Nutrition Facts
Nutrition is the good we get from all the food we eat and it helps our bodies work. Food is made up of different types of nutrients that contribute to our food being nutritious. These nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibre, vitamins, minerals, and water.
These nutrient classes can be generally grouped into the categories of macronutrients (needed in relatively large amounts), and micronutrients (needed in smaller quantities). The macronutrients are carboyhdrates, fats, fibre, proteins and water. The other nutrient classes are micronutrients.
The macronutrients provide energy, which is measured in "calories". Carbohydrates and proteins provide four calories of energy per gram, while fats provide nine calories per gram. Vitamins, minerals, fibre and water do not provide energy, but are necessary for other reasons.
If our bodies fail to get all the nutrients they need, this is called malnutrition. If a person suffers from malnutrition they can be more likely to catch diseases and it can affect the functions of their bodies, such as their brain, eyesight, vital organs, height, and weight.
Poor diet can have a detrimental impact on health such as health-threatening conditions like obesity and metabolic syndrome, and such common chronic systemic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Protein
Protein is composed of amino acids that are the body's structural materials (muscles, skin, hair etc). The body requires amino acids to produce new body protein and to replace damaged proteins that are lost in urine.
Dietry sources of protein include meats, eggs, grains, legumes, and dairy products such as milk and cheese.
Proteins can be converted into carbohydrates through a process called gluconeogenesis.
Carbohydrates
There are two major types of carbohydrates in foods, simple and complex.
Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are also called starches. Starches include grain products, such as bread, pasta and rice. As with simple sugars, some complex carbohydrate foods are better choices than others. Refined grains, such as white flour and white rice, have been processed which removes nutrients and fibre. Unrefined grains still contain these vitamins and minerals. Unrefined grains are also rich in fibre, which helps your digestive system work well. Fibre helps you feel full and are also lower in calories, so you are less likely to over eat foods higher in fibre.
Simple Carbohydrates
These are also called simple sugars. Simple sugars are found in refined sugars, like white sugar. But you'll also find simple sugars in more nutritious foods, such as fruit(fructose) and milk(lactose). It's better to get simple sugars from foods like fruit and milk as opposed to eating jelly beans or ice cream. Why? Because they also contain vitamins, fibre, and important nutrients like calcium.
