A beginner’s guide to macros (and why counting them will revolutionise your health)

Brought To You By Centra

Whether you're trying to gain, lose, or simply make a few improvements - sooner or later you're going to have to examine your diet.

The good news is you definitely don't have to overhaul or revolutionise how you eat to see results and feel better. However, it is important that you know the best ways to approach meal-time - and that means stopping the guesswork and getting a bit more prescriptive. Maybe in the past you've tried counting calories or blindly cutting carbs. To that we say 'macros!' - the balanced, real-life approach to healthier eating. If you're new to macros the good news is you can still munch on treats and indulge. Food doesn't have to be complicated. Five things to consider:

1. Macros is short for macronutrients, a term that describes the three key food groups: carbs, fats, and proteins.

2. Get the right balance of these three groups and your body will be more effective at burning fat and building lean muscle. *That's because not all calories are created equal (for eg, fat provides 9 calories per gram; protein provides 4 calories per gram; and carbs provide 4 calories per gram).

3. There are lots of online calculators that will help you work out your macro ratio based on the likes of your body type and goals. 4. Counting macros is about balance - meaning you don't cut out food-groups or deprive yourself (hurrah!). It also means that vegans, veggies, and celiacs can follow their own meal-plans with ease. 5. To get the best results, you'll eat food made from quality, nutritious ingredients. Even better... we've teamed up with Centra to bring you an entire video series that will debunk macros and inspire your meal prep. Yup, over the next few months, we'll be bringing you a host of delicious, easy-to-follow meals and snacks that you can create in lightning-quick time. We'll be sharing the videos on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages, with easy-to-follow instructions for each of them. We'll also be telling you exactly what macro nutrients are in each dish so you can follow it to a tee. Keep an eye on our social media, as every week there will be a new video. Our debut offering is a tasty pitta pizza that takes less than five minutes to prep from scratch (there's also only 9g of fat in each serving). Click here if you can't see the question. *Source: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/why-we-need-to-eat-carbs/ Brought to you by Centra