Wellness Wednesday Tip – With the New Year comes a fresh start and the opportunity to add new healthy habits. Try focusing on goals that addsomething to your life instead of focusing on what needs to be removed. What you choose to focus on can make or break the long term success of your goals
Sometimes how we frame or see a goal can be the deciding factor in how well we accomplish it.An example of how to apply this thinking is “I will fill my daily meals with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains” VS “I will stop eating that bag of chips”Focusing on the positive addition will elicit healthful habits instead of short lived change. Write your goals down and place them somewhere you will frequently be reminded of them like your planner, phone or bathroom mirror.
By April D. Davis, RDN, CD, ACSM CEP
Believe it or not, nutrition is all about biology and chemistry, otherwise known as biochemistry. Your body runs like a well-oiled machine due to the thousands of chemical processes that are occurring inside it every second of every day. It’s important to support these processes fully by providing your body with a wide variety of nutrients. Foods provide the nutrients needed for your body to grow, repair, regulate, and maintain itself – especially after the “hits” it might have taken during the holiday season.
There are six basic nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. All of these are classified as essential. Your body requires essential nutrients to function properly. These nutrients must be obtained from the foods you eat; your body cannot make them on its own.
The two major categories of nutrients are macronutrients and micronutrients. You need a large amount of macronutrients on a daily basis. They provide your body with energy in the form of calories. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three macronutrients. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are required in smaller amount, hence the prefix “micro.” Water fits into its own class and requirements for it vary greatly depending on your weight, activity level, and medical condition.
In upcoming blog posts, I’ll be talking about each of the six basic nutrients in great detail. My focus will be on explaining how each nutrient is used in everyday life, giving examples of healthy food choices, and relaying the unique role each nutrient plays in supporting your body. It is my goal to cultivate dialogue and education as it relates to nutrition and health through these blog posts. Happy Eating!
FAQs
There are six basic nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. All of these are classified as essential. Your body requires essential nutrients to function properly. These nutrients must be obtained from the foods you eat; your body cannot make them on its own.
What is a trick mnemonic device for memorizing the 6 classes of nutrients? ›
"To help me remember the six main types of nutrients, I will make a sentence using the first letters: c, f, p, v, m, and w. If I move these letters around, I can create the sentence: When can fat people visit me?
What are the 6 classes of essential nutrients and which provide energy? ›
There are six major nutrients – water, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Each plays a unique and important role in how our bodies function.
What are the 6 basic nutrients quizlet? ›
Q-Chat
- Carbohydrates.
- Fats.
- Proteins.
- Vitamins.
- Minerals.
- Water.
The 6 Major Food Groups
- Whole grains and starchy vegetables. ...
- Fruits and non-starchy vegetables. ...
- Dairy and non-dairy alternatives. ...
- Fish, poultry, meat, eggs and alternatives. ...
- Heart-healthy oils. ...
- Elective or Discretionary Calories.
Just a handful of elements are considered macronutrients—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. (A mnemonic for remembering these elements is the acronym CHONPS.) Why are these macronutrients needed in large amounts?
What are the 6 most essential nutrients? ›
The six essential nutrients are vitamins, minerals, protein, fats, water, and carbohydrates. People need to consume these nutrients from dietary sources for proper body function. Essential nutrients are crucial in supporting a person's reproduction, good health, and growth.
What are the three most important vitamins? ›
In conclusion, Omega 3 fish oil, Vitamin D, and Magnesium are three essential vitamins that can improve overall health and well-being.
What foods are empty carbs? ›
What are refined, simple, or “bad” carbs? Bad or simple carbohydrates include sugars and refined grains that have been stripped of all bran, fiber, and nutrients, such as white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice, sweet desserts, and many breakfast cereals.
What are the six 6 key nutrient categories? ›
There are six classes of nutrients required for the body to function and maintain overall health. These are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, vitamins, and minerals.
- Vitamins. To enable chemical reactions to occur in the body. ...
- Minerals. Play a role in the nervous system functioning, water balance and structural systems.
- Carbohydrates. Provide major source of calories or energies for the body. ...
- Fats. ...
- Proteins. ...
- Water.
Fats. Each gram of fat provides 9 Calories of energy, making fat the most energy dense, or the most energy rich, nutrient.
What are the 6 super food groups? ›
This includes the 'super six': wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, legumes, herbs and spices.
What nutrient can the body live only a few days without? ›
The human body can last weeks without food, but only days without water.
What is the best description of essential nutrients? ›
Publisher Summary
Essential nutrients are ones that cannot be synthesized by the body and, therefore, must be supplied from foods. These nutrients are essential for normal body function and for growth. The body utilizes protein for the maintenance and repair of tissues for growth and energy.
What is a good mnemonic device that will help you remember the nutrients that all life needs: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur? ›
CHNOPS is an acronym for the six elements that make up all life on Earth. The acronym CHNOPS stands for Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur.
How can you make up your own mnemonic to remember the seven levels of classification? ›
The taxonomic categories are:
- Kingdom (King)
- Phylum/Divison (Philip)
- Class (Came)
- Order (Over)
- Family (For)
- Genus (Good)
- Species (Soup)
