The Importance of Proper Nurtition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Importance of Proper Nurtition - Essay Example Proper feeding, however, does not include only intake of food. The body depends on various types of substances such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats and minerals, and an appropriate balances must be maintained among these substances so that all segments of the body's metabolic systems can be supplied with the necessary materials. Therefore, a variety of food must be used in order to have a proper diet. The various substances that are introduced to the human organism have a specific energy value. According to Guyton, the energy liberated from each gram of carbohydrate as it is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water is 4.1 Calories (1 Calorie equals 1 kilocalorie), and that liberated from fat is 9.3 calories. The energy liberated from metabolism of the average protein of the diet as each gram is oxidized to carbon dioxide, water and urea is 4.35 calories. Also, these substances vary in the average percentages that are absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract: about 98 per cent of the carbohydrate, 95 per cent of the fat, and 92 percent of the protein. The average daily requirement for proteins is 30 to 50 Grams. 20 to 30 grams of the body proteins are degraded and used for producing other body chemicals daily. Therefore, all cells must continue to form new proteins to take the place of those that are being destroyed, and a supply of protein is needed in the diet for this purpose. An average person can maintain normal stores of protein, provided that the provided that the daily intake is above 30 to 50 grams. During normal conditions, carbohydrates represent the most important source of energy for the metabolic needs of the organism. Glucose represents the main energy source of the brain. The British Nutrition Foundation states that carbohydrates should supply a minimum of 47 percent of our total daily calories. For example in a standard 2000 calories diet, the daily intake should be around 250 grams. One of the main purposes of fats is that they represent energy reserves. Indeed they do have the largest energetic value, but the body utilizes them after using up the reserves of carbohydrates. After the fats and carbohydrates are depleted, the body rapidly consumes the stores of protein. This makes the fats as, well as the carbohydrates, substances called protein sparers. It is estimated that the daily intake should be around 65 g. It must also be mentioned that all three types of substances play a part, either small, like the carbohydrates, or large like proteins and fats, in the body's structure. Vitamins represent organic compounds that have a major role in the functioning of the various enzymes throughout the body. They are needed in small quantities, like vitamin B12, whose daily intake is 3 micrograms. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is the only vitamin that differs, whose daily intake is 45 mg. There are also a variety of minerals and inorganic compounds that play a multitude of vital roles throughout the organism. Amongst the most prominent are calcium, potassium, sodium and iron. Calcium, potassium and sodium have high values of intake (calcium- 1000 mg, sodium- 2400 and potassium-3500 mg) while the daily intake of iron is 18