Types of Nutrients

The importance of nutrition in attaining good health can never be ignored. What you eat will determine how long you will live, how obese you become, how often you fall sick, how physically fit you are, and a host of other vital factors. Nutritious food also helps you in maintaining your body weight.

Types of Nutrients

Nutrients can be broadly categorized into following categories:

Macronutrients

-Carbohydrates
-Fibers

-Proteins
-Fats

Vitamins

-Thiamin
-Riboflavin
-Niacin
-Vitamin B6
-Vitamin B12

-Panthothenic Acid
-Biotin
-Choline
-Folate

Minerals

-Calcium
-Chromium
-Copper
-Fluoride

-Iodine
-Iron
-Magnesium
-Phosphorus

-Zinc
-Potassium
-Sodium
-Chloride

Fruits and Vegetables for Maximum Nutrition

Different colored fruits and vegetables signify different nutrients. So, it is always advised to go for different colored fruits and vegetables to have all the required nutrients. Yellow and orange items typically are high in beta-carotene and dark leafy vegetables are high in Vitamin C. Cooking vegetables in oil also drains the nutrients present in vegetables. So, its always better to go for a quick steam with just a slight bit of water rather than boiling. Remember that it hardly matters how healthy your items are, if you drown them in oil.

Four Major Nutrients Required by Body

There are certain nutrients that are required by our body in optimum amount for proper working of body. Four of the most important of them are discussed as under:

Carbohydrates

The main form of energy you intake for your body is carbohydrates. Your body has the easiest time digesting carbohydrates like starch and sugar. Carbohydrates are broken down into individual fructose, glucose, units and so they are easy to digest.

Fats

Fats are essential for body to perform many corporal functions. Even saturated fats are indispensable because they help in strengthening your immune system. And they are also good for liver and lungs and help calcium absorption.

Proteins

Proteins are the building block your body uses to create new muscles tissues and repair any injured tissues. If you want to bulk up with muscles, then this is your food.

Water

Water helps in washing out the dangerous toxins that your body takes in, from the air you breathe, the food you eat and the chemicals used in the various products you use on your skin and hair. Water also cushion the joints of your body. Water also carries oxygen and nutrients into all your cells and also helps in regulating the temperature of your body.

Quick Tips on Nutrition

-Eat fruits and vegetables generously.

-Whole grains and cereals (complex carbohydrates) should be included in regular diet.

-Good fats like raw nuts and seeds, olive oil, avocados and cold water fish namely salmon, tuna and trout make great health food choice.

-Eat something healthy every two hours for this would help you feel full and make you avoid munching on unhealthy snacks.

-Grilling or baking the food is much better than frying.