Macronutrients, including proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, are the building blocks of diet. Patients, families, and physicians need to understand macronutrients to craft themselves a diet that will be delicious, nutritious, inexpensive, easy to prepare, and acceptable to others with whom they eat.
By Mark D. Harris
Look down the street on a busy day. In the US, on average, nearly three out of every four people you see will be overweight (body mass index 25-30) or obese (BMI 30+). More than 70% of young adults are too unfit to serve in the military due to their weight. Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to be obese and overweight than white or Asian Americans. Everyone, from individuals to families to health care providers, must engage to fix this problem. Understanding macronutrients is a start.
