Any substance which repairs the functional waste of the body, increases its growth, or maintains the heat, muscular, and nervous energy can be defined as a food. Nutrients enrich the body and are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy. The most important nutrients essential to living organisms are carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the human body. They are organic molecules in which carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen bond together. Animals and humans break down carbohydrates during the process of metabolism to release energy. They obtain carbohydrates by eating foods that contain them, for example potatoes, rice, breads, and so on. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple sugars and carbohydrates that are made of long chains of sugars.
Fats are compounds also known as lipids, found in the body and insoluble in water. Their main purpose is to serve as a storage system and reserve supply of energy. Fats also serve as an insulation material to conserve the body heat and they protect internal organs from physical damage. Fats in the diet can be converted to other lipids to serve as structural material in the membranes surrounding our cells. Fats are also used in the manufacture of some steroids and hormones that help regulate growth and maintenance of tissue in the body. Fats can be classified as either saturated or unsaturated depending on their structure. Fats that contain no double bonds in their fatty acid chains are referred to as saturated fats. They tend to be solid at room temperature, such as butter or animal fat. Their consumption carries health risks in that they have been linked to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease. Unsaturated fats contain some number of double bonds in their structure. They are generally liquid at room temperature and are referred to as oils. Research suggests that the healthiest of the fats in the human diet are the monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil and canola oil, because they appear to be beneficial in the fight against heart disease.
Proteins are all made up of different combinations of amino acids. They are large molecules that may consist of hundreds, or even thousands, of amino acids. Proteins serve two main purposes in the human body. Structural proteins form most of the solid material in the human body. For example, the structural proteins keratin and collagen are the main component of your hair, muscles, tendons and skin. Functional proteins help carry out activities and functions in the human body.
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The American Society for Nutrition (ASN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together researchers, clinical nutritionists and industry to advance our knowledge and application of nutrition for the sake of humans and animals:
Video: To learn more about the science behind calories and nutrition watch the following video, it explains the calorie content of food and how fat, protein and carbohydrate levels on nutrition facts labels are found.
Any substance which repairs the functional waste of the body, increases its growth, or maintains the heat, muscular, and nervous energy can be defined as a food. Nutrients enrich the body and are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy. The most important nutrients essential to living organisms are carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
