A Healthy Diet and Essential Nutrients

We have come to learn that a healthy diet satisfies three physiological needs.

·         Fuel for cellular respiration (energy)

·         Organic raw materials for the body to make its own molecules

·         Essential nutrients – elements and compounds that cannot be made by the body from any raw material and must be supplied in the diet.

Nutrients are divided into two basic categories; macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients typically provide calories or energy but are also needed for other body functions.[1] “Macro” refers to large, and applies to this group of nutrients because they are needed in relatively large quantities. There are three groups of macronutrients:

·         Carbohydrates

·         Proteins (includes amino acids)

·         Fats (includes essential fatty acids)

Micronutrients on the other hand are needed in much smaller amounts.[2] These nutrients are characteristically coenzymes or cofactors[3] required for enzymatic activity. These can be divided into two groups:

·         Vitamins which are organic (carbon based compounds) and,

·         Minerals (metal ions) which are derived from inorganic elements.

So what are essential nutrients?

—  More than 40 essential nutrients, including:

◦       16 Minerals

◦       14 Vitamins

◦       9 Amino acids (there are between 8 and 10, depending on the source)

◦       2 Essential fatty acids

◦       Conditionally essential nutrients

[1] Macronutrients: the Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat. Retrieved 09 Feb. 2011. http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/macronutrients.htm

[2] Micronutrients. Retrieved 09 Feb. 2011. http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/micronutrients/en/

[3] Coenzymes and cofactors. Retrieved 09 Feb. 2011. http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/coenzy_.htm

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