Top 15 Healthy Carb, Protein, and Fat Rich Foods
What foods are good for macros?
If you are counting macros for weight loss (or muscle gain), it’s helpful to choose foods dominant in a macro (carb, fat, or protein).
Not sure of your macro targets? Quickly calculate them here.
Tracking your macros is all about food freedom (eat anything as long as it meets your macros). However, for optimal health, choose from the following list of carbs, proteins, and fats.
The best starchy or complex carbs
- Oatmeal (old-fashioned or Steel Cut)
- Yams (almost same as sweet potatoes)
- Brown rice (I love basmati, a long grain rice)
- Sweet potatoes
- Multigrain hot cereal (mix or barley, oats, rye, triticale, and a few others)
- White potatoes with skin (glycemic index be damned!)
- 100% whole wheat bread
- 100% whole wheat pasta
- Beans and lentils (great for healthy chili recipes)
- Cream of rice hot cereal
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Pumpkin
- Butternut squash
- Fresh Beets
The best carb-rich fruits
- Grapefruit
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Cantaloupe
- Oranges
- Bananas
- Peaches
- Grapes
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Blackberries
- Plums
- Pears
- Acai berries
- Mango
The best veggies lower in carbs but high in nutrients
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Asparagus
- Spinach
- Salad greens
- Tomatoes
- Peppers (green and red)
- Onions
- Mushrooms
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Green beans
- Peas
- Cauliflower
Yes! You can eat carbs and still reach your fat loss or muscle building goals. Learn how to count your macros and transform your body.
Top 15 Protein-Rich Foods
- Eggs
- Organic protein powder
- Chicken breast
- Salmon (wild Alaskan)
- Turkey breast
- Canned tuna (solid white)
- Nuts (walnut, almonds, pecans)
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Tofu
- Seitan
- Top round steak (grass-fed beef)
- Flank steak (grass-fed beef)
- Codfish
- Greek yogurt
- Rainbow trout
Are you trying to gain weight? Find out how to gain lean muscle mass by eating the right macronutrients.
15 Healthy Fat Sources
- Flaxseed
- Almonds
- Olive oil
- Avocado (see our delicious avocado ice cream recipe)
- Walnuts
- Virgin coconut oil
- Salmon (wild-caught)
- Peanuts
- Clarified butter
- Ripe olives
- Peanut oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Pecans
- Cashews
- Dark chocolate
If you are confused about saturated fat, dig deeper into which fats you need, and which ones to avoid.
What About Fiber?
Choose foods in the healthy carb category, means you are getting more than enough fiber both soluble and insoluble.
Focus on eating a variety of vegetables and fruit with some complex carbs added in each day.
If you’re not a fan of vegetables, you could try cold pressed juice for extra phytonutrients and soluble fiber.
These lists certainly aren’t definitive but they can be a great guide for those trying to clean up their diets, remove processed foods, and satisfy their daily macro amounts.
Do you have any additions to the above lists?
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Ted Kallmyer is an ISSA certified Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, author, and macros coach. He has helped hundreds of clients reach their body transformation goals.275 Comments
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Hello Ted,
That’s a very good piece of information. I am curious about canned sardines. I’ve read recently that’s even better than tuna because of the concentration of mercury that tuna might have.
And also broccolis might affect sexual Hormones and eating too much spinach (over a cup a day) gives you kidney stones.
All this information are from reliable Studies.
Any advice on those, please
Just for the record, I eat broccoli, spinach and sardines almost every day and not sure if I should stop, (with broccoli and spinach)
Thank you very much
Hi Marcilio, I think the takeaway here is that variety in your diet is key and all foods should be eaten in moderation. Too much of any food can potentially have nutritional and health implications. I suggest trying to vary your diet a bit more. We have so many foods to choose from so break out of the routine and add in some different meals.
My sad situation is that while some of these carbs are “encouraged” (for want of a better word) I am also on an anti-inflammation diet and unfortunately several of these aren’t allowed. When I spend a day eating fruit and salad (which I’ve done often- even though the AI diet says no fruit (but as you said, that can be damned) my macros show all carbs and very little fat and protein. That can’t be good. So my question is this… if I stick to this list re carbs and protein and fat… will that ultimately also help with inflammation reduction?
Hi Rebecca, One of the biggest causes of chronic inflammation is out-of-balance triglycerides. When you eat too many omega 6 rich fats, this causes inflammation, and carbs seem to contribute to the problem. The easiest solution is to take an omega 3 supplement daily and to limit the omega 6 rich oils like soybean and sunflower oils.