NUTRITION

There are more than 50 different kinds of nutrients in food and they can generally be classified into the following seven major groups. Which include the following.

·         Water

·         Minerals

·         Fats

·         Carbohydrates

·         Proteins

·         Fibre

·         Vitamins

1.     WATER

Water is   essential nutrient because it is required in amounts that exceed the body’s ability to produce it. All biochemical reactions occur in water. It fills the spaces in and between cells and helps form structures of large molecules such as protein and glycogen.

2.     MINERALS

Minerals are those elements on the earth and in foods that our bodies need to develop and function normally. Those essential for health include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, fluoride, molybdenum, manganese, and sulfur.

There are seven major types of minerals which include:

·         Calcium

·         Chloride

·         Sodium

·         Magnesium

·         Potassium

·         Phosphorous

·         Sulfur

A.    CALCIUM

Calcium is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones and teeth, although it also plays an important role in blood clotting, helping muscles to contract, and regulating normal heart rhythms and nerve functions.

B.    CHLORIDE

 Chloride in the regulation of body fluids, electrolyte balance, the preservation of electrical neutrality, acid-base st,atus and it is an essential component for the assessment of many pathological conditions.

C.     SODIUM

Sodium is a mineral that carries an electrical charge, known as an electrolyte. Electrolytes facilitate muscle contraction and nerve cell transmission. Ions of sodium, potassium and chloride trigger muscle contractions and nerve impulses when they shift places across cell membranes. A nerve cell at rest has positively charged potassium ions inside the cell and is surrounded outside the cell by positively charged sodium ions and negatively charged chloride ions. When stimulated, potassium ions rush out of the cell as sodium ions rush in, creating an electrical signal or nerve impulse. A similar scenario occurs during the contraction of muscles. Sodium also works in concert with potassium to maintain normal water balance in the body. Each of the minerals chemically attracts water to itself, thus assuring that optimal levels of hydration are maintained both inside human cells and outside the cells, in the extracellular spaces that surround them. In healthy people, the body has a built-in mechanism to guard against the effects of occasional excess levels of sodium, but continued intake of high amounts of sodium can eventually override this safety valve and lead to hypertension

D.    MAGNESIUM

Magnesium is a cofactor in many enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation . Magnesium is required for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis.

E.     POTASSIUM

It helps your nerves to function and muscles to contract. It helps your heartbeat stay regular. It also helps move nutrients into cells and waste products out of cells. A diet rich in potassium helps to offset some of sodium’s harmful effects on blood pressure

F.     PHOSPHOROUS

Phosphorous helps the body in many different ways, which include the following:

ü  keeping the bones and teeth strong

ü  helping the muscles contract

ü  aiding muscle recovery after exercise

ü  filtering and removing waste from the kidneys

ü  promoting healthy nerve conduction throughout the body

ü  making DNA and RNA

ü  managing the body’s energy usage and storage

G.    SULFUR

Sulfur is used to build and fix your DNA and protect your cells from damage that can lead to serious diseases such as cancers. Sulfur also assists your body to metabolize food and contributes to the health of your skin, tendons, and ligaments. The two amino acids that include sulfur are methionine and cysteine.