Why are nutrients important to us?
There are six types of nutrients that are needed in our bodies, water, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The first nutrient, water, is used to dissolve other chemicals so it is easier for food to move from cell to cell. The nutrient that follows is called carbohydrates. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex carbohydrates. Simple carbs are in sugar. Complex carbs give you energy that lasts longer. The third type of nutrient is fat which is in meat, dairy products, and so on. Unsaturated fats are healthy and are in fish, vegetable oil and many more. Trans-fat is unhealthy. This type of fat is in junk food, and fried foods, so trans-fat should be ignored completely. Every day, twenty to thirty five percent of the total
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Less than ten percent of the total calories should be saturated fat, because saturated fat can cause heart diseases, and are not good for you; yet unsaturated fat is good for you so it should be taken more than saturated fat. The fourth type of nutrient is protein. Proteins are made of long chains of amino acids and help provide energy. There are proteins in meat, eggs, cheese, and so on. Men from nineteen to thirty should have at least fifty six grams of protein in their body each day. Women the same age, on the other hand, only need about forty six grams of protein each day. The fifth and six types of nutrients that are used in our body are vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients help us grow and stay healthy. Every day, vitamin A should be taken around nine hundred micro grams for men and about seven hundred for women. Vitamin C should be taken around ninety milligrams for men and seventy five milligrams for women. The key mineral that is taken most is calcium. Adults should take about eight hundred milligrams of calcium daily. With all these six nutrients taken in a reasonable amount, the percentage of being sick would decrease, and in