Macronutrients are the nutrients that the body requires in larger amounts to function every day. These include carbohydrates, protein and fat. Fibre is also often categorised as an additional macronutrient. Although correctly speaking, it is a form of carbohydrate and can still be included. Collectively these work to provide us with energy and fulfil a number of specific roles.
Fat
Fats play a pivotal role in providing our body with the nutrients it needs by supporting the absorption of micronutrients and promoting hormone production, cell structure, and functionality. Healthy fats provide the body with a form of slow-release energy, helping to keep us fuelled for longer and performing at our best. The role that fat plays in nutrition is often misunderstood. While often perceived as ‘unhealthy’ and something to be avoided, fats are beneficial and required for optimal body functionality. Interestingly, there are essential of fatty acids that our body cannot produce, so these must be consumed through our diet.
Types of Fat:
When incorporating fat into your diet, it is best to prioritise mono-saturated and polyunsaturated fats, consume saturated fats second to this, and avoid trans fats. Great sources of unsaturated fat include olive oil, flaxseed, sunflower seeds, nuts, soy, peanuts, avocado and oily fish.
Key Benefits of Fat:
- Supports Hormone production, cell structure and functionality
- Form of slow release energy, aiding satiety
- Supports nutrient absorption
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide our bodies with glucose, the fuel to power our brain, red blood cells, and exercise. They support energy levels, mental and cognitive function, and overall health. They also provide valuable sources of micronutrients that help carry out essential functions in the body. Benefits of Carbohydrates:
Key Benefits of Carbohydrates:
- Provide dietary fibre
- Help carry out essential functions in the body
- Support energy levels, mental and cognitive function
Protein
High quality protein helps to keep us full for longer and supports physical performance. Not all protein sources are considered equal, and are often discussed as ‘complete’ or ‘incomplete.’
Types of proteins: Complete and Incomplete
Protein sources that include the nine essential amino acids our body requires are considered ‘complete.’ With these nine essential amino acids, our body has the necessary fuel to promote lean muscle mass, energy, and health. These nine essential amino acids include:
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
Proteins derived from animal foods are typically considered high quality and complete with- meat, fish, poultry, milk, and eggs providing all essential amino acids. Plant foods can also be complete protein sources- soy, quinoa and chickpeas all provide the nine essential amino acids. The final thing to consider with protein is quality, and this relates to quantity. Our bodies ability to digest different protein sources varies, and subsequently, proteins have different bioavailability. Typically speaking, plant proteins have a lower digestibility than animal proteins. Therefore, even if you consume various plant proteins to obtain your essential amino acids, you may have reduced overall protein absorption and an increased protein requirement. DIAAS (Digestible Indispensable Amino Acid Score) is a system that describes the quality of protein. A DIAAS of at least 1 represents a high-quality protein that provides all essential amino acids and has optimal digestibility. To make protein easy, we have ensured we have excellent quality protein in all Radix meals, including our plant-based range that utilises a plant protein blend with DIAAS of 1.
Key Benefits of Protein:
- Promote lean muscle mass, energy, and health.
- Overall wellbeing and functionality
- Satiety and weight management
What are Macro Splits?
‘Macro splits’ are commonly discussed when talking about nutrition. But what does this mean? Simply put, this term refers to the percentage of calories provided by each macronutrient.
When discussing calories and their contribution to each macro group it is worth knowing that carbohydrates and protein contain 4kcal/g and fat contains 9kcal/g. Fibre can depend on how effectively it is digested, but varies within the range of 0 and 4kcal/g.
How these macronutrients are split will depend on your personal goals and energy requirements. Factors like weight, age, activity level and sex often play a part in determining this.
At Radix we’ve taken care to develop three different ranges to suit a variety of different health and performance goals.
Original Range Macro Split
Keto Range Macro Split
Ultra Range Macro Split
