MACRONUTRIENTS: PROTEINS, FATS, CARBS

MACRO-NUTRIENTS:
For proper health, we need to consume high-quality macro-nutrients, noting that not all macro-nutrients are all the same and we will get into that later, as this post expands over time.

Macro-nutrients (n.) – a type of food (e.g., fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the human diet.

Calories per gram:

• Protein – 4 calories
• Carbohydrate – 4 calorie
• Fat – 9 calories

Macro-nutrients provide the body with more than just energy in the form of calories.  They supply micro-nutrients, rebuild the body, protect the body, provide fuel for brain functioning, and provide the muscles with energy.

The USDA also includes fiber & water as macro-nutrients, but that is nonsensical.  According to Health.gov¹, alcohol is a macronutrient – it is NOT!  Alcohol is detrimental to health. 
Alcohol is a neurotoxin and damages your brain & nerve cells².

Sources for MACRO-NUTRIENTS section:
¹https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/appendix-6/#m
²https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/10report/chap02e.pdf
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PROTEIN & AMINO ACIDS [3/31/2018]

PROTEIN: Needed by every part of the body to develop, re-build and repair, and function properly.

Proteins are large biomolecules, or macromolecules, consisting of one or more long chains of amino acid residues.

• Needed by the body for both structure and function—and amino acids play a vital role in building protein. 
• Protein serves as a major functional and structural component of all cells in the body.
• Proteins differ from one another primarily in their sequence of amino acids.
• Protein is needed for growth, maintenance, and proper organ functioning.
  
• Protein is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
• Hair and nails are mostly made of protein.
• Protein is necessary to build and repair tissues.
• Protein is made up of amino acids, and  amino acids act as precursors in formation of neurotransmitters, hormones, nucleic acids, and the production of enzymes, co-enzymes, and other body chemicals.  (Ever hear of someone having a "chemical imbalance" - it would be wise and prudent to look at the diet first before taking pharmaceuticals to try to correct the problem. 
• It is key to get adequate amounts of all essential - and for some persons, conditional - amino acids from the diet.  Thus, it is amino acids that we need to focus on.  If your essential amino acids requirements are not being met, your body will suffer and dis-ease will follow. 

Daily Protein Requirements:
Daily requirements of protein for most people is 0.8¹- 0.83² grams of protein per kilograms of ideal body weight (excess fat does not require protein to maintain itself).  This amount is slightly greater for growing children & teenagers, pregnant women, & active athletes. 

While insufficient amounts of protein can cause very serious health issues like Kwashiorkor, too much is not just unsafe, but can be deadly?  I often see it written or stated as 0.8 grams per pound of body weight per day and claiming that this calculation is from the WHO and/or National Institutes of Medicine.  It is not.  Both sources state per kilogram not pound.  A pound and a kilogram are NOT equivalent measures.  A kilogram equals 2.2 pounds ... quite a difference.  Thus, converting the weight to pounds from kilograms in the formula without adjusting the grams results in recommending/encouraging that adults consume an amount of protein 220% higher than what is needed and in amounts that are damaging to one’s health, as well as to animals and the environment. 

Using a 150 pound person as an example:
150 pounds = 68 kilograms
68 kilograms * 0.8 gram/kilogram = 55 grams of protein per day.
Thus, about 55 grams of protein per day. This is just 220 calories from protein per day (one gram of protein has 4 calories). Hence, protein should only be about 10-15% of diet. High protein diets are deadly, as shall be shown.  A diet high in protein generates a large amount of acid in body fluids, thereby disrupting the pH balance (no this is not going to be a post advocating for alkaline water & there will never be a post by me on that) causing kidney issues, bone loss, liver issues, gout, and even cancer.

Essential Amino Acids:

• Vital and necessary for human life and good health. 
• Cannot be produced by your body, so you must get them from foods.
• Includes:  Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Tryptophan, & Valine.

Conditional (Conditionally Essential) Amino Acids:

• Can be synthesized in your body by many, but in certain circumstances, like age, illness, hard exercise, constitution, etc. cannot.
• Includes:  Arginine, Cysteine, Glutamine, Glycine, Proline, Serine, & Tyrosine.

Non-Essential Amino Acids:

• These amino acids can be synthesized in your body from other amino acids, glucose and fatty acids, so you do not need to get them directly from foods.
• Includes:  Alanine, Asparagine, Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, & Selenocysteine.

Sources for PROTEIN section:
¹ World Health Organization [WHO].  Page 242:
www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/WHO_TRS_935/en/
²National Institutes of Medicine.  Page 589:
https://www.nap.edu/read/10490/chapter/1 
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References:
World Health Organization [WHO]. Nutrients – Micronutrients   
    http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/micronutrients/en/
Washington State University – MyNutrition – Nutrition Basics
    https://mynutrition.wsu.edu/nutrition-basics/
USDA – Macronutrients
    https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/macronutrients