What Are the Most Important Nutrients For Our Well-Being?

Food is any material consumed to supply the necessary nutrition to an organism for the production of energy. A number of organisms require food to survive. Many organisms also consume food to produce a secondary nutrition to sustain them through the periodical starvation known as an extended death process. The major classes of food are carbohydrates, proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals, respectively.

These food groups can be broken down into specific groups based on their metabolic processes:

Carbohydrates are those substances that provide energy or the energy required by the body for day-to-day activities. These foods include starch, sugars, and fruits. Proteins are the primary component of cellular membranes and play an important role in the functioning of all cells. Fat, like vitamin D, is necessary for human health because it transports oxygen and other nutrients to tissues and provides insulation against extreme temperatures.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, soybeans, rice bran, nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, yeast products, mushrooms, eggs, milk, cheese and fortified grain products provide dietary fiber. Diets rich in dietary fiber have low levels of acid in the body and help maintain a balanced diet. Acid-forming foods include dairy products, red meat, poultry meats, fish, and anchovies, all of which produce acids that cause digestive problems. Fats are also acid forming and should be consumed in moderation. To reduce acidity, margarine, shortening, processed foods, and butter are to be avoided, while consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, whole grain cereals, beans, peas, mushrooms, citrus juices, tomatoes and spinach are recommended.

Sources of Carbohydrates 

The principal sources of carbohydrates are vegetables, legumes, fruits, grains, rice bran and nuts; whereas proteins are available in animal products, especially fish, meats, eggs, poultry and dairy. Vegetarians can receive adequate protein without any negative impact on their health by including nuts, seeds, soybeans and eggs in the diet. The average person needs about 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per day for normal weight maintenance, while the vegetable and fruit groups provide more than this.

Nutrient Food:

• The nutritional quality of the different food groups is evaluated in terms of energy density, nutrient partitioning, nutrient combination and toxicity.
• Energy density, or calorie content per unit weight, is measured using units such as gm/kg and is a measure of the calories required to function at a particular level of activity.
• Nutrient partitioning is a process of breaking down the nutrient value of an edible substance into its basic elements. The four nutrient components are carbohydrate, fat, protein and water.
• Protein and fat are found in animal products, whereas carbohydrates are found in vegetables, fruits, breads and other legumes and nuts.

There is much debate as to what are the most important nutrients needed. While it is not possible to eat everything that is recommended, it is possible to eat a wide variety of healthy foods. Meats and meat products are the richest in fat and cholesterol, while fresh vegetables and fruits have the least amount of saturated fats and cholesterol in them. Foods high in fiber and other nutrients, which include vitamins B, C and E, are also very important to our health. Legumes, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and whole grains are all good sources of these nutrients.