients into these extremesYou are going to miss out on somethingThere are micronutrients packaged up with our macronutrients that are really importantPart of aiming for balanced macronutrients and having a food quality criteria for choosing foods is achieving micronutrient sufficiencyStacy is shocked that it came back around to micronutrientsIt makes sense that athletes, for example, are turning to products that are targeted to increasing whatever macro they are focused on and not necessarily the micros associated with itStacy loves the way Sarah framed her explanationThat if you think for a minute of just the basic necessity of fiber and the micronutrients you need, and then from there consider the macro piece, you will be in the right headspaceIt is a struggle overall to achieve balance because there are so many factors that go into itHowever, when we consider the goal and where we are coming from, we are able to make decisions based on long-term health goalsOne of the things that Sarah wants to emphasize is that this is a learning curveSarah will do a 3-day food diary once a quarterShe uses the Cronometer appWith this data, she is checking in on her fiber, protein, and her micronutrientsShe lets fat and carbs land where they may because they are going to land in healthy zones if she is getting enough fiber and enough proteinSarah thinks that for most people fiber is where people are most challenged when getting their macronutrients in balanceProtein is typically secondIt takes a few days, maybe a week, of measuring foods and looking at databases for nutrition information to get a sense for where you are at and where you can fine-tune to hit your numbersFind the foods that fill in the gaps for youFigure out what your place looks likeThen you can wean off the measuring and logging, and simply execute what you found out about your ideal plate makeupAnd from there you can check in every once in a while to make sure you are on trackFood journaling is a phenomenal tool for weight lossAwareness around what you are eating is really important for the behavioral modification of weight lossHowever, Stacy noted that for those with a history of disordered eating it can be problematicBe mindful of this when identifying how best to check your macro and micro levelsStacy shared her experience with being respectful of the emotional pieces associated with trackingIt doesn't need to be an overwhelming experience if we come from the perspective of what is my intent, what am I trying to achieve, is this food choice the best for me in this momentWith that, Stacy suggests eating Wild Zora bars to increase your vegetable intakeSarah loves Wild Zora and it has been a staple in her house for yearsZora has a very food quality focus in all of her productsShe is very micronutrient focusedIt is both packed with vegetables and high-quality proteinThe diversity of products that they offer is amazing, especially as a convenience foodWild Zora is a woman-owned, family-run company from Northern Colorado that manufactures meat and veggie bars, dehydrated backpacking meals, soups, and instant teas
They have many AIP options availableThe products are great for packing and leaving in the carRemember, you can go to this site to get free shipping and up to 30% off their products(54:47) Closing Thoughts
Thank you to Wild Zora for sponsoring this show!As Sarah noted, health is really about macronutrients and micronutrientsThank you, listeners, for tuning in - Stacy and Sarah will be back next week!
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