Fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates
By: Manisha Asrani
The effective management of food intake and nutrition are both key to good health. Smart nutrition and food choices can help prevent disease. Eating the right foods can help your body cope more successfully with an ongoing illness. Understanding good nutrition and paying attention to what you eat can help you maintain or improve your health. Food and nutrition are the way that we get fuel, providing energy for our bodies. We need to replace nutrients in our bodies with a new supply every day. Water is an important component of nutrition. Fats, proteins, and carbohydrates are all required. Maintaining key vitamins and minerals are also important to maintaining good health.
Fat is one of the three essential macronutrients the body needs, along with carbohydrates and protein. A balanced diet should include healthful monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Some of the best sources of these fatty acids include avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish. People should also be sure to limit the amount of saturated fat in the diet and avoid even small intakes of trans fats. Artificial trans fats, listed on labels as partially hydrogenated oils, are extremely unhealthful. They trigger inflammation that may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and many other health conditions.
Proteins function as building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood. They are also building blocks for enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. Nutrients provided by various protein foods can differ. Varying your protein food choices can provide your body with a range of nutrients designed to keep your body functioning well. B vitamins help build tissue and aid in forming red blood cells. Iron can prevent anemia. Magnesium helps build bones and supports muscle function. Zinc can support your immune systems. Examples of proteins that are good to eat include seafood, beans, peas, and lentils.
Carbohydrates — fiber, starches and sugars — are essential food nutrients that your body turns into glucose to give you the energy to function. Complex carbs in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products are less likely to spike blood sugar than simple carbs (sugars). A food’s chemical structure, and how quickly your body digests it, determine whether the food is a complex or simple carb. Complex carbs are less likely to cause spikes in blood sugar. They also contain vitamins, minerals and fiber that your body needs. Too many simple carbs can contribute to weight gain. They can also increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease and high cholesterol. Starches are complex carbohydrates. Many starches (but not all) fit this category. They provide vitamins and minerals. It takes your body longer to break down complex carbohydrates. As a result, blood sugar levels remain stable and fullness lasts longer. You can find starchy carbohydrates in beans, fruits, whole-grain products, and vegetables.
Overall, the body requires many nutrients to help you function. Three of the primary ones are fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.
The Importance of Good Nutrition and the Different Kinds of Nutrients Within Food
By: Shania Ali
Nutrition plays an important role in the growth and health of our bodies. Paying attention to your diet is extremely important in wanting a healthier lifestyle. Some people think going to the gym is efficient, but maintaining a nutritious diet is the key. Maintaining a well balanced diet never comes easy, but every small step, such as swapping unhealthy junk food for a nutritious snack, is a step towards a healthier lifestyle. Having a nutritious and well-balanced diet decreases our chances of certain diseases like diabetes, heart or kidney disease.
Some of the benefits of keeping good nutrition may include:
- Strengthening your immune system
- Limits your chances of obtaining immunodeficiency problems
- Protection from chronic diseases
- Having a “whole based nutrition plan” is essential in avoiding chronic diseases that may be caused by poor nutrition and obesity
- Weight management
- Like I said in the introduction, having a nutritious and balanced diet is the key point in weight management because it helps you keep your weight in line within a healthy range relative to your body composition
- Positive increase in mental health
- Most nutrients have the ability to increase serotonin and boost your mood. Some may include
- Iron and omega-3 fatty acids (protein rich food)
- Most nutrients have the ability to increase serotonin and boost your mood. Some may include
- Decreasing the rate of aging
- Food such as berries and tomatoes can “protect your body from the effects of aging”
Micronutrients are in many foods and are essential because they include vitamins and minerals. Examples of some vitamins may include:
- Fat soluble vitamins which are essentially:
- Vitamin A
- Leafy greens, carrots, spinach, sweet potato, etc.
- Vitamin D
- Dairy products, oily fish, etc..
- Vitamin E
- Nuts, seeds, spinach, etc.
- Vitamin K
- Green vegetables, soybeans, okra, etc.
- Vitamin A
- Water soluble vitamins which are:
- B-1 (Thiamin)
- Trout, black beans, port, etc.
- B-2 (Riboflavin)
- Oats, yogurt, cereal, etc.
- B-3 (Niacin)
- Chicken breast, peanuts, brown rice, etc.
- B-5 (Pantothenic acid)
- Beef liver, mushroom, sunflower seeds, etc.
- B-6 (Pyridoxamine pyridoxal)
- Potatoes, tuna, chickpeas, etc.
- B-7 (Biotin)
- Egg, salmon, sweet potato, etc.
- B-9 (Folic acid folate)
- Asparagus, spinach, black eyed peas, etc.
- B-12 (Cobalamins)
- Clams, broccoli, kiwi fruit, etc.
- B-1 (Thiamin)
Examples of minerals could also include:
- Potassium
- Bananas, beans, avocados, etc.
- Sodium
- Foods that include table salt
- Calcium
- Dairy products, tofu, vegetables, etc.
- Phosphorus
- Salmon, lentils, cashews, etc.
- Magnesium
- Nuts, spinach, beans, etc.
- Zinc
- Beef, baked beans, oysters, etc.
- Iron
- Spinach, beef, lentils, etc.
- Manganese
- Chickpeas, brown rice, spinach, etc.
- Copper
- Potatoes, mushrooms, sesame seeds, etc.
- Selenium
- Brazil nuts, oatmeal, spinach, etc.
Workcited
Fats, Proteins, and Carbohydrates
“12 Healthy High-Fat Foods.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322295#understanding-healthful-vs-unhealthful-fats.
“Carbohydrates.” The Nutrition Source, 22 May 2019, http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/.
“Protein.” Homepage for Let’s Eat Healthy and Dairy Council of California., http://www.healthyeating.org/nutrition-topics/general/food-groups/protein.
The Importance of Good Nutrition and the Different Kinds of Nutrients Within Food
“Nutrition: Nutrients and the Role of the Dietitian and Nutritionist.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160774#micronutrients.
Jantzen, Tammi. “The Importance of Nutrition.” Astarte Medical, 15 July 2021, astartemedical.com/the-importance-of-nutrition/#:~:text=Nutrition%3A%20It%20Does%20A%20Body,to%20overall%20health%20and%20wellbeing.
Health, Active. What Is Good Nutrition and Why Is It Important?, www.activehealth.sg/read/nutrition/what-is-good-nutrition-and-why-is-it-important. Patil, Dipali. “The Importance of Nutrition in Our Daily Life.” LinkedIn, LinkedIn, 26 July 2019, www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-nutrition-our-daily-life-dipali-patil.
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