The ABC of Weight Loss

Nutrition: The Basics!

We all need to eat in order to stay alive, but most of us aren’t quite sure what ‘eating healthy’ means. To help you learn why you need to choose certain foods over others you may have been choosing, here is a basic background into the science of nutrition.

Defining Nutrients
While we’re all familiar with the idea of ‘nutrition,’ the base word ‘nutrient’ can be a bit more confusing. Nutrients are the base building blocks of foods and other sources of nutrition. These compounds are used during the metabolic process in the body in order to keep organs and other body systems functioning and healthy. When we don’t get the proper nutrients, our body will not work as it was intended to work and we can become sick.

There are two different kinds of nutrients that humans need in their diets:
• Macronutrients
• Micronutrients

As the name suggests, macronutrients are larger compounds (macro = big). These nutrients need to be taken in a larger quantity than the smaller micronutrients (micro = small).

The main categories of macronutrients include:
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Water

And the main micronutrients include:
• Vitamins
• Minerals

The macronutrients are those parts of our diet that will provide us with calories and energy to continue living.

Carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules that will be broken down by the body during digestion and then converted into glucose for the cells of the body.

Proteins are comprised of amino acids and are also broken down during the digestive process. Many amino acids are not manufactured by the body on its own, so these need to be taken in from the diet choices you make.

Fats are made of fatty acids and are also not made by the body, so they need to be taken into the body through the diet. Not all fats are created equally, and some of them are quite good for you. We’ll go through those soon.

Water allows the body to digest these nutrients properly, while also providing a way to balance the water stores of the body. Your body is 75% water and this allows the body to maintain its electrolyte stores in order to keep everything running as usual.

While vitamins and minerals do not provide any calories and thus they can not provide you any energy, they allow your body to continue certain cellular functions and to maintain your body’s metabolism.

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