Six Basic Nutrients

1. The body needs six basic nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Each one helps the body carry out different functions. To start off, carbohydrates are a group of compounds that includes starches, celluloses, and sugars. Carbohydrates provide the body with calories along with ample sources of vitamins and minerals. Cereals, rice, pasta, fruits, vegetables, and milk are only some of the foods carbohydrates are found in. Next up is proteins, which are complex nitrogen containing compounds that are essential for the formation of all cells in the human body. Proteins helps the body maintain healthy muscles and prevent fluid retention. Fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, rice, corn, nuts, and beans are some foods that contain proteins. Fats are another basic nutrient. Fats are very concentrated forms of energy for the body and they can muster up twice the amount of energy per gram that proteins or carbohydrates can. Fats work hand in hand with many transport systems in the body and is a key ingredients to the apt growth of a human body. Also, it keeps the energy stored in the body in check. Lastly, fats can be found in meat, milk products, seafood, fish oil, palm oil, and the list could go on and on. Vitamins and minerals both are crucial to living a healthy lifestyle even though neither directly provide energy. Vitamins are organic chemicals that are indispensable if you want your body to function normally. Certain vitamins can aid in preventing certain diseases and in carrying out a healthy pregnancy. Additionally, vitamins give the body a helping hand when it comes to turning food into energy and tissues. Some foods that contain vitamins include sweet potatoes, chickpeas, garbanzo beans, fish, red peppers, broccoli, and so on. Minerals on the other hand are inorganic chemicals that can assist the body in performing chemical reactions, help bone formation, aid in the production of red blood cells, and maintain the digestive juices