What is the role of Essential Nutrients in Health?
Essential nutrients are substances which human and all other living organisms require for their survival, body growth and reproduction.
These essential nutrients play most important role in human body growth, health and internal immune system to fight against infections and diseases. We get these essential nutrients from our daily foods. These nutrients maintain metabolic functions of our body.
Health
Health is defined as a parameter to determine the state of human’s physical and mental wellness in the absence of any serious illness, disease or infirmity which badly affects the social well-being of individuals.
A good health means handling of stress and living a longer life more actively. This means that, health is a resource to support body functions at optimum level to lead a meaning-full life style.
Types of Health
Health can be divided into following categories –
- Mental Health.
- Physical Health.
- Emotional Health.
- Financial Health.
Among all of the above, mental health and physical health are of the two main points of consideration. Other health parameters like emotional or financial health are effectively derived from our mental and physical health. A person with good physical health have their body functions and metabolic processes working at their peak level.
Regular exercise, good nutrition, adequate rest and sound sleep, all contribute to a good physical health and reduce the risk of getting ill disease. Maintaining physical fitness protects and develops the endurance of breathing and heart function, muscular strength and flexibility.
Relation between Physical Health & Mental Health
Mental health is as important as physical health as a part of active lifestyle. Mental health is correlated to physical health. Physical signs of mental illness are found in CT scans and genetic tests revealing inter relationship between Physical & Mental health. A good mental health is categorized by the absence of depression, anxiety or any other mental disorders.
Physical health and mental health are inter-dependent. If a person is incapable of doing regular task due to his illness, it may lead to depression and mental stress on his part. Similarly, if a person is mentally unhealthy and suffering from depression, he may fail to complete a given easy task in stipulated time frame. A mental illness such as depression or anxiety can affect our body mass and overall metabolism.
Good Health Parameters
Mental health and physical health are the two main points of consideration. Other health parameters like emotional or financial health are effectively derived from our mental and physical health. Body internal organs and metabolism of a healthy person remain working properly at their optimum levels.
Mental health is as important as physical health as a part of active lifestyle. Mental health is correlated to physical health. In research it has found some physical signs of mental illness in CT scans and genetic tests. A good mental health is categorized by the absence of depression, anxiety or any other mental disorders.
Physical health and mental health are inter-dependent. If a person is incapable of doing regular task due to his illness, it may lead to depression and stress on his part. Similarly, if a person is mentally unhealthy and suffering from depression, he may fail to complete an easy task in stipulated time. A mental illness such as depression or anxiety can affect our body mass and overall metabolism.
Healthy and Happy Life
Health is our true wealth and we should be more familiar about its importance and secrets. Here are some excellent ideas to maintain our good health for a long and successful life style. Acknowledge the following health tips for a fit body and healthy long life –
- Eat a healthy balanced diet full of good nutrients but less in salt and sugar.
- Reduce intake of harmful fats such as oily food or fast food.
- Avoid use of alcohol and chewing of tobacco products and smoking.
- Be active whole the day and take proper rest.
- Check your blood pressure and blood sugar level regularly.
Functions of Essential Nutrients
Nutrients plays major role in the human body for supporting growth, health and immune system. We get these nutrients from our daily diets. These essential nutrients for health, maintain correct metabolic functions of our body.
Nutrition is the most primary part of health condition that should be taken care at first. A good nutrition is essential for life as it performs following functions –
- Overall growth of infant, child and maternal health.
- It is essential for stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth.
- Lower the risk of non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease).
- Development of brain, blood, bones and muscles.
- Support health and well being for all at all ages.
Nutritional Ingredients
We need a bunch of essential nutrients for health to be available in a correct proportion of seven vital items. These support sustainable growth of life. The role of nutrition in life starts from very beginning at the stage of embryo formation. Due to malnutrition of mother, it can lead to foetal death or any disorder in neonatal organs.
Seven vital ingredients of a healthy nutrition are –
- Vitamins.
- Fats or Lipids.
- Proteins.
- Energy or Carbohydrates.
- Fiber or Roughage
- Minerals.
- Water.
1.Vitamins
Vitamins are essential nutrients for good health which body needs in very small amounts to support metabolic functions. Vitamins are of two types –
- Water soluble vitamins.
- Fat soluble vitamins.
Water soluble vitamins –
Riboflavin, vitamin C, B-12, B-6, Niacin and Thiamin etc. are water-soluble vitamins.
Fat soluble vitamins –
Vitamin D, A, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamins work as antioxidants to remove free radicals that damage cells. Some vitamins also take care of the immune system, bone and teeth growth, mucous membrane and skin health management.
2.Fats or Lipids
Fats work as storage of energy. It store the energy released from digestion of food and supply it to the body at the time of requirement of extra energy by the body.
