What Are Macros? A Beginner’s Guide to Macronutrients and Why They Matter

Ever wonder why one meal powers you through a workout while another leaves you crashing by 3 p.m.? It’s not just in your head. Macronutrients play a major role in how your body feels and functions.

Macros are the key players behind steady energy, strong muscles, and satisfying meals. When you understand how to balance them, you unlock smarter food choices that support your goals and your daily rhythm.

Fuel your body with purpose and feel the difference every single day.

What Are Macros (Macronutrients)?

Macros — short for macronutrients — are the nutrients your body needs in large amounts to thrive. These include carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Together, they give you energy, help build muscle, and keep systems like your brain and immune system working properly.

Unlike micronutrients (think vitamins and minerals), macros are your body’s main fuel. And paying attention to your macros — not just your calories — can help you make smarter food choices. Why? Because not all calories are created equal. A chicken breast and a candy bar might have the same number of calories, but they affect your body in completely different ways.

Each macronutrient also provides a different amount of energy per gram. That means where your calories come from matters, and understanding your macros gives you more control over how you feel, move, and perform every day.

Carbohydrates

Carbs often get a bad reputation, but they’re actually your body’s primary and preferred energy source. When you eat carbs, your body converts them to glucose to fuel everything from brain function to workouts. 

Carbs come in two varieties: simple and complex. Simple carbs, like those in candy and processed foods, give you quick energy but can lead to a crash later. Complex carbs, found in whole grains and many fruits and vegetables, come with fiber and take much longer to digest. This provides a steadier, sustained energy release and helps you feel full longer. 

Fiber is especially important for digestive health. Yet, Americans are barely getting more than half of the recommended fiber intake, according to a 2024 USDA survey. This fiber gap can cause digestive issues and make it harder to feel satisfied after meals.

How many grams of carbs you need depends on your lifestyle. If you’re regularly hitting the gym or training for a race, you’ll likely need more carbs to fuel the best workout programs. If you’re mostly sedentary, then you might need fewer. The rule of thumb is to strive for about 25% of your calories to come from carbs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Protein

If carbs are your body’s fuel, then protein is your body’s building material. Your body uses protein to build and repair muscles, make enzymes, create hormones, and support your immune system. It’s also the most filling macro, which makes it great for managing hunger.

Protein is having a moment right now, with more than two-thirds of Americans striving to hit their protein goals, according to a 2024 IFIC Food & Health survey. And this popularity makes sense, considering that protein helps maintain muscle mass and improve recovery after workouts. If you’re wondering what to eat after a workout, try something with at least 15–20 grams of protein. 

Your protein can come from animal sources like meat, fish, eggs, and dairy, or plant sources like beans, tofu, lentils, and other high-protein vegetables. While animal proteins provide all essential amino acids in one package, you can absolutely meet your protein goals with plant sources by eating a variety of them throughout the day.

In fact, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for 2025 recommends increasing protein from plant-based sources rather than animal sources. Plant proteins come with added bonuses like fiber and antioxidants without the saturated fat found in most animal products, which makes them especially attractive sources of fiber.

Fat

Although the low-fat diet was all the rage in the early 2000s, it’s now generally accepted that fat plays an incredibly important role in a balanced diet. It helps your body absorb certain vitamins, protects your organs, keeps your cell membranes healthy, and helps you feel satisfied after eating.

Currently, the mean total fat intake among Americans is about 36%, which is just over the recommended 35% upper limit, according to CDC data. But that’s not the main issue, as the type of fat you eat matters more than the total amount. 

Unsaturated fats, like those in olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish, are good for heart health. Saturated fats found in red meat and full-fat dairy are fine in moderation. Trans fats from processed food are the ones to watch out for, as they can increase heart disease risk. 

What Happens When Macros Are Out of Balance?

Getting your macros slightly wrong for a day or two won’t derail your health. But chronic imbalances can cause a few issues over time. Your body works best when you give it the right mix of all three macros in your diet.

The good news is that you don’t need to obsess over hitting exact macro targets. Your body is remarkably adaptable, and the most important part is improving nutrition by getting your macros from high-quality food sources. But here's what can happen when your macros are out of balance for too long:

• Excess calorie intake: Constantly eating too many calories from any macro can cause weight gain and increased body fat. Choosing the right macros for weight loss can make a big difference in your results.
• Nutrient gaps: When one macro dominates your diet, you’ll likely miss out on important nutrients found in other food groups. For example, cutting carbs too drastically might mean missing fiber from fruits and whole grains.
• Energy fluctuations: Too many simple carbs can cause energy spikes and crashes throughout the day. Too few carbs can leave you feeling constantly drained.
• Muscle loss: Not consuming enough protein can cause muscle breakdown, especially as you age.
• Metabolic issues: Chronic high intake of refined carbs can affect blood sugar regulation and insulin sensitivity, which could lead to type two diabetes over time.

