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What is it?
- a caloric nutrient containing about 4 calories per gram
- after water, it's the most plentiful substance in the body
- made up of structural units or chains of amino acids
- essential amino acids: cannot be made by the body, we need to get them from food sources
- nonessential: can be made by the body
What does it do?
- if not enough carbs, protein gets used as an energy source
- it is the primary component for building and repairing muscle, blood, skin, hair, and organs
- used to make hormones, enzymes, and antibodies
- helps with water balance in the body
- necessary for growth, maintenance, and repair of body tissue
Some sources of it:
- complete proteins (contain all 8 of the essential amino acids): animal products like beef, chicken, fish, milk, cheese, eggs; plant products like quinoa, buckwheat, hemp seed, and soybeans
- incomplete proteins (missing some of the 8 essential amino acids): grains, beans, seeds, cereals, and some starchy vegetables
- complementary proteins: combinations of proteins to provide all 8 essential amino acids when eaten at the same meal: nuts combined with grains, beans combined with rice, corn combined with wheat, etc.
Carbohydrates
What is it?
- a caloric nutrient containing about 4 calories per gram
- two types
- simple: has 1 or 2 sugar molecules that are quickly and easily absorbed into the body
- complex: has larger chains of sugars (starches) that must be broken down before being absorbed into the body
What does it do?
- carbohydrates (carbs) get converted to glucose (blood sugar) which is the body's primary source of energy - remember we use energy just living and breathing with your brain responsible for about 20% of your daily caloric expenditure!!
- glucose is used to help burn fat as fuel
- some complex carbs provide fiber which helps regulate water, shortens transit time through the intestinal tract, and may reduce the risks of some cancers
Some sources of it:
- simple: table sugar, honey, sweetened soft drinks, candy, cake, etc.
- complex: starchy vegetables, pasta, bread, popcorn, cereal, grains, fruits, vegetables, etc.
Fat
What is it?
- a caloric nutrient containing about 9 calories per gram
- the types of fat are structurally different but have the same caloric value
- unsaturated: usually found in plant sources and liquid at room temperature
- poly-unsaturated and mono-unsaturated fats: help lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and help raise good cholesterol (HDL) - good fat
- saturated: usually found in animal sources (exceptions-coconut and palm oil), solid at room temperature, and a source of cholesterol - bad fat
- transfat or hydrogenated: have been chemically engineered to change liquid oils into solid fats, raise bad cholesterol (LDL) and lower good cholesterol (HDL), manufacturers are required to list transfat on labels - ugly fat
What does it do?
- provides energy for sustained movement - walking, jogging, zumba
- helps membrane cell structure and function
- transports fat soluble vitamins in the body
- involved in cellular and nerve signals
- needed for the production of hormones
- helps us feel full
Some sources of it:
- unsaturated : corn oil, margarine, mayonnaise
- mono: olives, olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados (good)
- poly: safflower, sunflower, and soybean oils, nut butters (good)
- saturated (bad): found in beef, chicken with the skin, ribs, dairy foods, butter, most fast foods
- transfat (ugly): processed and packaged foods like cookies, cakes, crackers, fries, and donuts
Phew. Aren't you glad you asked? Oh yeah. You didn't ask. Well anyway, it's good to know. Tomorrow we'll look at how much of each of these nutrients we should consume. I know, you can hardly wait. :)