Task 1: Essential Nutrients

So I've Finally put all of my notes together and instead of using crappy CLC I've decided to make a blog instead! First up, Nutrients..

In your own words, outline what you have learnt about macro and micro nutrients. You might like to note something that you did not know or understand before now or something that you still don’t understand and want to know more about.

 You may like use the following as a guide if you are unsure what to comment on.

•      Essential nutrients and why are they needed for a healthy diet.
•    Differences between micro/macro nutrients.
•     Food sources of nutrients.
•    Chemical structure of various macro nutrients

So what is a nutrient you ask?
Nutrients are chemical compounds that are needed for growth , energy and health.

What are the Essential Nutrients to sustain life?
The essential nutrients to sustain and healthy life consist of: Fats, Water, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Vitamins- A,B(fat soluble) C, D, E, K(water soluble). The essential nutrients are broken down into two categories- Macro and Micro nutrients.

Macro nutrients(BIG)
"A nutrient required in large amounts for the normal growth and development of an organism"


Macro nutrients are: Fat, CHO(Carbohydrate), Protein, H2O(Water), Fibre

So a little bit about one of the macro nutrients..

Personally, I think the biggest macro nutrients that we need in our bodies are Carbohydrates. 45-65% of the total daily intake should be Carbohydrates- that is a MASSIVE 225-325g per day! A carbohydrate is a nutrient made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Carbohydrates are essential because they provide energy(from the sugar and the starches),  and did you know that cellulose is also used to stimulate the digestive tract?

Yum Pasta! Spaghetti with a Napolitana sauce, with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese on top! Picture Source: mammas-italian-recipes.com


So there are 3 types of carbs:

1. Monosaccharides(simplest form)
   - Glucose(found in fruit, vegetables, honey)
   - Fructose(found in fruit and honey)
   - Galactose(found in milk, sugar)
2. Disaccharides(which have 2 monosaccharides in each)
   - Sucrose(glucose+ fructose)- found in cane sugar, fruits, vegetables
   - Lactose(glucose +galactose)- pretty obvious that this is found in milk!
   - Maltose(two molecules of glucose)- found in malt sugar
3. Polysaccharides(many molecules of monosaccharides)
   -Starch- found in cereals, pasta, bread and starchy vegeables such as potatoes!
   -Cellulose(Fibre)- found in the structure of plants

picture source: chemistry2.csudh.edu


Now for micro nutrients, the small buggers!

Micro nutrients(SMALL)
"Essential dietary elements that are needed only in small quantities, micro nutrients are also known as trace elements"


Micro nutrients are: Vitamins( A, B group, C, D, E, K) and Minerals( Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, etc)


Just quickly I'll go over abit about Calcium (Ca)- One of the many micro nutrients that we need to help our body function properly. Calcuim is essential for many functions in the body: bones, blood clotting, development of teeth and gums etc..
Calcium is found in many food sources such as: almonds, brazil nuts, broccoli, kale, dairy foods, soy beans/soy products and green leafy vegetables. For someone that doesn't consume much dairy products like me, I take a calcium supplement daily(Caltrate)-so I don't become calcium deficient. I also need plenty of calcium to help with my teeth-as I had an accident when I was younger, braking my 2 front teeth.
 
Picture Source: nutritionistics.wordpress.com


So, In this lesson I learnt a lot about the essential nutrients and why they are needed, I learnt this difference between macro and micro nutrients. Learning all the different chemical structures was really tricky though! I had a lot of trouble processing them, I understood it, but it was a bit hard remembering them- I've made it a challenge to read over my notes and some of the chemical structures every night before I go to bed so hopefully it will sink in eventually!