What do I do with foods that don’t quite fit my macros?

Reviewed by: Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD

Not all foods fit into simple macro categories.

Achieving macro goals may seem simple on paper or an organized spreadsheet, but in real life, sometimes it feels more like a child’s finger painting.

Finding foods that perfectly align with your macro goals can be challenging, making the task of accurately tracking your intake impossible.

While there are many apps that can help you track the nutritional content of every food you eat, apps aren’t for everyone.

For those of you trying to track macros without the help of an app in your back pocket, you may have questions about how exactly certain foods fall into different macro categories.

Fortunately, there are several strategies that can help.

In this article, we’ll look at some ways and solutions to accommodate foods that don’t naturally fall into a single macro category—from individual foods like beans (which contain both protein and carbohydrates) to foods like soups or stews Dishes such as these (which may contain protein and carbohydrates).

A brief review of macro categories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats

Before we start exploring foods that don’t quite fit into traditional macro categories, let’s take a moment to dig into the basics of macros.

Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are the three major nutrients that our bodies require in large amounts. They provide us with energy, help build and repair tissue, and protect our organs.

• carbohydrate It is the main source of energy for our body. They are found in foods such as bread, pasta, rice, fruits, beans and starchy vegetables. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose and used as fuel by our cells.
• protein Essential for building and repairing tissue. It is found in foods such as meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, soybeans and legumes. It is made up of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins.
• fat It is a concentrated source of energy that nourishes our brain and cell membranes. It is found in foods such as oils, nuts, seeds, and avocados. Fat also aids in the absorption of vitamins and plays a role in the production of hormones.

Of course, macronutrients mean much more than just summarized above.

Macro-based diets aim to meet daily goals for these three macros – usually by measuring/weighing foods and calculating their corresponding macros.

Weighing food in grams on a scale is the most accurate way to calculate macros, although measuring cups and spoons will also work.

However, for those who want to track their macros without the hassle of weighing and measuring food, our hand-part method works great.

Macro Organizational Category Guide: Some Foods Are Not Perfect

Foods are complex (legumes contain carbohydrates and protein; nuts contain fat and protein). Also, measurements can be complicated (seltzers don’t follow the cup-hand rule). However, you still need to consider what you eat if you want to achieve your macro goals.

We’ll look at some of the most common and difficult foods to classify and provide suggestions on how to interpret them.

The key with all of these foods is to pick a method and apply it consistently. (This is probably more important than the actual classification itself!)

Tricky Macros #1: Legumes (Beans and Lentils)

Beans and lentils both contain protein and carbohydrates – so where do they count?

Generally speaking, it depends on the diet itself and/or an individual’s eating style.

If someone is completely plant-based/vegan, beans or lentils would most likely be considered their protein source, as these are likely the most protein-dense foods they consume. But under certain conditions, they can also count as proteins and carbohydrates.

our suggestion: Choose the most protein-rich food (assuming there is one) as your protein source, then sort through the other items.

Here are some examples.

When eating with

▶ Chicken with beans, broccoli and olive oilthe chicken is the protein (the most protein-rich part of the dish), the beans are the carbs, the broccoli is the vegetable, and the olive oil is the fat.

▶ Beans with rice, broccoli and olive oilbeans are protein (the most protein-rich part of the dish), rice is carbohydrate, broccoli is vegetable, and olive oil is fat.

▶ Two servings of beans with broccoli and olive oilone portion of beans counts as protein and the other portion counts as carbohydrates.

▶ Broccoli and olive oil ricethere are no protein-rich foods – only carbohydrates, vegetables, and fats.

▶ Beans, broccoli and olive oil, it depends on the eater. Omnivores? We then count beans as carbohydrates. Plant-based? Then we count beans as protein.

Tricky Macro #2: Dairy

Although dairy is a staple food, it doesn’t always fit neatly into macro categories.

Milk and non-Greek yogurt tend to be an even blend of all three macros, but may vary based on fat content (whole, low-fat, skim).

