Macronutrients & Metabolic Alignment

Eat for frequency, not cravings.

Your body isn’t a trash can for impulses, it’s an instrument.

When you eat for frequency, you’re not chasing taste bud noise; you’re tuning the whole system for healing, purpose, and presence. Macros (protein, fat, carbs) are the chassis. Minerals (especially potassium, sodium, magnesium) are the electricity. Get the electricity right and the engine hums. Get it wrong and you’ll live in a fog of bloat, cravings, weight swings, and “I did everything right—why do I feel puffy?”

The thesis

Macros matter, but minerals matter more.
Because cellular hydration—not just “how much water you drink,” but how water actually moves into cells—is mineral-driven. The sodium-potassium pump uses energy to keep potassium high inside your cells and sodium higher outside; this gradient maintains cell volume and pulls fluid where you want it: intracellular, where you feel lean, strong, and switched on. NCBI

That pump is powered by magnesium. Without enough magnesium, the pump underperforms, intracellular potassium falls, and your “hydration” sits outside your cells. You’ll feel flat, swollen, tired—and assume it’s the food. It’s usually the electrolytes. PMC+1

Why you “hold water” and blame food

Most people have never been taught the difference between intracellular water (ICW) and extracellular water (ECW). ICW tracks with muscle quality and functional performance; ECW is the “puffy” water that makes you feel soft. Studies in older adults (where the signal is easy to see) show higher intracellular water in lean mass correlates with better strength and performance—think “tighter,” “more capable,” “less fragile.” PMC+1

Then add the carb story: glycogen (stored carbohydrate) binds ~3 g of water per gram. Swing your carbs up and down without mineral alignment and your scale and “tightness” will yo-yo—often interpreted as “I ate bad” when it’s really glycogen + water + sodium dynamics. PubMed+1

Finally, salt. Average U.S. sodium intake (~3,300–3,400 mg/day) overshoots guidelines (<2,300 mg/day for most adults), so many live at a baseline of extracellular water retention. If you’re already sodium-loaded and under-potassiumed, any salty meal or high-carb rebound looks like “I gained two pounds overnight.” That’s fluid placement, not fat. U.S. Food and Drug Administration+1

The triad: Potassium • Sodium • Magnesium

• Potassium (K⁺): Primary intracellular cation. Adequate Intake: ~3,400 mg/day (men), ~2,600 mg/day (women). Higher potassium relative to sodium supports healthier pressure and fluid balance. Most people under-consume it. Food-first is the move. Office of Dietary Supplements

• Sodium (Na⁺): Primary extracellular cation. You need it, especially if you sweat hard—but most non-athletes overshoot. Start from guidelines (<2,300 mg/day) and personalize upward only if you’re training hot/long with a plan. Dietary Guidelines

• Magnesium (Mg²⁺): The quiet conductor. Required for Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase function and over 300 enzyme systems—including those regulating glucose and insulin signaling. RDA ~400–420 mg (men), 310–320 mg (women). PMC+1

Mechanism in one breath: Sodium-potassium pumps (powered by magnesium) keep potassium inside cells and sodium outside, holding the osmotic line that draws water into your cells. When magnesium is low, potassium leaks (and kidney loss worsens), the pump stumbles, and you feel “soft.” Fix the minerals, and food behaves. NCBI+1

Especially for athletes & grinders

If you train and don’t nail this, you’ll live in fluctuation: sweat out sodium and potassium, under-replace potassium, and run low magnesium from chronic stress and high output. Performance dips, cravings spike, mood wobbles. ACSM’s hydration guidance underscores starting sessions euhydrated with normal electrolytes and strategically using electrolytes (and carbs for >60-minute sessions) to sustain output. Translation: plasma electrolytes matter before reps do. PubMed+1

Eat for frequency: the alignment framework

Frequency = the clarity of your signal—steady energy, clean mood, uncompromised presence. We build it from the cell outward:

1. Mineral-first plate.
   Anchor meals with potassium-dense plants (leafy greens, crucifers, squash, mushrooms, avocado), magnesium sources (pumpkin seeds, nuts, cocoa, legumes, greens), and clean protein (plant or animal per your approach). Salt to taste—but if your baseline diet is packaged/restaurant-heavy, your “taste” is already sodium-biased. Start by cooking at home and salting on the plate, not in the pot. Office of Dietary Supplements+1

2. Build macros on top of minerals.

   • Protein: 1.6–2.2 g/kg helps preserve lean mass and satiety.

   • Fat/Carb: Choose the ratio that stabilizes you (ketogenic, low-glycemic, or periodized carbs around training). Remember glycogen-water coupling when interpreting the scale. PMC

3. Pre-training electrolytes.
   Arrive euhydrated. For sessions >60 minutes or in heat: include sodium and, where appropriate, small carbs during. Personalize sweat sodium, but honor the base rule: replace what you lose—don’t shotgun salt without context. PubMed

4. Guard magnesium daily.
   Food first; supplement if needed (note: the UL for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg/day due to GI tolerance—food magnesium doesn’t count toward this UL). Forms like glycinate/taurate are typically gentler. Office of Dietary Supplements

5. Track the right signals.
   Pair morning bodyweight with evening sodium/carbs and training duration/heat. Watch how tightness and weight shift with potassium-rich days vs. sodium-heavy days. You’ll see the pattern in a week.

Why this feels “new”

It isn’t woo; it’s under-taught physiology. The pump that sets cell volume is old-school biology. The link between intracellular water and performance is in the literature. The 3:1 water:glycogen fact has been known for decades. But most nutrition talk stops at calories and macros. You can hit macros and still run a low-frequency body if minerals—and therefore intracellular hydration—are wrong. NCBI+2PMC+2

The 7-Move Macro–Mineral Protocol (keep it simple)

1. Front-load potassium. Aim to cover 2,600–3,400 mg/day from food. Build meals around greens, mushrooms, squash, tomatoes, beans, lentils, avocado, potatoes (if aligned), coconut water (training days). Office of Dietary Supplements

2. Right-size sodium. Default toward <2,300 mg/day if you’re sedentary or eating out often; personalize upward for heat/sweat with a structured plan—don’t guess. Dietary Guidelines

3. Magnesium daily. Target 310–420 mg/day (sex/age-dependent) from foods; consider a supplement if your diet or labs say you’re low. Office of Dietary Supplements

4. Time your carbs. Use them intentionally (e.g., around training) and expect transient water shifts. Don’t mistake water-backed glycogen for fat gain. PMC

5. Pre-session check. Clear urine ≠ ready. Ask: Did I actually replace sodium + potassium? For long/hot sessions, bring electrolytes—not just water. PubMed

6. Evening balance. If dinner is salty, bias potassium at that meal (greens, legumes, avocado) to keep the Na:K ratio civilized. Office of Dietary Supplements

7. Measure what matters. Track bodyweight, ring/strap metrics, and a simple Na/K/Mg log. Correlate. Adjust.

When you correct the mineral current, macros finally do their job. Muscle fills. Mind clears. Cravings quiet. The weight on the scale stops gaslighting you—because you’re no longer fighting water outside the cell. You’re intracellularly hydrated—the real “lean.”

Important notes : If you have kidney disease, heart failure, high blood pressure, or take ACE inhibitors/ARBs, potassium-sparing diuretics, or other meds that affect electrolytes, personalize this with your clinician. The same goes for aggressive sodium strategies in endurance sport. (General intake targets and cautions from NIH ODS/FDA/CDC/ACSM are cited above.)