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Essential Nutrients

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Essential nutrients are needed for the body to function properly. Because the body does not make any of these nutrients, it is important that we eat them every day. Not getting enough of each nutrient can lead to a decline in health. This is the reason they are called “essential.”

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The Essential Nutrients Are:

Carbohydrates

Water

Protein

Minerals

Vitamins

Lipids

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magnesium

Milk, seafood, nuts, cereals, eggs, vegetables are just a few examples, but minerals are in everything we eat.

Introducing Minerals

Minerals have many functions in the body, such as building bones. The two kinds of minerals are major and trace minerals. The body needs major minerals in larger amounts than trace minerals. Some examples of minerals are calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium.

Calcium

potassium

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Your muscles, kidneys and heart require magnesium to function optimally. Good dietary sources of magnesium include legumes, whole grains, wheat bran, soybean flour, whole-wheat flour, oat bran, spinach, beet greens, green leafy vegetables and Swiss chard.

Foods Rich in Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium

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+ Magnesium

Your body uses calcium to form and maintain strong bones and teeth. Good sources of calcium include cheeses, kale, cabbage, turnip greens, bok choy, broccoli, dark leafy greens, kelp, dried figs, sardines, canned salmon, oysters, hazelnuts, yogurt, milk and cottage cheese.

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+ Calcium

Potassium ensures that your digestive and muscular systems perform their assigned functions effectively. Foods such as potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, orange juice, bananas, cantaloupes, cod, flounder, salmon, chicken and other meats contain decent amounts of potassium.

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+ Potasium

Lipids are also known as fats. They help the body absorb vitamins and are important in growth and development. Lipids affect cholesterol levels. Like carbohydrates, they also provide us with energy. The three types of lipids are:

Milk, seafood, nuts, cereals, eggs, vegetables are just a few examples, but minerals are in everything we eat.

Lipids

trans fats

unsaturated

saturated

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Drag out foods that you think contain trans fats

Which of these foods do you think contain trans fats?

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comes from carbohydrates

Energy

Carbohydrates give your body energy. They are a major source of calories because we need a lot of them. When we eat carbohydrates, they are broken down into glucose. Glucose is a very small unit of sugar.

Carbohidrates

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Fruits, vegetables, pasta, whole grain bread and cereals are just a few foods that contain carbohydrates.

This provides energy to different parts of the body, such as cells and organs. The three different types of carbohydrates are simple sugars, complex carbohydrates, and dietary fiber.

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Meat, dairy, nuts, beans are just a few of the foods that contain protein.

Proteins are made up of little building blocks called amino acids. They help maintain our body’s bones, muscles, and skin. It is important to eat protein every day because our bodies can’t store it as easily as they can store carbohydrates.

Proteins

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Milk, dark vegetables, fortified cereals, meats are just some of the foods that contain vitamins.

Vitamins help your body develop and grow. The two types of vitamins are fat-soluble vitamins and water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body and can build up. Excess water-soluble vitamins are easily removed through the urine. There are 13 vitamins.

Vitamins

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We have discover that foods have different elements that nourish our body!

Do you think that essential nutrients are the basis of the superpowers we are looking for?

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