Finally, we recommend categorizing the milk or yogurt you consume according to the fat or carbohydrate content.

• Generally, consider 1 cup (8 ounces) Full-fat dairy products A “thumb” of fat. (Although it’s larger than your thumb and also provides protein and carbohydrates, it’s high in fat, so it counts as fat.)
• a cup Low-fat milk (0-2%) Often thought of as the cup-hander of carbohydrates (although it also provides fat and protein).
• part Low-fat Greek yogurt or cheese (0-2%) Often thought of as the protein in the palm of your hand.
• a cup anything highly sweet (Chocolate milk, strawberry yogurt) is often thought of as the cup of carbohydrates (even though it contains fat and protein).

Let’s say you have highly sweetened full-fat Greek yogurt or whole milk.

Is it fat or carbohydrate?

Think of it this way: If it’s full fat, you know it’s thumb fat.But if there is also Added a lot of sugar and then it was good also Carbohydrate cupped hand.

Tricky Macro #3: Dairy Alternatives

Dairy alternatives—nut milk, soy milk, or grain milk—are much like products made from cow’s milk. They tend to offer a combination of macros, depending on the source, and the classification also depends on whether they are sweetened or not.

An 8-ounce serving contains only 30 to 40 calories, and unsweetened varieties like almond milk contain almost negligible amounts from a macro perspective. If you just splash it in your coffee or tea, you might ignore it entirely.

However, this is not a universal rule for all dairy alternatives.

For example, oat, soy or pea protein milks may have a richer nutritional profile and should be considered even without added sugar.

Sweetened dairy alternatives bring another layer of complexity. Added sugar can quickly increase the carbohydrate content and should be classified as a carbohydrate cupper.

Tricky Macro #4: Soda

A glass of soda wouldn’t fit in the palm of your hand, and there was no scale handy.

To categorize on the go, think of an average 12-ounce can of soda as a cup of carbs.

In terms of sugar content, 8 ounces is probably the preferable serving size, but 12 ounces simplifies the math since that’s how most drinks are packaged.

This is similar to how we count bananas, apples, oranges, pears and other fruits because they are essentially “prepackaged.” While they can be standardized, the macro content of each piece can vary significantly.

Probably no problem. By frequently comparing actual measurements to visual estimates, we can train ourselves to become more accurate over time.

Tricky Macro #5: Alcohol

Alcohol generally deserves its own category because most of its calories come from the fermentation of starches and sugars.

This applies to almost all alcohol, whether ales, microbrews/craft beers, wines and spirits (although some microbrews/craft beers and cordials can contain quite a few carbs).

Many people like to classify alcohol into the carbohydrate category, and this works well. Again, whatever method you prefer is fine. Just follow it consistently.

Note that most alcohol content is about 100-150 calories per serving. If it contains sweeteners (like a margarita, or alcohol + soda), count that as extra carbs.

How to calculate mixed food meals

With the tricky foods out of the way, it’s time to talk about mixed foods like soups, salads, chili, casseroles, curries, and more.

Since these types of foods are technically a combination of several foods, they naturally have macro combinations.

our suggestion: Stare at it.

It’s best to guess at the ratio of protein-rich foods, carbohydrate-rich foods, and fats. This is not a completely proven method, but consistency is the key. If you sort your peppers one way one day, do the same the next day.

Paired with mixed meals, Aim to get protein, vegetables, good carbs, and/or healthy fats in each serving.

This is relatively easy to do when making your own, as you can weigh each ingredient to calculate the macros and then divide by the total serving size. When others do it, take your best guess.

Tip: If a mixed meal (like chili or soup) is low in any specific macronutrient, you can always add a side dish to fill in the gaps.

We can support your fitness journey

If you’re new to using macros, take a moment to explore Precision Nutrition’s Ultimate Macro Calculator.

This interactive tool helps you determine ideal calorie and macronutrient intake based on your personal goals and needs, allowing you to create a personalized plan without the need for expert knowledge of the carbohydrate content of legumes.