The Six Classes of Nutrients and Why You Need Them

By the end of reading this post you should understand what the six classes of nutrients are and the general importance of each.

Let’s begin! A nutrient is a component of food that is necessary for the body to function. Nutrients can provide energy, maintain and repair the body, and support growth.

Nutrients the body can use as energy:

• Carbohydrates
• Protein
• Lipids (fat)

Nutrients that assist in bodily processes:

• Vitamins
• Minerals

Finally, #6. is water which is constantly lost from the body and must be replaced.

Carbohydrates

Sometimes poor carbohydrates get a bad rap, but in fact, carbs are the preferred fuel source for the brain and nervous system. Carbs have additional purposes including:

• critical energy source for red blood cells and nerve cells (especially the brain!)
• meeting the body’s energy needs
• keeping the digestive system active and fit (fiber, fiber, fiber!)
• keeping you fit-YES! when eating the right carbs and within the right calorie range, carbs are an important part to keeping us fit

Not all carbohydrates are created equal! You may be wondering how can carbs help us lose and maintain a healthy weight? Well, that is a big topic and one I will cover more in another blog post. For now, I will tell you that carbs are lower in calories per gram than fat, which means… you can eat more in volume than you can in fat for the same amount of calories. Think about it, you can eat a bowl of delicious fresh fruit and consume less calories, much fiber, and vitamins and minerals than if you ate a handful of fries that equals the same calories. Remember, there is no magic percentage of macronutrients that will help you lose weight. Carbs are not evil but instead are vital to our health and not to mention, delicious!

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Protein

As you can see in the photos above, we can obtain protein from a variety of foods like animal sources (meat, poultry, fish, diary), legumes, and nuts and seeds. Just like carbohydrates, not all protein is created equal. There are complete and incomplete proteins. Complete proteins contain all the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein) that we must consume through diet because our body cannot make them. Incomplete proteins must either be combined to create complete proteins or complete proteins must be consumed at another time in the day to ensure we get all the necessary amino acids. More on these protein details later!

The roles of protein:

• provide structure and movement (muscles!)
• make up enzymes, hormones, antibodies, and more
• transport substances in the body like fat molecules, vitamins and minerals, and oxygen
• maintain fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance
• prevent blood clotting

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Lipids (Fat)

Once again, like carbs and protein, not all fat is created equal and the average person should not completely avoid or ignore fat in their diet. There are fats you should eat less often and some you should try to eat more often.

Roles of fat:

• Fuel storage (main storage form for energy, or calories,  that are consumed in excess)
• Cushion (without cushy fat we would suffer way more internal injuries)
• Insulator
• Part of the cell membrane
• Transport material inside the body
• Satiety (makes you feel full after a meal for longer)

Vitamins

I will briefly talk about the roles of vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are split into two classes, fat-soluble and water-soluble, which just mean each class is absorbed differently in the body.

Overall roles (each vitamin has specific roles):

• allow other nutrients to be digested, absorbed, and metabolized or built into bodily structures

Minerals

Minerals also have classes of major, trace, and ultra-trace which doesn’t indicate the importance of the mineral, but rather the amount needed in the body.

Very general roles of minerals (each mineral has specific roles for keeping the body in optimal working condition):

• Fluid and electrolyte balance
• Acid-base balance

Water

Last but not least, water! The many important roles of water include:

• Universal solvent (dissolves proteins, glucose or sugars, minerals, and other substances needed by cells
• Cleansing agent (our body produces waste and water helps get rid of these wastes!)
• Lubricant and cushion
• Temperature regulator

*What questions do you have about the nutrients and which nutrients do you want to learn more about? Leave it in the comments! –>