Food isn’t just about eating.

  Everything your body does—thinking, breathing, walking, lifting, running, growing muscle—requires energy. We get that energy from calories in food. If calories are the gasoline, then macronutrients (macros) are the types of gasoline we choose. Your body has three categories of nutrients that provide calories: Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat. Each one gives your body fuel in a different way, and your body uses them for different jobs.

Carbohydrates give the body fast, easy-to-use energy. They power the brain, muscles, and nervous system — making them essential for sports and high-intensity activity. Think of carbs as “High-octane fuel for movement.”

Protein is not the body’s favorite energy source. Its main job is repairing muscle, building new tissue, and supporting hormones and enzymes. Protein is like “Construction fuel for growth and repair.”

Fat gives the body slow, steady, long-term energy. Fat helps absorb vitamins, support hormones, feeds the brain, and keeps you going when carb fuel runs out. Fat is “Endurance fuel that keeps the engine running.”

Just like a car won’t run well on the wrong fuel mix, your body won’t feel good if one macro is too high or too low - or when you’re feeding it garbage. The USDA and Institute of Medicine created the Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range to show how much of each fuel your body should get. For teens and adults, the recommended ranges are:

Carbs: 45–65% of calories

Protein: Teen = 10–30%; Adult = 10–35%

Fat: Teen = 25–35%; Adult = 20–35%