Nutrition refers to both the food we eat and chemical substances that provide energy for our bodies. Nutrients can be divided into macronutrients and micronutrients.
Eating a variety of food can help ensure you receive all the essential vitamins and minerals from your diet, but an experienced dietitian can assist in understanding your nutritional requirements as well as ways to incorporate more nutrition into meals.
Carbohydrates
Carbs provide our bodies with energy. They supply immediate glucose for immediate energy use and store up as glycogen or fat for later. Most carbohydrates can be found in fruits, grains and vegetables – it is best to choose whole grain products over processed breads, cereals or pasta to benefit from higher fiber and nutrient intake.
Foods containing complex carbohydrates tend to contain many essential vitamins and minerals, such as:
Beans such as black beans, chickpeas, lentils and lima beans. Fruits including berries and apples. Vegetables including corn, peas and potatoes.
Sugars are the easiest form of carbs to digest. While they provide quick energy boosts, eating too many can quickly lead to health risks. Soft drinks, cookies and processed foods contain added sugars; fiber is a complex healthy carbohydrate that doesn’t break down into simple sugars when digested; there are two forms – insoluble and soluble fiber can be found in plants such as fruits vegetables and whole grains.
Fats
Fats we eat provide energy for our body cells, especially after 20 minutes of exercise when our bodies use extra calories to continue going. All fats contain high energy but some types may be healthier than others.
Healthy fats come from vegetable sources like avocados, nuts, seeds and fish. Their difference from saturated fats is their lower hydrogen atom bonding with their carbon chains; as a result they remain liquid at room temperature.
Unhealthy fats can be found in animal products like beef, pork, lamb and poultry; full-fat dairy foods such as cream cheese and butter; tropical oils like coconut and palm; as well as certain processed foods containing trans fats (produced from heating liquid fats in certain ways). Consuming too many unhealthy fats increases bad cholesterol levels in your blood and increases the risk of heart disease; at the same time it raises triglyceride levels that could potentially put someone at greater risk of type 2 diabetes.
Proteins
Proteins are vitally important nutrients, providing our cells with building blocks and precursors of nucleic acids, coenzymes, and hormones. Furthermore, they’re vitally necessary for muscle, skin and blood health – each polypeptide comprises multiple chains of individual amino acids connected by chemical bonds forming chains (or necklaces) within it.
There are 20 amino acids, each capable of being combined in various ways to form proteins. While 11 of them can be produced within our bodies, so they are considered non-essential; nine must come from food since our bodies cannot produce them themselves.
Chicken, beef and fish are considered complete proteins as they contain all essential amino acids. Other foods, like beans, legumes, soy products, quinoa and tempeh are incomplete due to being deficient in some essential amino acids. Both RDI and PRI references serve to ensure adequate intake while simultaneously limiting potential overconsumption of this nutrient.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic substances required by our bodies in small amounts for proper functioning. Vitamin A can be found in food or dietary supplement sources or even created naturally under certain circumstances by our own bodies.
Vitamins are vital to helping our bodies fight off disease and maintain healthful teeth, skin, mucous membranes and bones. Vitamin A and D serve as hormone-like regulators of bone mineral absorption while B complex vitamins act as enzyme cofactors or precursors while vitamin C serves as an antioxidant.
Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins exist. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) can be stored in liver fatty tissue stores before any excess is excreted through urine. Water-soluble vitamins (C and all B vitamins) must be regularly consumed to avoid deficiencies and ensure optimal levels.
