Nutrients are chemical compounds essential to human bodies for energy, building materials and controlling body processes. Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, minerals and water are the major groups of nutrients.
Proteins are found in every cell of your body and help build muscles, bones, skin, hair and nails. You can find protein sources like meat, dairy products, nuts and certain grains.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are one of the body’s primary energy sources, breaking them down into glucose for immediate energy or stored for later use by liver and muscle tissue. You can find carbohydrates in foods like fruits, starches and grains.
Simple carbohydrates consist of one or two sugar molecules joined chemically into an easily digestible structure. They’re easily used by our bodies as an energy source and cause an immediate surge in blood sugar. Some examples include table sugar, honey and candy.
Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and contain vitamins and minerals that benefit your health, such as beans and legumes, whole grains and cooked vegetables. Food packages come with Nutrition Facts labels which list how much of each of these carbohydrates a serving has; additionally they detail any fiber that’s contained within each serving.
Proteins
Proteins are vital building blocks of our bodies, providing energy as well as acting as the framework for enzymes, hormones, cells and other bodily processes. Proteins also contain iron, B vitamins and zinc for our wellbeing; animal foods like meat and eggs contain proteins while plant foods contain soy beans legumes nut butters nut butters some grains contain proteins too containing essential amino acids that our bodies cannot produce on its own. High quality proteins contain high concentrations of these essential amino acids.
Proteins are long chains of amino acids linked by chemical bonds that bend and fold to fit their functions in the body. Each protein may consist of hundreds or even thousands of individual amino acid beads called peptides that your body produces naturally; five amino acids can be made by your body while nine cannot, so they must be provided through diet.
Lipids
Lipids are waxlike molecules found within cell membranes that play an essential role in fuelling our bodies, storing energy for use during times of peak physical demand, sending signals through the nervous system, and insulating our cells from environmental conditions. Lipids include fats such as triglycerides and phospholipids as well as oils and sterols such as cholesterol.
Carbon atoms in saturated fatty acids form bonds with as many hydrogen atoms as possible, so that their electrons can pack tightly enough together to store energy as a solid state – this explains why fats remain solid at room temperature.
Fats found in our diet come from animal products like meat, dairy and butter as well as vegetable sources like avocados, nuts and seeds. Together they account for nearly 95 percent of calories in our diet; other forms include lecithin and cholesterol found in plant and animal sources or manufactured commercially.
Minerals
Minerals are elements found both naturally in our environment and foods that our bodies need for development and function, such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium chloride and magnesium. Furthermore, iron, zinc fluoride and iodine are also considered minerals.
Minerals are natural solid substances with specific chemical composition and ordered atomic structures; for example, table salt, quartz and stishovite (silicon dioxide). Synthetic forms may also exist such as calcite or aragonite.
Most people receive enough minerals in their diets; however, mineral deficiencies may occur for those eating limited numbers of food items. One of the most prevalent mineral deficiencies is iron deficiency anemia which a dietary supplement containing iron may treat effectively.
Water
Water is an indispensable solvent; it dissolves some amount of almost all solids or gases it comes in contact with, making it the basis of life on Earth and other planets and moons within our solar system.
Water molecules clump together and form cells, the fundamental building blocks for organ systems in our bodies. Their strong polarity and unique properties enable it to transport nutrients and other substances throughout our systems.
As with other nutrients, there is little consensus regarding an Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for water. Due to dietary survey reports showing widely varied intake levels and population estimates being difficult to ascertain accurately, ml/kcal ratios are typically used as recommendations for daily water consumption.
