Nutrients provide our bodies with the energy we need every day

Nutrients and energy

Nutrients provide the body with the energy, or fuel, that it needs to stay alive, to grow, and to move. This energy keeps the heart pumping, the lungs respiring, and the body warm. It also is used to keep the digestive tract churning and muscles working.

Because carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins provide energy to the body, they are referred to as the energy-yielding nutrients. The energy used by the body is measured in calories or kilocalories (abbreviated as "kcalories" or "kcals"). In some other countries, food energy is measured in joules or kilojoules (abbreviated as "kjoules" or "kJs").

Each gram of carbohydrate provides the body with 4 calories. A gram of protein also provides 4 calories; a gram of fat provides 9 calories. For this reason, foods that are high in fat also are high in calories. Alcohol also provides energy, at 7 calories per gram, but alcohol is not considered a nutrient because the body does not need it to survive.

The more calories a person uses, the more he or she needs to eat in order to maintain weight. If people increase the amount they exercise without increasing the amount they eat, they will lose weight. People who eat more without exercising more will gain weight because their bodies will store the extra energy, mostly as body fat. People who consume the same number of calories as they use are in energy balance, and body weight remains stable.

Structure

There is truth to the saying, "You are what you eat." The structures in the human body are formed from nutrients consumed in the diet. By weight, a person's body is about 60% water, 16% protein, 16% fat, and 6% minerals.

The minerals calcium and phosphorus make bones and teeth hard. Protein forms the structure of tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Lipids are the major structural component of the membranes that surround body cells. Water is a structural nutrient because it plumps up cells, giving them shape.

Regulation

All of the processes that occur in the body - from the breakdown of carbohydrates and fat to provide energy to the building of bone and muscle to form body structures - must be regulated in order to allow the body to function normally. Conditions in the body must be kept within certain limits to support life. For instance, the processes that maintain body temperature around 98.6°F (37°C) are regulated so body temperature does not rise above or fall below the healthy range.

The constant internal body environment is called homeostasis. Maintaining homeostasis requires many nutrients. Water helps to regulate body temperature. Lipids and proteins are needed to make regulatory molecules called hormones. Proteins, vitamins, and minerals help regulate the rate of chemical reactions within the body.

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