Micronutrients Carbohydrates Proteins Fats Minerals Vitamins Fat Soluble Vitamins Water Soluble Vitamins Saturated Unsaturated Poly Unsaturated Mono Unsaturated Complete Proteins Incomplete Proteins Monosaccharide Disaccharide Polysaccharide Fig . : Types of Nutrients - - Introduction to Nutrition Science . Importance of Nutrition A living organism is the product of nutrition. A human being requires more than fifty different nutrients for its well- being.
Food materials ingested by the body are digested, absorbed and metabolised. A number of foods have to be selected to get all the nutrients. The health of a person depends on the type and quantity of the foods that is choosen in his/her diet. Water is the overall vital nutrient that sustains all our life processes.
Nutrients provide nourishment to the body as such or after digestion. All these have a definite role and are obtained from different food products. Nutrition is the quantitative science which deals with the accounts of nutrients contributed by different foods and action of each in the functioning of the body. Fig .
: Importance of water - - Introduction to Nutrition Science Optimum nutrition is required to maintain good health. There are certain signs of good nutrition. In addition, nutrition is concerned with social, economic, cultural and psychological implications of food and eating. Thus we understand that “Nutrition functionally means food at work”.
Functions of Nutrition: The two main functions of nutrition are: . To provide material for growth and repair of tissues that eventually maintains the basic structure of our body. . To support the body with the energy required to perform all metabolic activities.
Nutrition Ingestion Digestion Healthy Body Utilisation Absorption Fig . : Nutrition and Health Nutritional Status Nutrients are essential elements required for the normal functioning of our body. Nutrients when taken in excess or its deficiency results in over nutrition, malnutrition and under nutrition. Nutrition Good nutrition Malnutrition Undernutrition Overnutrition Fig .
: Nutritional Status Good nutrition: “Good nutrition is the state in which a person gets all the nutrients required in correct amounts and proportion and some nutrients are stored in the body