Our body uses fat to absorb vitamins. Fat protects other body organs from damage by covering around. Fats are known to keep the body warm and energetic.
Items like butter, seafood, cheese, coconut oil, chocolate, etc. are low saturated fats which get digested easily and are pretty good for healthy living.
Eating too much of fatty food regularly beyond a certain recommended limit is to be avoided because it gets
deposited inside our blood vessels and restrict blow flow that create heart problems.
3.Proteins
After digestion, proteins form into various amino acids in the body. These amino acids are useful and support the formation of muscle tissues and enzymes. Proteins are important for hormone balance in the body. These amino acids repair muscle, skin and other organ tissues.
Food items like red meat (animal meat), eggs, various dairy products (Cheese, butter, paneer etc.), beans and nuts are rich sources of proteins.
4.Energy or Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates in our food are the main source of energy.
Carbohydrates regulate the blood glucose level and release energy to the body. It prevents ketosis by breaking down the fatty acids and help in formation of important cellular micro-molecules like RNA, DNA and ATP in the body which are most important for life cycle.
Food items like rice, noodles, bread, grain-based products etc., are rich sources of carbohydrates.
5.Fiber or Roughage
Fibers or roughage are important part of our essential nutrients for health for removing the toxic waste from the digestive system and to regulate the bowel movement.
Soluble fibers lower the low-density lipoprotein (i.e. LDL which is called bad-lipid) and reduce the cholesterol levels in blood thus controls blood sugar and prevent diabetes.
Wheat, Nuts, Beans, Peas, Legumes, vegetables etc., are examples of fibrous food items.
6.Minerals
Minerals are important for the formation of bone, tissues, teeth, muscles, nerves and vital body fluids, including blood.
Minerals also play a significant role in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, supporting healthy brain and nervous system function and regulating muscle tone.
Sodium, Chlorine, Magnesium, Sulfur, Phosphorus and Calcium are important minerals that needed in our body.
7.Water
Water helps to regulate the body temperature, keeps the body hydrated and healthy skin, help in formation of digestive juices, acts as the basis of blood, urine and sweat. It is very essential for proper working of body organelle.
Water is life and is essential for all living beings. It is very precious gift of nature for the survival of life on earth. About 70% of earth is covered with water.
Human needs to take at least 2 litres of water every day.
Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is a diet in which all essential ingredients of food are present in required proportions so that, the requirement of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins and fibers in our body is adequate. In addition to this, a balanced diet also offer bio-active phytochemicals like dietary fiber, antioxidants and nutraceuticals that have positive health advantages.
A balanced diet provides, 60 – 70 % of total calories from carbohydrates, 10 – 12 % from proteins and 20 – 25 % from fat.
Benefits of Balanced Diet
Healthy eating increases energy, improves the way of body functions, strengthens immune system and prevents abnormal weight gain. The other major benefits are –
- It provides adequate nutritional need and prevent from nutritional deficiencies.
- It prevent and treat certain diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
- Help in managing illness or malfunctions of body organs.
- Keep energetic, manage body weight and help to handle the stress.
- Apart from nutritional properties, it helps to facilitate good relations between individuals.
Nutritional Issues
Deficiency of proper nutrient in adults can cause severe problems like mental imbalance, stress, poor eyesight, higher risk of infectious disease etc. Hence, the choice of the right food and in right proportional quantity of all ingredients is of great importance.
As discussed above, the seven nutrients work together to maintain the overall development of cells and muscles in the human body. By survey, it has found that, half of all American adults are suffering from one or more preventable and diet-related chronic chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes. This is due to the result of two types of nutritional issues called –
- Malnutrition.
- Under-nutrition.
1.Malnutrition
Malnutrition is a cellular imbalance between the actual requirement of nutritional energy in our body and the energy we intake as food in our body. This nutritional imbalance reduces the body growth and thus body fails to maintain the adequate functions of organs.
Thus malnutrition leads to poor health condition and increase the risk of several health related disease.
Overweight and obesity may cause due to malnutrition.
Every country on Earth is suffering by some form of malnutrition. To ensure that every citizen consumes a nutritionally adequate form of diet is a big challenge. For this reason, food supplements are becoming popular and being adopted by most of the people having busy life style.
2.Under-nutrition
Under nutrition is of three types – (1) Wasting i.e. low weight to height ratio caused due to under nutrition. This severe weight loss can be due to a lack of food consumption or as a result of an infectious disease such as diarrhea. (2) Stunting i.e. low weight to age ratio is a form of chronic under nutrition. Stunting is often associated with poor socioeconomic conditions, poor maternal health and nutrition, frequent illness or under nutrition in infants and young children. (3) VAD i.e. deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc are some of the most common forms of under nutrition.
Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is the most common cause of poor eye vision and blindness and also increases risk of serious complications following an illness like infections to deaths, measles, diarrhea and malaria.