Essential Nutrients and Balanced Diets for Optimal Health

Posted on Nov 30, 2024 in Biology

Food and Nutrition

Food: Substances that provide energy to living beings, raw materials, and chemicals necessary for proper functioning and regulation of vital mechanisms.

Nutrition: The intake and subsequent use of energy and plastic materials necessary for life.

Types: Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, water, mineral salts.

Macronutrients

The first three principles are immediate sources of energy.

Proteins

Proteins are complex nitrogenous substances of high molecular weight, containing amino acids as basic structural units. They are found in all cells of animals and plants and act in all chemical and physical activities of cells.

Amino Acids
  • Molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, forming the structure of our body.
  • They are the most important component of tissues after water.
  • They provide structural shape to each cell and organ of the body.
  • Functional role: Acting on different chemical reactions in the body.
  • Functional proteins:
    • Enzymes: Allow for fast chemical reactions of metabolic processes.
    • Contractile proteins: Found in muscles, converting food energy into mechanical energy.
    • Transport proteins: Carry nutrients, chemicals, hormones, and metabolites throughout the body.

Meat: 60% water, 20% fat, 20% protein.

Carbohydrates

Substances consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the proportion C6H12O6. They provide between 50 and 60% of the energy needed for daily functioning.

  • Simple: Sugars (glucose, fructose, and disaccharides).
  • Complex: Starch, cellulose (polysaccharides).

Glucose: A great source of energy, especially for muscle contraction.

Dietary Fiber: Adds volume to other foods.

Fats

Fats, also called lipids, are compounds formed by hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. They provide energy, vitamins, and regulate body temperature. The body accumulates fat for energy storage. They comprise glycerol, triglycerides, and sterols (cholesterol and other fats).

Micronutrients

Vitamins

Organic compounds essential for the functioning of the body. They collaborate in the production of energy from food and tissue formation from protein.

Water

Water makes up 75% of our body. It keeps enzymes and other organic substances dissolved in cells. It transports nutrients and metabolic products to be eliminated from the body by the kidneys and regulates body temperature. Water loss occurs through sweat, respiration, and diuretics.

Minerals

Minerals are components of body structures such as bones and teeth (calcium). They help the action of enzymes in various chemical reactions, acting as coenzymes.

Trace Elements

Minerals needed by body tissues in very small quantities.

  • Sodium and potassium: Important role in muscle contraction, nerve impulse conduction, and enzymatic function of the cell membrane.
  • Calcium and phosphorus: Primary components of bones and teeth.
  • Iron: A component of hemoglobin, the red blood pigment that carries oxygen.
  • Iodine: Needed to synthesize thyroid hormone, which controls the intensity of body metabolism.
  • Fluoride: Essential mineral to combat the onset of tooth decay.
  • Magnesium: Develops a fundamental task in reactions where there is a transfer of phosphate.

Diet and Health

Diet

Human beings are omnivorous, but each community selects plants and animals that form part of their diet. A balanced diet must provide all necessary nutrients in the correct proportions. It should provide sufficient quantities of nutrients without excess energy that causes an excessive accumulation of calories.

Basal metabolism: Respiration, blood circulation, digestion, mental processes, etc.

Bulimia: A tendency to overeat.

Anorexia: A tendency to not eat enough.

Balanced Diet Recommendations

  • Do not eat too much meat, especially red meat.
  • Avoid excessive consumption of dairy.
  • Reduce the consumption of biscuits, cakes, and sugar.
  • Avoid fried food.
  • Avoid alcohol.
  • Eat fiber.
  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Reduce salt intake.
  • Avoid overeating.

Obesity

Obesity is defined as an increase in the amount of body fat above what is considered normal.

Causes: Hormonal factors, genetic predisposition, overeating, sedentary lifestyle, psychological factors.

Effects: Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, reduced lung capacity, impaired venous circulation, bone stress, difficulty in medical treatment, psychological problems.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is insufficient nutrient intake to meet the needs of the organism. It can result from a deficient diet, alterations in the digestive system, altered appetite regulatory mechanisms, or increased energy expenditure.

Exercise

During exercise, most energy comes from the oxidation of a carbohydrate called glycogen. Oxidation in the muscle produces a compound that provides energy: ATP (adenosine triphosphate).