“In my practice, I saw females with anemia,” says Darrin Starkey, ND. Minerals are often the gatekeeper when it comes to your body’s ability to perform complex, enzyme-dependent metabolic operations and even to access important vitamins. Lipids provide more energy per gram than carbohydrates (nine kilocalories per gram of lipids versus four kilocalories per gram of carbohydrates).Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! The main job of lipids is to store energy. The three main types of lipids are triglycerides (also called triacylglycerols), phospholipids, and sterols. Lipids are found predominately in butter, oils, meats, dairy products, nuts, and seeds, and in many processed foods. This class of molecules may be visible (for example vegetable oil) or invisible (for example, cream) in the food you eat. Lipids are also a family of molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, but unlike carbohydrates, they are insoluble in water. Glycogen and starches are slow-releasing carbohydrates. In humans, the storage molecule of carbohydrates is called glycogen and in plants, it is known as starches. As mentioned, glucose can be stored in the body for future use. In addition to providing energy and serving as building blocks for bigger macromolecules, carbohydrates are essential for proper functioning of the nervous system, heart, and kidneys. One gram of carbohydrates yields four kilocalories of energy for the cells in the body to perform work. Fiber is also a slow-releasing carbohydrate, but it cannot be broken down in the human body and passes through the digestive tract undigested unless the bacteria that inhabit the gut break it down. Glucose is then absorbed and transported to all our cells where it is stored in the form of glycogen, used to make energy, or used to build macromolecules. During digestion, the small intestine breaks down all slow-releasing carbohydrates to simple sugars, mostly glucose. Starch is an example of a slow-releasing carbohydrate. Slow-releasing or complex carbohydrates are long chains of simple sugars that can be branched or unbranched. Examples of simple sugars include sucrose, the type of sugar you would have in a bowl on the breakfast table, and glucose, the type of sugar that circulates in your blood.įigure 1.3.2: The Macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Lipids, Protein, and Water Carbohydrates are broadly classified into two forms based on their chemical structure: fast-releasing carbohydrates often called simple sugars, and complex or slow-releasing carbohydrates also called polysacchrides.įast-releasing carbohydrates consist of one or two basic units. Nonstarchy vegetables also contain carbohydrates but in lesser quantities. The major food sources of carbohydrates are grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables, including starchy vegetables like potatoes. Source: CarbohydratesĬarbohydrates are molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Foods also contain nonnutrients that may be harmful (such as cholesterol, dyes, and preservatives) or beneficial (such as phytochemicals like antioxidants and zoochemicals like omega-3 fatty acids).įigure 1.3.1: The Six Classes of Nutrients. These are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, vitamins, and minerals. There are six classes of nutrients required for the body to function and maintain overall health. Nutrients are used to produce energy, detect and respond to environmental surroundings, move, excrete wastes, respire (breathe), grow, and reproduce. Eating inadequate amounts can cause poor health. Since the human body does not synthesize nutrients, they must be obtained from the diet, making them essential. Nutrients are substances required by the body to perform its basic functions. Those nutrients that contain carbon are called organic while those that do not contain carbon are called inorganic.
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