Macronutrients Essay

Nutrients are substances(chemical) that are obtained by eating food and are then used as energy in the body, they support maintenance and growth of body tissues they do this by providing regulating agents. Healthy nutrition makes sure all the body’s systems including immune system, heart and breathing all work to their full potential. If there were no nutrients present in the body physical energy is deteriorated as well as mental clarity.

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are used to provide energy for the body also it provides calories as well. They are mainly needed for vital things such as growth and other body functions which happen. Macronutrients are made up of three things which are Carbohydrates, fat and protein. These nutrients are

It’s a type of a carbohydrate which provides energy for the body. It’s also very good for the body’s digestion. Fibre is found in only plants, not foods like meat or fish. There are two different types of fibre, Soluble and insoluble. Soluble can be broken down and digested by your body however insoluble fibre cannot be digested and will pass through the stomach and help other foods move down through the digestive system. Foods like cereals and bran are good insoluble fibre types.

RDA: recommended daily intake

SI: safe intake

EAR: estimated average requirements

Micronutrients:

Vitamins: growth, development and regulation of cell function all depend on vitamins for a normal metabolism. Vitamins work with enzymes that are necessary for sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Vitamin B is found in green leaf life vegetables whereas vitamin C is found in citrus fruits.

Vitamin A: 0.7mg a day for men. 0.6mg for women is the recommended daily amount. 1.5mg or more per day can result in affecting bones and making them more likely to gain a fracture when older.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin D:

Vitamin E:

Minerals: calcium, potassium, iron, sodium and magnesium are macro minerals. 4% of body is made up of minerals. They contain no energy and therefore are needed in small

Energy expenditure: this is the energy we metabolise (calories/burn) these we use to breathe, circulate our blood, digest our food and be physically active as we can. We oxidise carbohydrates fats and proteins to be used as energy we need for our body. This energy is needed to maintain body function, HR, temperature, breathing, repairmen of body tissues and growth. Energy expenditure is divided into many components like Dietary thermo genesis (DT), BMR, Adaptive thermo genesis (AT) and Physical Activity (PA/PAL).

Energy measurement this is measured in joules or calories.

A joule is the energy used when one kilogram is moved one metre by the force of one Newton.

A calorie is the energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of one degree.

A kilocalorie is a unit of energy of one thousand calories

A kilojoules is a unit of energy to the value of food and the amount of energy our bodies burn

This energy measurement is affected by several things like general health, injury, gender, age, training programme position, exercise goals, climate, when food is consumed in the body, recovery time, frequency of exercise, intensity of exercise, duration of exercise, type of