Food nourishes your body with carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and, water.  Within these six major categories of nutrients are many specific nutrients – each with a unique job to perform in your body.  In this article, you’ll learn more about the specific nutrients your body needs for energy, health, and growth. 

            Your body’s main source of energy is carbohydrates, which are grouped in two categories: simple and complex.  Sugars are simple carbohydrates because they’re made of one or two sugar units.  Starches are complex carbohydrates they’re made of many sugars, all attached together.  During digestion, your body breaks down starches into single sugars, which are taken into your blood to make energy. 

            If you skip meals or limit foods high in carbohydrates, your body may run short on energy.  If you eat more than you need of foods high in carbohydrates, you may get more calories than you need.  Eating too many calories from any source may lead to weight gain. 

Food Sources of Carbohydrates 

            Sugars are a natural part of some foods.  For examples, fruit and milk contain sugars.  Foods with natural sugars also carry other important nutrients.  Some foods, such as candy, are high in added sugars and have few other nutrients. 

            Good sources of complex carbohydrates are: 

• Grain products, including breads, rice, and pasta.
• Vegetables such as squash, potatoes, and corn.
• Dry beans, peas, and lentils.

Fats: Essential to Your Health  

            Have you ever wondered why your fingers feel slippery after eating foods like potato chips or fried chicken?  It’s the fat in these foods that you’re feeling.  Fat is both a food and a nutrient.  As a food, it gives your meals flavor and texture.  As a nutrient, it supplies energy and has other important roles. 

            Fat promotes healthy skin and normal growth.  It also acts a partner as a partner with certain vitamins, carrying these nutrients to wherever you body needs them.  The fat stored in your body acts a cushion to protect vital organs such as your heart and liver. 

Food Sources of Fat 

            Fats are naturally present in meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, and nuts. Vegetable oil is a liquid from fat.  These sources of fat are often used as in gradients in foods such as salad dressings, gravy, cakes, cookies, many other baked foods, and ice cream.  Foods fried in oil are typically high in fat, too. 

            Fat in foods is considered either saturated or unsaturated.  Most foods with fat contain a mix of the two.

• Saturated fats – are hard at room temperature.  Examples include butter, stick margarine, and the fats in meat, poultry, and dairy products. 
• Unsaturated fats – are liquid at room temperature.  Foods with mostly unsaturated fat are vegetable oils, nuts, olives, and avocados.  

Proteins: Your Body’s Building Blocks 

            Proteins help your body, repair it, and fight disease.  Your body can also use protein to provide energy if needed.

            Amino acids are the many small units that make up protein.  Think of amino acids as the notes in music.  The same notes can make up a rock song or classical symphony – they are just arranged differently.  The same is true for the body to make the different proteins it needs. 

            Your body makes some amino acids.  The ones your body can’t make – called essential amino acids – must come from the food you eat. 

Food Sources of Protein 

            You can get protein from both animal sources, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products, have all the essential amino acids.  For this reason, they are called complete proteins.  Plant sources of proteins include dry beans and peas and nuts.  Grain products also have some protein, but not as much.  Foods from plants lack one or more essential amino acids, so they’re incomplete proteins.  However, eating a variety of plant-based foods can provide all the essential amino acids you need. 

            Most people get plenty of protein from their everyday food choices.  When you eat more protein than you need, it’s stored as body fat.  You don’t need to eat extra amounts of protein, even when you’re growing.  Eating more protein won’t build bigger muscles either – only physical activity does that.

Tags: carbohydrates, energy source, fats, protein