Nutrients

Fats, Proteins, Vitamins, and

Minerals
By: Veronica Mandella
WHAT ARE NUTRIENTS? WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
A nutrient is something that provides
nourishment and is essential for growth and
life. There are six different types of nutrients
that are needed to sustain life;

- Carbohydrates

- Proteins

- Fats

- Vitamins

- Minerals

- Water
WHAT IS A CARBOHYDRATE? WHAT DO THEY DO?
A carbohydrate or carb are sugars, starches,
and fibers found in many foods such as fruits,
vegetables and dairy products. They are
essential to keep are body functioning as they
give us energy. It is recommended for the
average adult to eat 135 grams of carbs a day
but there are many other opinions to how
much carbs you should eat a day.

(Szalay, What Are Carbohydrates?)

WHAT IS A PROTEIN? WHY DO YOU NEED IT?
A protein is a macronutrients. Macronutrients
are essential in building muscles. Some foods
that contain proteins are meat, dairy, nuts,
and legumes.

(Szalay. What is a Protein?)

WHAT ARE FATS? WHY ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU?
Fats are another macronutrient. They are
essential for our diet and nutrition. Our
bodies require small amounts of good fats to
help them function and prevent disease.
Nowadays there are lots of bad fats that can
lead to many health problems.Some good
fats are avocados, dark chocolate, eggs, fatty
fish, nuts, chia seeds, and Olive Oil.

(What is Fat?)

(Gunnars, 10 High-Fat Foods That Are Actually Super Healthy)

WHAT ARE VITAMINS? WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
Vitamins are organic compounds. Small
amounts are needed to stay alive. There are
13 known vitamins; vitamin A, vitamin B,
vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin
B6, vitamin B7, vitamin B9, vitamin B12,
vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, and vitamin K.
Each vitamin group comes from different
foods. If we do not get enough of these
vitamins it can result in major health issues.

(Norfqvist, Vitamins: What They Are and What They Do)

WHAT ARE MINERALS? WHY DO WE NEED THEM?
Minerals play an essential role in helping our
body function. Minerals are actual elements
in an inorganic form. These include; Iron,
Phosphorus, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc,
Copper, Manganese, Chromium,
Molybdenum, Selenium, Chloride, and
Potassium.

(What are Minerals - What are the Minerals in Vitamins)

WATER AND WHY WE NEED IT
Humans need water to survive. Our bodies
are made of 60% water. Our body uses water
to protect our vital tissues, maintain body
temperature, and remove waste. You can go
a week without drinking water before you die
of dehydration. Some signs of dehydration
are dizziness, headaches, irritability, and
nausea. You can also have to much water in
your body which will cause your body cells to
inflate. Some signs of Hyponatremia are
headaches, cramps, confusion, fatigue, and
coma.

( Margolis, Why Do We Need to Drink Water?)

WORKS CITED
Shereen Lehman, MS | Reviewed by a board-certified physician. What Are Nutrients and Why Do You Need Them? [Updated in 2017] Verywell,
www.verywell.com/nutrients-what-they-are-and-why-you-need-them-2507078. Accessed 29 Aug. 2017.

Szalay, Jessie. What Are Carbohydrates? LiveScience, Purch, 14 July 2017, www.livescience.com/51976-carbohydrates.html. Accessed 29 Aug. 2017.

Szalay, Jessie. What Is Protein? LiveScience, Purch, 10 Dec. 2015, www.livescience.com/53044-protein.html. Accessed 29 Aug. 2017.

2011-2017, (c) Copyright skillsyouneed.com. What is Fat? SkillsYouNeed, www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/fat.html. Accessed 29 Aug. 2017.

Gunnars, Kris. 10 High-Fat Foods That Are Actually Super Healthy. Healthline, Healthline Media, 4 June 2017, www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-super-
healthy-high-fat-foods. Accessed 29 Aug. 2017.

Nordqvist, Christian. Vitamins: What They Are and What They Do. [Updated 2016] Medical News Today, MediLexicon International,
www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/195878.php. Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.

What are Minerals - What are the Minerals in Vitamins. Geritol, geritol.com/vitamin-faqs/what-are-minerals. Accessed 30 Aug. 2017.

Margolis, Robin Elizabeth. Why Do We Need to Drink Water? Healthy Eating | SF Gate, healthyeating.sfgate.com/need-drink-water-4301.html. Accessed 30
Aug. 2017.