The Importance of Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats

Balancing a diet with these macro-nutrients will provide for your body in the long-run. Carbs, proteins, and fats are full of nutrients needed for many body functions, including growth. Each of these macronutrients provide in different ways, with different impacts on your body. Carbs contain 4 calories per gram, protein contains 4 calories per gram, and fat contains 9 calories per gram. 

According to the USDA, 45%-65% of caloric intake should come from carbohydrates, which makes it the macro-nutrient needed in the largest amounts. Carbs are made of mostly carbon, hydroxide, and oxygen atoms. Together these atoms can work to protect, store, and structurally support foods. Carbohydrates are divided into two simple categories, simple sugars, and complex carbs. Simple sugars would be glucose, galactose, and fructose. Complex carbs can be found in grains and starchy vegetables (like potatoes!). All carbohydrates eventually break down to become glucose, which is the main energy provider for the body, especially the nervous system and the brain. Grainy foods like pasta, bread, cereals, and bran are high in carbohydrates and starch count.

Proteins are what most of our muscles, organs, and immune systems are made up of. Protein has many jobs, including constructing, replacing, and sustaining the tissues in the body. Well first, what are proteins made of? Like carbs, proteins are made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, plus nitrogen. Together these are called amino acids, which make for a pretty complicated protein molecule. There are different types of amino acids (around 20), and like DNA appear in different orders, amino acids provide different functions. The nine most important amino acids are called the "essential amino acids" because your body can only get them through foods you eat. The essential amino acids are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. The needed amount of protein daily for a teenager would be around 1 gram per pound of body weight. Foods that will help you reach these requirements include food from animals (like meat or milk), whole grains, peanut butter, and broccoli.

Fats, both good and bad, are essential to your diet and should make up 10-25% of your daily caloric intake. There are two types of fats: saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are mostly found in fish like salmon or tuna, or in vegetable oils. Saturated fats can fatally increase your risk of heart disease, and is found in foods such as red meat, butter, cheese, milk, and other dairy products. The worst of saturated fats are usually found in baked goods. Another type of fat is trans fat, which also raises your risk of heart disease. This nasty dietary component is made when liquid vegetable oil is chemically altered in a process called hydrogenation, which turns that oil into a solid. Look out for labels with zero trans fat per serving, as they are the best for you (but, doesn’t always mean NO trans fat, since many companies round down the trans fat). Whole and natural foods are the safest because they are completely free of trans fat.  Fats are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, just like carbohydrates, which makes them a great source of energy. Fats can come in both solid and liquid form, and are essential for the proper working of your body. When your body has used up all calories from carbohydrates, it turns to fat as its next energy source. Some good fatty foods to add to your diet would be cold water fish like trout and tuna (full of omega-3's!), plant oils like hemp oil and vegetable seed oil, and nuts and seeds such as hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds.  
                                                                                                                                    Sources: http://www.livestrong.com/article/413149-the-importance-of-fats-carbohydrates-and-protein/
http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Handouts/macronutrients.htm
http://www.superkidsnutrition.com/nutrition_answers/nw_whatisacalorie.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161547.php
http://kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/protein.html
http://life.familyeducation.com/protein/foods/48677.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/411442-what-kind-of-cold-water-fish-are-healthy-to-eat/
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http://www.mydietmealplanner.com/foodgroups/nutrition-facts-nuts-and-seeds.jpg