Micronutrients?

kleigh

So, I've learned a bit about macronutrients and have lowered my carbs because of PCOS, but I have no idea what to set my micronutrients at for my daily 'plan'. Should I just stick with what my fitness pal estimated for me?

macchiatto

I guess that depends on your individual needs. I aim for 4000mg/day of sodium both b/c my BP runs low so my cardiologist recommended increasing sodium, plus I'm following a ketogenic diet. I don't pay that much attention to the other micros, personally.

My macros are set to 10% carbs, 65% fat and 25% protein. With carbs I do pay more attention to net carbs though so I try to get a decent amount of fiber in as well.

KnitOrMiss

If your macros are in line, your micros will kind of naturally fall into place. Most folks lowering carbs find that increasing sodium (3000 mg - 5000 mg as a MINIMUM, not maximum) is normal, as electrolyte balance fluctuates more while the body readapts to using fats instead of carbs for fuel. The majority of first world countries also find it helpful to take a D3 and Magnesium (not OXIDE) supplement, due to soil depletion worldwide... Otherwise, no supplementation is generally warranted unless testing indicates.

That being said, unless you're avoiding food groups entirely (like you're only eating seafood, no red or white meats), you're unlikely to need to worry about the micro stuff. If it bothers you to see red, adjust the number accordingly. Otherwise ignore it. If USDA labels were accurate and tracked that stuff consistently, I might be concerned, but it just isn't required to be tracked for most micronutrients - and they allow a full 25% error on all numbers before corrections must be made... So it's all "loose" guidelines anyway.