What Are Macros? We Investigate The Health Trend That’s Cramming Up Our Instagram

We’ve been noticing a cryptic numerical code creeping up on our favourite #fitspo accounts. Have you seen them? They look like chemical equations and read something like 22c 35f 56p. Some snooping later, and we’ve uncovered the mystery. Here goes: c, f and p stand for carbohydrate, fat and protein, which are collectively called macros, as in macronutrients. And the numbers? They’re the amounts of grams of each permitted per day.

Got it, but it all sounds a bit complicated, and, um, what does it actually achieve? We hadn’t a fiddlers, so we asked Paul Moran, owner of Body Rock Performance, to give us the deets. “Your macros take into account your weight, height, activity levels, age, sex, typical calorie intake, and your goals,” he told us. All this info is then used to work out your required carbohydrate, fat and protein intake.

Sounds like a helluva lot of effort, but does it work? According to Paul it’s just another fad but it does make people aware of what they’re eating. “The problem is that lots of people are eating the wrong types of foods to hit their macros, and that has a knock-on effect on your gut health,” he explains. “In my opinion, there’s too much attention paid to people’s macros and not enough to the micronutrients, that you’ll get from eating leafy green vegetables,” says Paul.

A better alternative? “If you want to to lose weight in a healthy way, your best bet is to keep a food diary and check for food intolerances. Write down what you’re eating and also how you felt after it,” recommends Paul. We guess, a healthy eating plan wins out over a fad every time.

Pic credit: Instagram @rebeccalynnfitness_

• fitness
• fitspo
• Instagram
• Macros