Learning
Essential Nutrients
As we always say that macronutrients are important, I want you to understand it better so I briefly described each one separately so that you could know their role and importance.
Every day the human body requires many nutrients for energy, growth, structure, function, performance, and health. Most of the essential nutrients are lumped into two main categories: macronutrients and micronutrients.
Essential Nutrient: a nutrient that the body cannot produce itself or that it cannot produce in sufficient amounts to maintain good health.
Macronutrient: a macronutrient is any nutrient that the body uses in relatively large amounts. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, protein, fat and water. Macronutrients are different from micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which the body needs in smaller amounts. Macronutrients are important for providing the body with a supply of energy what body needs for growth and repair.
Micronutrients: vitamins and minerals, which the body needs in smaller amounts.
Carbohydrates are the macronutrients primarily used to provide the body with energy. Proper energy substrate intake is important to balance energy expenditure and maintain desired body composition and performance. Your energy requirements will vary with age, activity, and foods eaten but without carbohydrates in the diet, performance and recovery may be further impaired, this is because carbohydrates are a key fuel for the brain and for the muscles during exercise. As a fuel carbohydrate have the same energy density as protein, 4 kcal per gram.
The main types of carbohydrates:
A simple carbohydrate composed of two sugar molecules. Simply carbohydrates provide quick energy which enter your blood stream and are used up quickly, or are stored as fat. (Chocolate, sugars etc)
A complex carbohydrate are more sustained source of energy, as the energy takes longer to enter the blood stream. We should to include complex carbohydrates in our diet.
A major source of energy in the diet, fat helps the body absorb fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Some kinds of fats, especially saturated fats and trans fatty acids, may raise blood cholesterol and increase the risk for heart disease. Other fats, such as unsaturated fats, do not raise blood cholesterol. Fats that are in foods are combinations of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. As a fuel fat has an energy density of 9 kcal per gram.
One of the nutrients that provides calories to the body. Protein is an essential nutrient that helps build many parts of the body, including blood, bone, muscle, and skin. Protein provides 4 kcal per gram and is found in foods like beans, dairy products, eggs, fish, meat… Proteins are composed of amino acids, nine of which are indispensable (essential), meaning they cannot be synthesized by humans and therefore must be obtained from the diet. Protein has been linked to higher levels of satiety and decreased hunger, ensuring you feel fuller for longer and less likely to over eat- a great tool for weights loss.
Is not essential macronutrient. It’s important to consider, that along with the additional calories that exist whit an alcoholic beverage, alcoholic itself has a higher energy density than carbohydrates and proteins, providing the body with 7 kcal per gram.
Is the most essential macronutrient to life but provides no calories or nutrition. A person can survive several weeks without food but only several days without water. The importance of water has always been recognized, but recently, more and more research has shown that maintaining optimum levels of hydration is important in maintaining peak performance and recovery.