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Nutrients
Essentials for Life
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
Simple
Sugars
Complex
Starches
Fiber:
Indigestible
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Types of Simple Sugars
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Types of Complex Carbohydrates
Cellulose
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Types of Carbohydrates
Starch
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If we can’t digest fiber, why do we
need to eat it?

Fiber provides bulk that helps move food through your
intestines.

The skin of fruits contain a fiber called pectin.

Whole-grain breads and cereals contain cellulose, the fiber that
forms a plant’s cell walls.
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Proteins

Help build muscle tissue

Repair damage (heal from injury)

Make important substances like hemoglobin, a special
molecule in the blood that carries oxygen through the body.

Are made of simpler substances called amino acids.
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There are 20
different amino
acids, which can
combine like
beads on a string
to create millions
of different
proteins.
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Essential Amino Acids

Of the twenty, our bodies can make eleven of them from
scratch by combining carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen.

The remaining nine can only be obtained from the food we
eat. These nine are called “essential amino acids.”

This is another reason why foods rich in proteins are
important for a healthy body.
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Complete Proteins
• Contain all nine essential amino
acids
• Found in foods that come from
animals
Incomplete Proteins
• Do not have all nine essential amino
acids
• Found in foods that come from plants
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Fats
Pros
Provide about twice
as much energy to
the body than
either proteins or
carbohydrates.
Act as protective
padding around the
heart and other
organs.
Help insulate the
body, so we don’t
have to burn as
much energy to
stay warm.
Cons
Too much fat can
cause obesity and
heart disease.
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Kinds of Fats


Saturated

Mostly found in foods that come from animals

Can turn into cholesterol – a substance that can collect inside the
blood vessels and clog them.
Unsaturated

Mostly found in foods that come from plants
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+ Sources of Saturated Fats
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Sources of Unsaturated Fats
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Vitamins

Chemicals that have been made by
living organisms.

13 vitamins have been discovered
so far.

Each has an important role in the
chemical reactions that go on in the
body.

They help build blood cells and
chemicals that control the nervous
system.

The best source of vitamins are
fruits and vegetables.
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Minerals

Chemicals that occur naturally in the environment, and come
from the Earth.

The body uses minerals to build bones, teeth, and blood
cells.

They also regulate the chemical and electrical signals that
control the body.

Minerals that we need only a tiny amount of are called trace
minerals. (ex: copper, iodine, iron)
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Water

Over 70% of the human
body is made of water.

The body uses water to
transport nutrients and
wastes, control
temperature, and carry
out chemical reactions.

Every day, the body
loses more than 2 liters
of water. This must be
replaced! Drink 6-8
glasses of water each
day.