We dive deep into the world of macronutrients to help you better understand what you are eating (and show why a pizza made with Lo-Dough is nothing short of miraculous!)

What are macronutrients?

Macronutrients are the nutrients we need in larger amounts (hence macro) to give us energy. The three main energy giving macronutrients are Fat, Carbohydrates and Protein. Fibre and water are also considered macronutrients and are (obviously) equally important in our diet. Fibre is interesting because though it doesn't give you energy in the same way as carbohydrates, ‘it can help give you a lift by improving your digestion and by slowing down the release of glucose into our bloodstream... Fibre slows the sugar dump into the bloodstream, so you won't have a crazy energy spike after eating.’ (Healthy.com)

What are micronutrients and how are they different to macronutrients?

Vitamins and minerals are known as micronutrients. Though equally important in our diet, they are consumed in much smaller amounts (hence micro) to meet our intake requirements. Found in abundance in fruits and vegetables (more so than most other food groups), this is the reason you are advised to consume five portions or more of fruit and vegetables per day. Starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, etc, supply carbohydrates (and the associated calories carried by those carbs) and little else.  

How do macronutrients contribute to my calorie intake?

Fat = 9 kcal per gram
Carbohydrate = 4 kcal per gram
Protein = 4 kcal per gram
Fibre = 2 kcal per gram (approx.)
Water = 0 kcal per gram

As you can see, if tracking calories, Fat, carbs and protein (though all essential in your diet at the right level) are the main contributors to your calorific intake, with fibre adding a couple of calories per gram too.

The common misconception then is that the simplest way to lose weight would just be to cut out all extraneous fat, as that’s the most calorific. Cutting down on fat can yield results, but the simple truth is many of us eat far more carbohydrates by the gram than we do fat. A ten inch cheese and tomato pizza base will weigh approx. 250g and contains mostly carbs yet would only be topped with approx. 50-70g of cheese.

So for a bog standard-pizza, the calorie break down for the base and the cheese would look something like this:

Base: 250g x 4 kcal = 1000 kcal.

Cheese: 50-70g x 8 kcal = 450-620 kcal

As you can see, there are around twice as many calories in the base as there are in the delicious stuff topping it! In fact, given that cheese isn’t entirely made of fat, as it contains large amount of protein, those cals would come down further (not to mention the nutritional benefits going up).

How Lo-Dough changes the game for the macronutrient content of a pizza. 

A 39 kcal Lo-Dough base contains:

0.1g fat
2.2g carbs 
2.6g protein 
9.3g fibre

This means that by using it as a pizza base turns the macro nutrient make up of a pizza on its head. The cheese now becomes the predominant source of calories, rather than the base carrying it. But, and this is key, thanks to the incredibly high fibre content of Lo-Dough, the pizza is still a filling and satisfying eat. We now have countless pizza recipes showing you that no matter what you top Lo-Dough with, you will always have a delicious-yet-low-calorie pizza that perfectly satisfies your hunger. 

And it’s not just pizza - Think bread, pastry, pasta, sponge cakes - all these sources of largely nutritionally empty calories can be replaced by Lo-Dough to give your meals the macronutrients you deserve. Our range of products pretty much covers all your carb replacement needs…

How to get your macronutrients the right way

It’s all about choice. Lo-Dough is offering you the choice to reshape your meals and your diet in a way that allows you to healthily eat all the above, without sacrificing on flavour.

Check out our database of hundreds of recipes and head to our shop page to stock up on our game changing products. Change your meals, change your macronutrients and change your life, today.