Essential Nutrients

Essential Nutrients Madison Low & Jill Sabo Computers 8

Vitamins • 2 types: water soluble and fat soluble • Water soluble travels through blood-stream • Fat soluble stays in body for when needed • Gives you energy • Helps maintain strong body and healthy blood • Found in most food

Foods with Vitamins • Vitamin A- dairy, vegetables • Vitamin B1- vegetables, tuna, beans, etc • Vitamin B2- dairy • Vitamin B3- meat, grain, dairy, nuts, etc • Vitamin B6- dairy, meat, vegetables • Vitamin B12- Seafood • Vitamin C- fruits • Vitamin D- dairy, meat • Vitamin E- nuts • Vitamin K- vegetables, breads, grains, some nuts

Fat and Water Soluble Vitamins • Fat: -stays in body for up to 6 months -carried out into body when needed -A, D, E & K are fat soluble • Water: -travels through bloodstream -doesn’t get stored much in body -A, C & all B are water soluble

Minerals • Helps body grow and develop • Maintain hormones and normal heartbeat • 2 types -trace minerals(small) -macro minerals(large) • Found in vegetables, meats, grains • Teens need 1,300 mg per day

Calcium • Builds strong bones • Healthy teeth • Found in dairy, meat and vegetables • Top macro-mineral • Fifth most abundant element by mass

Minerals Iron- helps red blood cells travel Magnesium- helps muscles and nerves function Phosphorus- healthy bones and teeth Potassium- helps balance of water in tissues Zinc- wound healing

Water • Helps heart burn • Maintains healthy weight • Cleanses body • Found in fruits and vegetables

Carbs • Gives energy • Main forms: - Simple (Sugars) - Complex (Starches) • Complex starches = long lasting energy • Simple sugars = quick energy boosts = unhealthy • Complex starches from - bread, cereals, pasta, and veggies • Simple sugars from candy

Carbs (Cont.) • Complex starches have many vitamins + minerals • Body breaks down carbs into sugar glucose • Glucose = quick energy • Excess glucose stored in liver and muscles • Higher glucose level = insulin • Insulin moves sugar from blood to cells

Fat • Three types of fats - Saturated fatty acids (Animal food, dairy) - Unsaturated fatty acids (Plants, fish) - Mono unsaturated fatty acids (Plants = olive oil, canola oil) • Unsaturated fat healthier • Gives vitamins a place to stay • Excess fat = obesity, illness, tiredness, and may promote cancer • Transport oxygen to body • Basis for hormone, brain, and nervous system function

Fat (Cont.) • Fat can: - protects our organs - bodies stay warm in cold weather - keeps hormones and blood pressure steady - keeps skin and hair healthy - body's reserve tank of energy • Chemically part of fat cells • Fat a mixture, bad fat has good fat, vice versa • No bad fats exist in nature • Fat cells can swell up to 6x in size

Protein • 20 Chemicals called Amino Acids • 11 Acids “Non-essential” made by body • 9 “Essential” Acids from food • Animal food contains all essential acids • Makes: - haemoglobin; carries oxygen around body - antibodies; fight off infection • Builds up muscles, organs, glands • Repairs + replaces them

Protein (Cont.) • Protein cannot be made without all 9 amino acids • Excess protein burned as calories or fat • Helps control metabolism • Half of non-water body weight is protein • Body is constantly burning protein

Fiber • Two types: - Soluble; feel full longer, aids weight loss - Dietary Fibre; Complex Carbohydrate • Good source of fibre - oatmeal, oat bran, barley, dried beans, vegetables • Insoluble Fibre reduces risk of colon cancer • We cannot fully digest dietary fibre

Bibliography http://kidshealth.org/teen/diabetes_center/words_to_know/carbohydrate.html http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=284&id=1431 http://kidshealth.org/kid/nutrition/food/carb.html http://www.wheatfoods.org/AboutWheat-What-is-Fiber/Index.htm http://www.treelight.com/health/nutrition/FatFacts.html http://www.hamilton.ca/NR/rdonlyres/BA9CE363-D0B5-4DA6-B709-14608B80903C/0/FatFacts.pdf http://www.bodyhealth.com/html/biobuilde/key.asp

Essential Nutrients