Let’s have a brief look at some ‘M’s that hang out together.
Macronutrients
Macronutrients are the nutrients we need in larger quantities and provide us with the means to live and have energy: in other words, fat, protein and carbohydrate. They are generally measured in grams but also calories.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are mostly vitamins and minerals, and are equally important but consumed in very small amounts and measured in micrograms, milligrams or international units (but that’s another story). You may also see words like antioxidants or phytonutrients.
Many of these can only be provided to the body through consumption of the macronutrients rather than by the body processing or synthesising them itself.
Which leads nicely on to another ‘M’
Malnutrition
Malnutrition exists when essential nutrients are low or missing altogether. Unfortunately, many foods today are so over-processed that they contain significantly reduced or zero nutrients.
It is said by some experts that we, in the West, are the most overfed, but undernourished people of all time – attributed to Ezra Taft Benson. I discuss this in greater detail elsewhere on this website and in my forthcoming ebook.