· By Josh Christensen
Should I be Tracking Macros for The Keto Diet?
Macronutrients, or "Macro" for short, can be a great way to ensure you are consuming the proper amount of nutrients daily. Although Tracking can be time-consuming, it can garner excellent results if you remain disciplined. Some people find tracking macro while on keto can maximize their results.
This article will discuss some of the pros and cons of tracking your macros and whether you should utilize them while on keto.
What are Macros?
According to Webster, macronutrient, a chemical element or substance, is essential in relatively large amounts to a living organism's growth and health. In other words, the term macronutrients are what your body needs to function correctly. There are three types of Macros: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Carbohydrates: Provides your body's primary source of energy. It also helps with fueling your brain, kidney, central nervous system, and more. Carbs are commonly found in most foods we consume daily. The most well-known carbs are bread and rice, but the list also includes fruits like bananas, melons, and oranges.
Carbohydrates can be broken down even further into simple and complex carbohydrates. The easiest way to differentiate which type of carbs you're consuming is how long your body takes to break it down. Fruits, yogurts, vitamins are categorized as simple carbohydrates because your body breaks down those foods for energy. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down and can include things like white bread, pasta, and rice.
Fat: is used to store energy in the body and can be a source of fuel. Fat can also be broken down into three categories: saturated fat, trans-fat, and unsaturated fat. Saturated fat is a type of fat-containing high portions of fatty acid and is considered less healthy than unsaturated fat.
Trans fats are a form of unsaturated fat that may be associated with negative health issues. Trans fat can be found in frozen pizzas. Shortening, fried foods, baked goods, and more. Unsaturated fat comes from plants such as olive, peanut, and corn, to name a few. Unsaturated fats are commonly found in avocados, nuts, and seeds.
Protein: Can serve as a fuel source for your body in addition to building, growing, and repairing tissues. While on keto, you may consume more protein and fewer carbs as your body will adjust from using carbs as a source of energy.
Each of these three components plays a vital part in how your body functions. This is why some dieters believe tracking macros can be crucial on keto.
Benefits of Tracking Macros
If you tend to over-consume one macronutrient over another, tracking can be beneficial to you. In this section, we will discuss some of the benefits of tracking your macros.
Portion Control: Eating the correct serving size can be challenging whether or not you're on a diet. Tracking your macros will give you insight into the amount of food you are consuming daily. If you're on keto, you may replace the carbs with extra protein, but this can also be detrimental to your diet if you over-consume any keto-friendly foods.
Balance Diet: when you begin to track your macros, it will balance out your nutrition plan. If you over-consume any of the three trackable macros, you can correct these actions by merely writing down the exact amount you ate. You'll become more conscious of the amount that you consume daily, and intern it will supplement your keto diet.
Maintain lean muscle mass: if you've reached a certain point in your diet and want to maintain your muscle mass tracking your macro is crucial. You can determine the correct number of macronutrients you need to maintain, lose or gain muscle mass with a keto calculator. Genius Gourmet has a great free keto calculator that you can use to determine your protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake.
The Genius Gourmet Free Keto Macro Calculator can be used daily to ensure that you are progressing and meeting your goals. Access to the calculator is free once you create an account on genuisgourmet.com.
Cons of Tracking Macros
Tracking may not be for everybody because it can be time-consuming or not garner the results you want. Here are a few cons of tracking your macros.
Lack of Variety: although no food is off-limits when tracking your macros, it can be challenging to find new items to eat that fit your guidelines. People tend to find a combination of foods they like and continue to eat the same thing. Long term, this can be detrimental to your overall goal because you will get tired of eating the same thing and stop tracking.
Quality Doesn’t Matter: tracking is seen as a quantity versus quality approach to dieting. That being said you are allowed to eat certain foods that may be considered unhealthy as long as it’s within your recommended daily amount.
Conclusion
Deciding to track your micronutrients is a personal decision. People differ, and results vary, so tracking is not a universal answer for dieting. And it may be difficult for some and relatively easy for others; the goal is to maintain a balanced diet whether or not you track your macros.
