Kinds of Nutrients The foods we eat contain thousands of different chemicals.

However, only a few dozen of these chemicals are absolutely essential to keep us healthy. These few dozen are the nutrients--the substances we must obtain from the foods we consume. Nutritionists classify nutrients into six main groups !"# water, !$# carbohydrates, !%# fats, !&# proteins, !'# minerals, and !(# vitamins. The first four groups are called macronutrients, because the body needs them in large !or macro# amounts. The last two are re)uired in only small )uantities and so are known as micronutrients. Water is needed in great amounts because the body consists largely of water. *sually, between '+ and ,' percent of a person-s body weight is made up of water. The body re)uires large )uantities of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins because these nutrients provide energy. The energy in food is measured in units called kilocalories. . kilocalorie is e)ual to ",+++ calories. . calorie is the amount of energy re)uired to raise the temperature of one gram of water one /elsius degree. However, kilocalories are often referred to as simply 0calories.0 The 0calories0 mentioned in this article are actually kilocalories. .lthough minerals and vitamins are needed in only small amounts, they are as vital to health as any other nutrients. 1inerals and vitamins are needed for growth and to maintain tissues and regulate body functions. 2ater is, perhaps, the most critical nutrient. 2e can live without other nutrients for several weeks, but we can go without water for only about one week. The body needs water to carry out all of its life processes. 2atery solutions help dissolve other nutrients and carry them to all the tissues. The chemical reactions that turn food into energy or tissue-building materials can take place only in a watery solution. The body also needs water to carry away waste products and to cool itself. .dults should consume about $"3$ )uarts !$.& liters# of water a day in the form of beverages or water in food. Carbohydrates include all sugars and starches. They serve as the main source of energy for living things. 4ach gram of carbohydrate provides about & calories. !. gram is about +.+%' ounce.# There are two kinds of carbohydrates--simple and complex. 5imple carbohydrates, all of which are sugars, have a simple molecular structure. /omplex carbohydrates, which include starches, have a larger and more complicated molecular structure that consists of many simple carbohydrates linked together. 1ost foods contain carbohydrates. The main sugar in food is sucrose, ordinary white or brown sugar. .nother important sugar, lactose, is found in milk. 6ructose, an extremely sweet sugar, comes from most fruits and many vegetables. 6oods containing starches include beans, breads, cereals, corn, pasta !macaroni, spaghetti, and similar foods made of flour#, peas, and potatoes. Fats are a highly concentrated source of energy. 4ach gram of fat provides about 7 calories. .ll fats are composed of an alcohol called glycerol and substances called fatty acids. . fatty acid consists of a long chain of carbon atoms, to which hydrogen atoms are attached. There are three types of fatty acids saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated.

