Nutrients are essential chemical substances necessary for life in plants, animals and humans alike. Nutrients provide energy for body functions as well as breakdown foods for absorption.
carbs, lipids and proteins all produce energy via carbohydrates, lipids and proteins respectively. Other important sources include minerals (calcium, iron and potassium) as well as water which help maintain normal body temperatures by keeping joints lubricated while transporting waste through sweating, urinating or bowel movements.
Proteins
Proteins are one of six essential nutrients. Together with carbohydrates and fats, these macronutrients serve as raw materials for tissue building and fuel to support metabolic processes that sustain life.
Proteins are composed of chains of amino acids strung together. Jons Jacob Berzelius first coined the term protein in 1838 based on Greek proteios meaning “holding first place.” Proteins play an essential role in building cells and structures as well as conducting metabolic reactions that sustain optimal pH balance and immune support systems in our bodies.
Complete proteins are defined as food products containing all nine essential amino acids. Common examples include meat, dairy products and plant foods like beans, quinoa and peanuts. Achieving adequate protein intake is vital in meeting muscle growth needs while supporting bone strength; keeping skin, hair and nail health optimal and increasing hormone production; unlike many nutrients however, proteins cannot be produced naturally by our bodies and must come through our diet alone.
Fats
Fat is an energy-dense nutrient, providing energy and helping absorb certain vitamins. Too much fat in the diet increases your risk of heart disease.
Dietary fats (also referred to as lipids) consist of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms. There are various kinds of dietary fats, some being more beneficial than others.
Healthy fats include both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties. Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature and found in avocados, almonds, olives and some vegetable oils like canola, safflower and corn oils; polyunsaturated ones are found in fish such as mackerel and salmon; sunflower seeds, peanuts and walnuts as well as whole grains.
Unhealthy fats include saturated and trans fats, found in meat, dairy products, and some vegetable oils (lard, lard drippings, suet, tallow and palm oil). Saturated and trans fats raise your risk of cardiovascular disease by raising cholesterol levels; trans fats have also been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Minerals
Minerals play many essential roles, from bone formation and muscle contraction to nerve transmission and keeping our immune systems strong. You’ll find minerals in foods like meats, fish, nuts, vegetables, eggs, legumes and whole grains; key minerals include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium potassium sodium chlorine.
All minerals possess a distinctive chemical makeup, expressed as an exact formula (quartz contains SiO2) and an ordered crystal structure formed of tightly packed atoms arranged in orderly patterns. Minerals may be inorganic but also organic in nature. A mineral that fulfills all these criteria but lacks an ordered crystal structure is known as a mineraloid.
Metals are valuable minerals with significant economic utility, such as iron used in cars and steel buildings, copper used for electrical wiring, lithium used to power rechargeable batteries. Nonmetallic minerals also boast great utility; for instance gypsum used as building material or limestone and dolomite used for cement production as well as glass making and paper making are two examples.
Water
Water is a clear, tasteless and odorless chemical substance found throughout Earth’s atmosphere and living organisms, comprising most of their body fluids and environment. Water’s unique characteristics derive from its simple molecular structure consisting of two hydrogen atoms bonded with one oxygen atom; this creates an asymmetrical shape giving water useful shapes for functioning within cells or biological processes.
Water plays an essential role in building and breaking down larger molecules within cells. Photosynthesis requires water for photosynthesis plants to produce sugars used as energy by all living creatures, while proteins, the workhorses of our cells, need water in order to fold into specific shapes so they can perform their essential tasks like regulating hormones or passing information between cells.
Water plays an essential role in digesting and transporting nutrients found in food to the body, aiding the breakdown process and transport of essential minerals and vitamins. Without enough fluid intake, dehydration may occur leading to serious health complications. Adequate intake also supports natural detoxification mechanisms through urination, respiration, perspiration and bowel movements – all key aspects for good health and detoxification systems in place within us all.
