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Nutrition is very important in our daily lives. To maximize the amount of nutrient we take in; we need to eat foods that are very nutritious. That is the essence of complete nutrition: essential nutrients your body needs is made readily available for use.
Nutrition is determined by what you eat and drink. It is about about making food choices that help you to stay healthy and fit. Your health depends on your food and drink choices. The food and drink you choose impacts your health, your appearance, and the environment. You need to eat a variety of nutritious foods to get all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.
In today’s article, we are going to talk about the various essential nutrients the body needs, their various sources, and their benefits leading us to the ideal complete nutrition diet.
What Is A Nutrient?
Before we talk about complete nutrition, let’s talk about nutrients.
Nutrients are chemical compounds in the food we eat, they produce energy for the body, and system, which helps the body to function properly and grow to be very healthy.
We have seven major kinds of nutrients essential for the body. They include Vitamins, Fats, Minerals, Carbohydrates, Protein, Water, and Fiber.
Various kinds of food can provide us with this essential nutrient, and we are going to talk about them in the coming paragraphs.
What Is Complete Nutrition?
The body needs complete nutrition to stay healthy and thrive. Complete nutrition requires a diet that contains the adequate quantity of vitamins, fats, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber in the right proportion. They make up a balanced diet
The term ‘complete nutrition’ refers to providing the human body with all the basic nutrients it requires. These include macronutrients as well as micronutrients, fiber, and hydration. According to this ratio, complete nutrition is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat.
To get the complete nutrition:the essential nutrients your body needs, it is recommended that our meals must contain foods from the different classes of food groups and water.
Below are the various essential nutrients, their benefits, and sources.
Vitamin Nutrition
Vitamins is a very essential nutrient in the body. It is a group of chemical compounds in our diet, they are required in little quantities from the various food we eat.
Our body cannot produce vitamins for itself; therefore, we are required to eat foods that can supply them.
Examples of vitamins includes vitamin C, A, D, E and K, the B vitamins (thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, vitamin BC, vitamin B12, biotin, and folic acid).
Vitamins make the bones stronger, heals would faster, and strengthens the immune system. They also help the body extract energy from foods and repair damaged cells.
Sources of Vitamins
Vitamins can be gotten from various source. Some of the most popular sources of vitamins include eggs, broccoli, salmon, spinach, milk, orange juice, vitamin C, avocado, carrot, and many more.
Carbohydrate Nutrition
Carbohydrates are foods that contains glucose, which is converted to energy that helps the body perform physical activities efficiently. They are very essential in our diet.
Sources of Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates can be gotten from two kinds of sources: healthy source and unhealthy source.
Examples of healthy carbs are milk, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, cereals, etc while examples of unhealthy carbs includes artificial sugar, pastries, white bread, soda, and various highly processed foods.
Protein Nutrition
Protein is a group of amino acid in the body medically known as the body building blocks. They help the body increase muscle mass and strength, boost metabolism, increase fat burning. Proteins also lower blood pressure, repair injuries quickly, reduce aging and many more.
Importance of proteins cannot be over emphasized. The body needs continuous supply of amino acid which is essential for the valid growth of our tissues and cell.
To supply the body with the required amount of protein, the consumption of dietary protein is essential. It helps the body keep up with its demand for amino acid.
Sources Of Protein
The most popular sources of protein include chicken breast, eggs, whole milk, fish, beef, peanut butter, almond, Greek yogurt, etc.
Fats Nutrition
Fats are essential in small quantities as a part of a healthy balanced diet. The body needs fatty acid. There are two crucial polyunsaturated fatty acid – Omega-3 and Omega-6, which the body cannot make itself.
Fat helps the body absorb various vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin E. These are fat-soluble vitamins, which means they can only be absorbed with the help of fatty acid supplied to the body.
Sources Of Fat
Fatty acid as the name implies, is gotten from fat. The following are great source of fat; avocados, cheese, dark chocolate, whole eggs, fatty fish (like salmon, trout, mackerel, and sardines), nuts, butter, etc.
Mineral Nutrients
Some of the micronutrients that can be found in the soil and in foods, which are essential of the proper functioning of the body are called Minerals.
These micronutrients consist of Nitrogen, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Sulphur, Potassium, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Carbon.
They are responsible for creating hormones and enzymes in the body, that also keep the body in shape.
Minerals also keep the bones, heart, muscles, and brain functioning perfectly.
Sources of Minerals Nutrient
Minerals can be found in foods like cereals, nuts, vegetables, bread, meat, fish, milk, nuts, fruits, etc.
Fiber Nutrition
Fiber Nutrients is one of the most overlooked body nutrients, but it is very crucial for the body system.
Also called roughages, fiber results from the parts of plants food that the body cannot digest or absorb.
They are very important for the effective functioning of the digestive tract. Undigested fiber creates “bulk” muscles in the intestine that helps it push out waste our of the body.
Consuming fiber helps the body prevent constipation, reduce the risk of heart disease, lower cholesterol in the blood, reduce excess calories, etc.
Source of Fiber
While all meals do not result to fiber, beans like lentils, black-eyes peas, kidney beans, chickpeas, and dried peas, can be a great source for fiber.
Other foods that generate fiber nutrients include fruits, vegetables, and whole grain foods.
Water
It is important to stay hydrated because water helps keep our bodies functioning properly. It also helps to keep our skin looking healthy, our bodies temperature regulated, and our energy levels steady.
The loss of only 1% to 2% of your body’s water weight can cause weakness and fatigue, while a loss of 10% can result in life-threatening heat stroke. It is recommended that adults drink two to three liters of water each day, although warm weather or physical activity may require you to consume more.
Sources of Water
Sources of water for your body include plain water, soft drinks, fruit juices. Tea/coffee and water-rich foods and vegetables.
Bottom Line
Nowadays, the emphasis is heavily placed on how many calories one consumes per day. Unfortunately, this approach results in people eating empty calories or low-calorie, low-nutrition foods.
You will get adequate nutrition each day if you focus on complete nutrition instead of counting calories. Make sure you eat proteins, fruits, and vegetables with every meal. By doing so, you can ensure that you are giving your body all the macronutrients and micronutrients it needs.
The importance of complete nutrition: the essential nutrients your body needs cannot be over emphasized. If we want to eat a diet with complete nutrition, we should make sure they have the combination of some of the aforementioned food.
For those who are unable to get complete nutrition from their diets, taking nutritional supplements may be beneficial although it is better to get your nutrients directly from your food.
Regular intake of nutritional meals guarantees that the body will; increase energy level, develop strong immune system, reduce the risk of severe illness, slow aging effects, improve your mental health, speed growth, help you live longer and not to forget to mention, it saves you medical bills.
Make sure you eat nutritious and stay healthy.
What’s your favorite food, was it listed among the nutritious meals mentioned in this article?
