Healthy eating is a hot topic lately.  Just by browsing Pinterest, Facebook, or the magazine rack at the grocery store you can find a new health tip or diet plan for every day of the week.  The challenge is learning to discern between fact and myth when it comes to nutrition and eating healthy.  Over the next few weeks, I will share some basic information about nutrition and what your body needs to be healthy.

Our bodies need a variety of nutrients to function, and those nutrients are broken down into two major groups: macronutrients and micronutrients.  When we break down the word “macronutrient” it starts to sound less technical.  “Macro” means large, so macronutrients means large nutrients.  Now that doesn’t mean that you’re eating Lego-size nutrients.  That term is used because we eat a lot of those particular nutrients and they provide most of our energy.  There are five groups of macronutrients that our bodies need to function properly: carbohydrates, protein, fats, fiber, and water.

Micronutrients, on the other hand, are needed in small amounts.  Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, and folic acid.  These nutrients help your body maintain and regulate cells, tissues and organs.