Counting macros is a great habit–but counting alone does not lead to health. True health comes from making the right decisions every day.

For example, you can fill up your body on white bread, chicken wings, and nutella every day and still hit your “macros”–but you wouldn’t consider that a healthy diet.

That being said, macros are important. The breakdown of the foods you eat determine your body composition. But not all fats, proteins, and carbs are created equal.

Healthy people make healthy choices by choosing good (green and yellow) macros over less optimal (red) ones.

1. Red, Yellow, and Green Carbohydrates

Red carbs includes white bread, cookies, potato chips, and non-diet soda. Think of anything processed and packaged that you usually eat in isolation.

Yellow carbs are foods like wheat breads and pastas. You typically eat them with something else, but you don’t always need to cook them.

Green carbs are foods that you usually eat with a meal and almost always cook beforehand. They include sweet potatoes, oats, beans, and brown rice.

2. Red, Yellow, and Green Proteins

Red proteins are the options you get through the window at fast food restaurants or outdoor events: deep fried meats, chicken fingers/nuggets/wings, hot dogs, high-fat sausages, and processed deli meats.

Yellow proteins are the ones you buy at the grocery store but require little to no cook time. They include foods like turkey sausage, protein powder, lean deli meats, canadian bacon, tofu, edamame, and jerky.

Green proteins include eggs, fish, lean red meat, plain greek yogurt, lentils, and beans. When cooking green proteins, clean up is quicker than a yellow protein.

3. Red, Yellow, and Green Fats

Red fats include bacon, sausage, processed cheese, nutella, hydrogenated oil, and shortening.

Yellow fats are foods like plant-based oils, coconut milk, dark chocolate, aged cheese (less than six months old), and fish oil.

Green fats include avocados, nuts and seeds, extra virgin olive oil, aged cheese (older than six months), fresh coconut, fatty fish, olives, and natural nut and seed butters.

Takeaway

RxFIT nutritionists teach macros by using a “traffic light” system.

First, get in the habit of choosing more green and yellow carbs. You don’t need to cut out the red carbs, just eat more green and yellow ones.

After that habit is developed with carbohydrates, move to proteins. Consume green proteins at least once every day.

And then, focus on fats. Same rules apply.

This is a healthy diet. And it produces far superior results.

Tyler

WOD

Day 39 (of 50)
EMOM x 20 Minutes:
Min 1: 60 Double Unders
Min 2: 20 Hand-Release Push-Ups
Min 3: Max Reps Double Dumbbell Front Squats
Min 4: Rest

Other Articles in this Series:
1. Habits: 2021’s 6-Week Challenge
2. Habits: Pull and Push
3. Habits: Plate Method
4. Habits: Macronutrients
5. Habits: Exercise
6. Habits: Eating-on-the-Go
7. Habits: Sleep and Stress
8. Habits: Supplements, Fad Diets, and Mindset
9. Habits: Hermit Crabs in Your Life