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 What Is a Nutrient
This is an important question if you want to understand nutrition. A nutrient is any substance the body needs but cannot make enough to satisfy the need. So if your body needs something for good health but cannot make it, you must consume it. So, oxygen is technically a nutrient. However, we will focus on the nutrients we ingest into our gastrointestinal tract. With that in mind, here are the major classes of nutrients:
Water Carbohydrates Essential amino acids (Protein) Essential fats Fiber Organic and Inorganic micronutrients (Vitamins and Minerals) Also, the definition of nutrients implies a few things. Here are some of them: Amino acids are the real nutrients in protein.
When you eat protein, your body breaks it down into individual amino acids. The body then absorbs these amino acids in the proportions that it needs them.
Some amino acids (essential amino acids) cannot be made in the body, but you still need them. So, you must consume them. These essential amino acids are the actual nutrients, and protein is what contains them. Not all nutrients are universal.
Not every nutrient is a nutrient for everyone. One example of this is Vitamin D. Vitamin D (cholecalciferol) is called the sunshine vitamin for a reason. The body produces it when sunlight shines on the skin. Some people produce enough Vitamin D to meet all their needs, so Vitamin D is not really a nutrient for them. But others cannot produce enough Vitamin D to meet their needs, especially when they are covered up in winter. For these people, Vitamin D is a nutrient. So, some substances are nutrients for some people but not for others.
Too much of a nutrient gives no extra benefit.
Once you have eaten the maximum amount of a nutrient your body can use, the rest does you no good. In this case, it stops acting like a nutrient. If it is a caloric nutrient (carbohydrates, protein, or fats), the rest usually becomes empty calories. This is important knowledge for anyone on a fat loss program.
What makes a substance a nutrient has far-reaching implications. So, although knowing the definition of a nutrient is not enough to be knowledgeable, it is a great first step. Other articles |
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