Why Understanding Macros Supports Long-Term Wellbeing

Trendy diets come and go, but understanding macros gives you a long-term advantage. When you know how protein, carbs, and fats work in your body, you can make food choices that actually support your energy, recovery, and goals.

Instead of chasing quick fixes, you’re tuning into what your body really needs. That means more power in your workouts, better focus at work, and a stronger foundation for your overall wellbeing.

Support for All Body Types and Lifestyles

Your ideal macronutrient ratio is as unique as your fingerprint. What works perfectly for your CrossFit-obsessed colleague might be completely wrong for your lifestyle. Your age, physical activity levels, health status, and personal goals all influence what macro breakdowns will help you feel and perform your best.

Athletes and highly active people usually need more carbohydrates to fuel performance and more protein to support muscle recovery. A desk worker might thrive with a more moderate carb intake but still needs adequate protein and fats for ideal health. Children and teenagers need relatively more protein per pound of body weight than adults to support their growth and development. And children between one and three years old have the highest protein requirement per kilogram, according to a Northwestern University study.

Certain health conditions also affect optimal macro balance. People with chronic kidney disease may need to carefully monitor their protein intake. At the same time, those with certain metabolic conditions like diabetes need to manage their carbohydrate intake.

This is why it’s so important to work with your doctor to understand your specific needs. The beauty of macros is that they’re flexible enough to accommodate all these variations. Whether you’re vegan, paleo, intermittent fasting, or simply trying to eat more whole foods, being aware of macros can help you optimize your lifestyle.

How to Start Making Balanced Macro Choices

Getting started with macro-balanced eating doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t need to weigh every morsel of food or calculate percentages at every meal. Instead, focus on including quality sources of all three macros in most of your meals and making consistent improvements in your overall eating pattern. 

These sample balanced meals can get you started:

• Veggie omelet with toast: Eggs have protein, whole grain toast has complex carbs, and cooking with a bit of olive oil adds healthy fats. Throw in vegetables like spinach and peppers for extra nutrients without changing the macro balance.
• Power bowl: Start with a base of quinoa or brown rice for complex carbs, add grilled chicken or tofu for protein, and top with avocado for healthy fats.
• Sheet pan meal: Roast sweet potatoes for carbs, chicken breasts for protein, and Brussels sprouts tossed in olive oil, all in one pan for an easy and balanced dinner.

Besides these recipes, here are some other tips you can use to slowly improve your eating habits:

• Start tracking: Using an app like MyFitnessPal for just a week or two can open your eyes to your current macro balance and help you understand macro counting. Tracking your meals helps you identify patterns and make targeted adjustments without becoming obsessive about numbers.
• Use the plate method: Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, one-quarter with protein, and one-quarter with carb-rich foods, such as whole grains or starchy vegetables. Add a thumb-sized portion of fats to complete the balance.
• Prep your protein: Having ready-to-eat protein sources in your refrigerator like hard-boiled eggs or rotisserie chicken makes everything so much easier.

Support for a Well-Rounded Approach to Wellness

Tracking macros is just one part of building a healthier lifestyle. To truly feel your best, it helps to pair smart nutrition with regular movement, restful sleep, and time to recharge—physically and mentally.

Wellhub brings all of this together in one place. With access to premium nutrition apps, guided workouts, mindfulness tools, and more, you can take charge of your wellness goals with the right support behind you.

You might already have Wellhub through your employee benefits. Check here to see if you’re eligible to start tracking your macros with premium nutrition apps today. If not, start a petition to bring Wellhub to your company and help make personalized wellness support more accessible for everyone.

References:

• Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. (2024). Dietary Guidelines for Americans. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2024-12/Part%20E.%20Chapter%201_Overarching%20Advice_FINAL_508.pdf
• Espinosa-Salas, S., & Gonzalez-Arias, M. (2023, August 8). Nutrition: Macronutrient Intake, Imbalances, and Interventions. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594226/
• IFIC. (2024). 2024 Food & Health Survey. Https://Foodinsight.org/. https://foodinsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-IFIC-Food-Health-Survey.pdf
• Mayo Clinic. (2022, March 22). Carbohydrates: How carbs fit into a healthy diet. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/carbohydrates/art-20045705
• National Center for Disease Statistics. (2020, August 6). FastStats. Www.cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diet.htm
• U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2024). Food Consumption and Nutrient Intake Trends Emerge Over Past Four Decades | Economic Research Service. https://primary.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2024/august/food-consumption-and-nutrient-intake-trends-emerge-over-past-four-decades?