Nutrients are essential elements in food that provide energy and vitality to both humans and plants alike, including protein, carbohydrates, fats and water.
Diet is necessary to supply our bodies with essential nutrients, which must be consumed as part of a balanced diet. Nutrients fall into two categories: macronutrients – such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids — and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic molecules (or groups of closely related molecules known as vitamers) essential to proper body functioning in small amounts. Although the body cannot synthesize vitamins itself, they must be obtained through food sources in order to ensure adequate nutritional health.
Water-soluble vitamins – including those from the B group such as Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Folic Acid and Biotin – do not build up in our bodies over time; rather they circulate throughout our bloodstream before eventually leaving via urine excretion. For optimal health it’s essential that these liquid nutrients be consumed daily to avoid deficiency.
Fat-soluble vitamins – vitamins A, D, E and K – are stored in liver and fatty tissues and travel into the bloodstream via lymph channels in intestinal walls to reach cells as companion proteins escort them along their journey to cells where they play vital roles such as creating hormones or building bones and muscles.
Minerals
Minerals play many essential roles in our bodies, from keeping bones strong to producing enzymes and hormones. Minerals are one of four groups of essential nutrients necessary for good health.
Minerals are solid inorganic substances created through geological processes that have an identifiable crystalline structure and chemical signature that distinguish them. Furthermore, minerals must also occur naturally.
Minerals are divided into major and trace minerals. We need more calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and sodium than trace minerals such as iron, copper, iodine zinc cobalt fluoride selenium etc.
Most individuals can obtain enough essential minerals through diet alone; however, those at risk of not obtaining sufficient may require supplements as well.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are an essential energy source for our bodies, providing 4 kilocalories of energy per gram from fruit, vegetables, grains and dairy products such as milk. You can find carbohydrates both naturally occurring in plants such as fruit and vegetables as well as processed flour-containing products like breads bagels and pasta that offer four times that amount.
Starches are multisaccharides made up of three or more monosaccharides called monosaccharides, such as glucose (also referred to as dextrose, grape sugar or corn sugar), fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). Starch molecules can be broken down through glycosidation which takes place in liver, pancreas and intestines.
Fats
Fats (or lipids) provide energy, as well as serve as primary structural components of cell membranes and aid the transport of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) through the bloodstream.
Dietary fats can generally be divided into two main categories based on their carbon structures; saturated and unsaturated fats. While your body cannot synthesize saturated fats directly, they are prevalent in animal products like meat and dairy as well as processed foods like cookies, pastries and pizza.
Healthy unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature, can be found in fish, vegetable oils and nuts, including monounsaturated (from avocados, macadamia nuts and peanuts) and polyunsaturated fats (canola oil, nut and seed oils). Such healthy unsaturated fats have been linked with improved heart health, reduced cholesterol levels and diabetes prevention.
Proteins
Protein is essential to the growth and maintenance of cells and tissue as well as energy production in our bodies. Nine of the 20 amino acids considered essential are not produced within our own bodies and must come from food sources instead. Complete proteins contain all of these essential amino acids.
There are thirteen essential vitamins, divided into two groups – fat-soluble and water-soluble. Our bodies obtain their daily supply from eating a balanced diet. Trace minerals are also important, including copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum phosphorous selenium zinc as well as nutrients like arsenic mercury lead cadmium that should only be taken in small doses but may pose danger if not in sufficient amounts such as arsenic mercury lead cadmium arsenic mercury lead cadmium; making finding the correct balance essential across age groups.