. saturated fatty acid contains as many hydrogen atoms as its carbon chain can hold. . monounsaturated fatty acid is lacking a pair of hydrogen atoms. 8n a polyunsaturated fatty acid, the carbon chain contains at least four fewer hydrogen atoms than it could hold. /ertain polyunsaturated fatty acids must be included in the diet because the body cannot manufacture them. These essential fatty acids serve as building blocks for the membranes that surround every cell in the body. 9olyunsaturated fatty acids are found in the oils of such plants as corn and soybeans and in such fish as salmon and mackerel. /ommon sources of monounsaturated fatty acids include olives and peanuts. 1ost saturated fatty acids are contained in foods derived from animals, such as butter, lard, dairy products, and fatty red meats. Proteins provide energy--like carbohydrates, & calories per gram--but more importantly, proteins serve as one of the main building materials of the body. 1uscle, skin, cartilage, and hair, for example, are made up largely of proteins. 8n addition, every cell contains proteins called enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions. /ells could not function without these enzymes. 9roteins also serve as hormones !chemical messengers# and as antibodies !disease-fighting chemicals#. 9roteins are large, complex molecules made up of smaller units called amino acids. The body must have a sufficient supply of $+ amino acids. 8t can manufacture enough of "" of them. Nine others, called essential amino acids, either cannot be made by the body or cannot be manufactured in sufficient amounts. They must come from the diet. The best sources of proteins are cheese, eggs, fish, lean meat, and milk. The proteins in these foods are called complete proteins because they contain ade)uate amounts of all the essential amino acids. /ereal grains, legumes !plants of the pea family#, nuts, and vegetables also supply proteins. These proteins are called incomplete proteins because they lack ade)uate amounts of one or more of the essential amino acids. However, a combination of two incomplete proteins can provide a complete amino acid mixture. 6or example, beans and rice are both incomplete proteins, but eaten together they provide the correct balance of amino acids. Minerals are needed for the growth and maintenance of body structures. They are also needed to maintain the composition of the digestive :uices and the fluids that are found in and around the cells. 9eople need only small amounts of minerals each day. *nlike vitamins, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, minerals are inorganic compounds. This means that they are not created by living things. 9lants obtain minerals from the water or soil, and animals get minerals by eating plants or plant-eating animals. *nlike other nutrients, minerals are not broken down within the body. The re)uired minerals include calcium, chlorine, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulfur. /alcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are essential parts of the bones and teeth. 8n addition, calcium is necessary for blood clotting. 1ilk and milk products are the richest sources of calcium. /ereals and meats provide phosphorus. 2hole-grain cereals, nuts, legumes, and green leafy vegetables are good sources of magnesium. 5till other minerals are needed only in extremely tiny amounts. These minerals, called trace elements, include chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine,

iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, and zinc. 8ron is an important part of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells. /opper helps the body make use of iron to build hemoglobin. 1anganese and zinc are re)uired for the normal action of various enzymes. ;reen leafy vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals, seafood, and liver are good sources of trace elements. Vitamins are essential for good health. 5mall amounts of these compounds should be supplied daily in the diet. <itamins regulate chemical reactions in which the body converts food into energy and tissues. There are "% vitamins vitamin .= the vitamin > complex, which is a group of ? vitamins= and vitamins /, @, 4, and A. 5cientists divide vitamins into two general groups, fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. The fat-soluble vitamins--vitamins ., @, 4, and A--dissolve in fats. The vitamins of the > complex and vitamin / dissolve in water. Vitamin A is necessary for healthy skin and development of the bones. 5ources of this vitamin include liver, green and yellow vegetables, and milk. Vitamin B !, also called thiamine, is necessary for changing starches and sugars into energy. 8t is found in meat and whole-grain cereals. Vitamin B ", also known as riboflavin, is essential for complicated chemical reactions that take place during the body-s use of food. 1ilk, cheese, fish, liver, and green vegetables supply vitamin >-$. Vitamin B #, also called pyridoxine, and two other > vitamins known as pantothenic acid and biotin all play a role in chemical reactions essential for growth. Biver, yeast, and many other foods contain these vitamins. Vitamin B !" and folic acid, also called folate or folacin, are both needed for forming red blood cells and for a healthy nervous system. <itamin >-"$ is found in animal products, especially liver. 6olic acid is present in green leafy vegetables. @octors recommend that all women who are capable of becoming pregnant consume small amounts of folic acid each day to reduce the risk of spina bifida, which is a serious birth defect. Niacin is also part of the > complex. /ells need niacin in order to release energy from carbohydrates. Biver, yeast, lean meat, fish, nuts, and legumes contain niacin. Vitamin C, also called ascorbic acid, is needed for the maintenance of the ligaments, tendons, and other supportive tissue. 8t is found in fruits and in potatoes. Vitamin $ is necessary for the body-s use of calcium. 8t is present in fish-liver oil and vitamin @-fortified milk. <itamin @ is also formed when the skin is exposed to sunlight. Vitamin %, also known as tocopherol, helps maintain cell membranes. <egetable oils and whole-grain cereals are especially rich in this vitamin. 8t is also found in small amounts in most meats, fruits, and vegetables. Vitamin K is necessary for proper clotting of the blood. ;reen leafy vegetables contain vitamin A. 8t is also manufactured by bacteria in the intestine.