By Katie Welborn, Nutritional Therapy Practitioner

I want you to think for a moment about allll the things you do across your day — walking, talking, thinking, working, cooking, resting, exercising and so on. All of these processes are fueled by energy, and this energy is created from the food we consume. Today I want to talk about the macronutrients and the roles that they play in energy production and usage using THE FIRE ANALOGY.

The macronutrients, carbs fats and proteins, in the foods we consume are used to create energy within the body. This energy fuels all of our various metabolic functions throughout the day and night.

CARBOHYDRATES are like kindling — they burn hot and fast, providing quick energy. Kindling doesn’t burn for very long, so it will need to be replenished often if it’s being used as the primary fuel source for the fire.

FATS are like the logs on the fire – they burn long and slow, providing warmth (energy) for a longer period of time.

PROTEIN is a very important macronutrient, but is a terrible source of energy for the body. Yes, technically the body can make energy from protein, but the process is metabolically “expensive“ and can be hard on the body over time. For the purposes of this analogy, I would ask you to think of proteins as the rocks or bricks around the fire. They provide structure, but don’t contribute any “heat“ to the fire.

We can use the fire analogy as a starting point to determine energy and macronutrient needs. Someone who has an active job and exercises five times a week will obviously need different ratios of “kindling” (carbs) to “logs” (fats) compared to someone who sits at a desk job 40 hours a week and commutes two hours each day.

It’s important to note that each of your organ systems within your body has a preferred energy source. This must also be taken into account when energy needs/macronutrient ratios are being discussed.