Vitamins serve as catalysts, aiding key chemical reactions in our bodies. When deficient, deficiencies may result in serious conditions like scurvy and blindness.
Folic acid (also known as Vitamin B9) helps protect fetuses against neural tube defects, and doctors advise women who may become pregnant to take pre and post pregnany multivitamin supplements that contain it before and during gestation. You can find it naturally in leafy vegetables, liver and some fortified foods.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are one of the body’s primary energy sources. Once consumed, carbohydrates break down to become glucose for use by cells throughout the body. You can find carbohydrates in fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains and sugary treats such as candy, soda and table sugar; more complex forms may include legumes but simple types such as fruit can provide quick energy boosts as well.
Carbs are molecules composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms and are considered macronutrients, along with protein and fat. Carbs fall under the saccharides family of carbohydrates which also includes starches and cellulose; saccharides can further be divided into monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides – with monosaccharides being the simplest form; they have one unit of sugar end with “ose” (glucose fructose galactose lactose etc), disaccharides contain two monosaccharides held together via glycosidic bonds; polysaccharides are larger in scope such as those found in beans/leguarains/whole grain products such as potatoes
Minerals
Minerals are essential components of our bodies, performing numerous essential functions that include keeping bones strong, muscles healthy and the brain functioning normally. Minerals also play a part in making enzymes and hormones. Minerals can be divided into two categories: macro minerals and microminerals (sometimes referred to as trace elements).
Macrominerals include calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and chloride while microminerals include iron, zinc, manganese copper iodine selenium chromium.
Minerals are solids with an identifiable crystalline structure formed through natural geological processes and are inorganic. Minerals may include metals like iron (which is commonly found in house frames and pots), as well as nonmetals like silica sand, talc, and graphite.
Minerals are used in daily life for everything from sandpaper and concrete to fertiliser and batteries, providing us with much of what we rely on in daily living. They can also be immensely valuable – for instance iron is found in steel used for cars and buildings while copper wires make electricity flow. Plus there’s lithium being utilized in batteries.
