A healthy diet provides all six essential nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals – as well as water – essential to human life and development. Our bodies require these in small amounts in order to support basic functions and growth.
Some foods naturally contain certain essential nutrients, while others can be fortified to increase them further. Fortification has helped reduce global nutrient deficiencies like iron deficiency anemia.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic molecules essential to good health that the human body requires in small doses for proper functioning. Vitamin content can be found in plants and animal food products as well as dietary supplements. A vitamin can exist either as a single molecule or an amalgamation of related molecules known as vitamers.
The 13 recognized vitamins serve many vital roles, from strengthening bones to fortifying immunity systems and turning food into energy. Furthermore, vitamins are responsible for healthy skin, eyes and brain functioning – as well as A (for healthy skin, hair and nails), C (to fortify immune systems) and D (strengthen teeth and promote normal bone health). When they’re needed most they are stored fat-soluble in liver or fatty tissue reserves that release them when required.
Minerals
Minerals are solid substances with a consistent chemical composition and ordered arrangement of atoms. They occur naturally, unlike their synthetic equivalents created in industrial and research labs.
Most minerals are homogeneous; however, rocks which appear to contain one type of mineral may actually contain several. Under microscope or X-ray analysis, multiple components may emerge when examined more closely. Some minerals can also be divided up according to crystal structure such as quartz, smoky quartz, mica and muscovite.
Minerals play an essential role in bone formation, nerve transmission and blood clotting. Macrominerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium are vital ingredients; sodium and potassium also aid in keeping body fluid levels under control.
Protein
Protein is an indispensable macronutrient essential to body functions ranging from cell repair and muscle growth, enzyme production and immune support, as well as antibody creation. Protein molecules consist of amino acids linked together by chemical bonds. Protein is essential to human survival because our bodies cannot produce it on its own; thus it must come from outside sources (primarily food) in order to function. Human bodies typically receive protein through animal proteins (meat, dairy products and eggs), as well as plant sources like soybeans, rice and peas. Supplemental protein can be obtained in several forms, including whey protein concentrate derived from milk or soy, and isolated proteins like casein. Both forms have been processed to remove other nutrients while often including additional elements like herbs and sweeteners as supplements.
Fats
Fats provide 9 calories per gram to the body – more than twice as many as carbohydrates and proteins combined. They also assist digestion, absorption and transport of nutrients. Essential fatty acids linoleic acid and arachidonic acid can be found in food items containing unsaturated fats such as oily fish (kippers, mackerel, salmon and tuna) vegetable oils (rapeseed, olive and canola oil), avocados and some nuts such as walnuts; while unhealthy saturated and trans-fats can be found in animal products like meat products such as full cream dairy products lard ghee suet and palm oil.
Water
Water is one of the key nutrients essential for human health and wellbeing. Representing up to 60% of bodyweight, it makes up around half of our fluid volume and plays a critical role in cell function and metabolic processes, including transport of nutrients and waste products, thermal regulation, lubricity regulation and structure formation within cells and tissues as well as providing minerals such as calcium, sodium magnesium potassium.
Although H2O itself does not qualify as a nutrient, its minerals do. Fruit-flavored waters contain minimal calories but may provide added benefits like leaching vitamins from fruits that they come from; while protein water offers similar features with its protein-rich component.
