The six nutrients

Today's blog will cover the six nutrients. Three of these nutrients provide calories for the body, whereas three do not. Eating a variety of foods to provide all these nutrients is important because they each have different functions in the body.

Carbohydrates (carbs) do provide energy and calories to the body. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables (corn, potatoes, peas), milk products (cheese is low in carbs), beans, and grains. Meat, some vegetables, and cheese have very little or no carbohydrates. Carbs are the body's main energy source. Carbs are broken down into glucose, otherwise known as blood sugar. Insulin helps the glucose enter cells where it is used for energy. Some glucose also gets stored and may turn to body fat if not used for energy needs. A minimum of 25% of your calories should come from carbs, but a good range for most is 45 - 65% of total calories. The focus of your carbs should be from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and low-fat milk products, not from sugars.

Fats are needed to insulate the body, protect vital organs, and to store and transport some of the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Fat is also a rich source of energy. Fats are not all the same, saturated fats and trans fat are more harmful than the heart-healthy oils, like monounsaturated and polyunsaturated oils. Fat should be about 20 to 35% of your total calories intake, with no more than 10% of the total calories coming from saturated fat and little to none from trans fat.

Protein help build, repair, and maintain body tissues. If carbs and fats are in short supply, protein can be used for energy. But, when used for energy, proteins cannot be used to help maintain body tissues. Protein is found mostly in meats, beans, nuts, and milk products. Some grains have a little bit of protein. Protein should constitute about 10 - 35% of total calories.

Water is the most essential nutrient. The body cannot function without a constant source of water and dehydration can lead to death if someone is without water for a few days. Water regulates body processes, help control body temperature, carries nutrients to the cells, and moves wastes out of the body. You lose about 10 cups of water daily through sweat, breathing, and going to the bathroom. Adults need anywhere from 8 to 12 cups of water daily to replace this from all sources of water (drinks and food). Water does not provide energy or calories to the body.

Vitamins are used for many different body processes, such as promoting healthy vision, blood clotting, helping keep bones and teeth strong, antioxidants, and energy functions. Each vitamin plays a specific role and cannot replace each other. Vitamins alone do not provide calories or energy to the body (although they do help release or use energy from the foods we eat).

Minerals are similar to vitamins for their roles in many different processes. They help with carrying oxygen in red blood cells, bone building, fluid balance, heart and muscle contraction, growth and development, healing wounds, energy production and metabolism. Minerals have different functions and similar to vitamins, cannot replace each other. Minerals alone do not provide calories or energy to the body (although they do help release or use energy from the foods we eat).

Information is from the Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, American Dietetics Association.