Nutrients Essay, Research Paper

Nutrients are found in food we eat. These are substances that we all need to

survive. There are six different kind of nutrients . Food provides certain

chemical substances needed in order for a person to maintain good health. There

are six different nutrients which are water, carbohydrates, fats, and protein.

The first nutrient I am going to discuss is carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the

main source of energy for all living things. There are two different kinds of

carbohydrates simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates include sugars and have a

simple molecular structure. Complex carbohydrates contain all the starches and

have a more complex molecular structure. My average amount of carbohydrates was

173.24 grams. My daily requirements were 288 grams. I think I had a good amount

of carbohydrates. The next nutrient is Vitamin A. Vitamin A is an vitamin found

in orange, yellow, red, and dark green vegetables. Vitamin A maintains healthy

eyes, and skin. The signs of deficiency is night blindness, eye infections,

rough skin, and respiratory infections. My average of vitamin A is 539.28 RE. My

daily requirements of this nutrient is 1000 RE. I found out that my vitamin a is

high but i haven’t felt any sings of toxicity in my body. The sings of toxicity

of this vitamin would be nausea, vomiting, dry skin rashes, hair loss, and

headache. Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, cantaloupe, tomatoes, potatoes,

strawberries, peppers, and dark green vegetables. Vitamin C promotes healthy

gums, and teeth. It also helps heal wounds and maintains connective tissue. My

average for Vitamin C over the seven days was 55.8 grams. My daily requirements

for Vitamin C was 60 grams. I found that Vitamin C was high in my body. The next

nutrient is Vitamin E. Vitamin E is found in whole grains, vegetable oils, nuts,

and dark green leafy vegetables. This protects red blood cells and stabilizes

cell membranes. In my seven day average I had 2.24 mg and in my daily

requirements I had 10 mg. To much of Vitamin E would cause general digestive

discomfort. Thiamine is found in pork, whole grains, enriched cereal products,

liver, and dark green vegetables. Thiamine aids in release of energy from food,

and promotes normal nerve functioning. The average of the seven day data is 1.02

and on my daily requirements was 1.5 mg. Signs of deficiency is inflamed nerves,

heart failure, mental confusion, irritable, and muscle weakness. Riboflavin is

found in milk, eggs, liver, leafy green vegetables, and whole grain cereals. It

helps the body out by helping you grow, releases energy from food, supports

normal vision, and healthy skin. In the seven day average riboflavin was 1.35 mg

and in my daily requirements it was 1.8 mg Niacin is found in fish, liver, whole

grains, and enriched cereals. it helps the body by maintaining healthy skin ,

and nervous system. In my seven day average niacin was 651.62 mg and my daily

requirements was 20 mg. The signs of toxicity are unknown. The signs of

deficiency is, cracks at the corner of the mouth, scaling skin, sore tongue, and

sensitivity to light. The seven day average is 1.44 mg and my daily requirements

is 20 mg. the signs of deficiency is diarrhea, depression, mental confusion,

mouth sores, and skin rashes. Vitamin B6 is found in poultry, pork, fish, liver,

and leafy green vegetables. The functions of this vitamin is to help the

formation of red blood cells, and promotes the normal functioning of the nerves.

The seven day average was 1.44 mg and in the daily requirements was 2 mg. The

next nutrient is Vitamin B 12. Vitamin B 12 is found from animals like liver,

meats, fish, eggs, milk, and cheese. The function of this vitamin is to help the

formation of red blood cells, and maintains healthy functioning in the nervous

system. The seven day average for this vitamin is 3.19 mcg and the daily

requirement was 2 mcg. The signs of toxicity is unknown. Sodium is found in

salt, soy sauce, processed foods, dairy products, and cured meats. This helps

the body function by regulating water balance outside cells, and the

transmissions. In the seven day average was 1617.57 mg and in the daily

requirement was 2700 mg. The signs of deficiency is muscle cramps, weakness,

nausea, and dehydration. Cholesterol is the waxy, fat like substance that my

block the arteries. In the seven day aver the cholesterol was 245.28 mg and my

daily requirement was 195 mg. My cholesterol is really high witch could cause

stroke, or heart disease. Magnesium is the next nutrient witch is found in whole

grains, milk, dark green leafy vegetables, and nuts. Magnesium aids in bone

growth energy, and muscle contraction. The seven day average was 155 mg and my

daily requirements was 400 mg. The signs of deficiency is growth failure mental

and muscular disorders. Potassium is found in meat, milk, vegetables, fruits,

and it helps the body by maintaining fluid balance, and necessary for

contraction of muscles and heart beat. The seven day average was 1467 mg. The

daily requirements was 4575 mg. The signs of deficiency is muscular weakness,

paralysis, confusion, and my cause death. Iron is found in red meats, l liver

breads, and dried fruits. This helps the body function by transporting oxygen,

and the formation of red blood cells. The seven day average for iron is 10.81 mg

and the daily requirement is 12 mg. Zinc is the next nutrient witch is found in

seafoods, meats, liver, poultry, and whole grains. The functions of this can

help the body make enzymes aids the wounding, promotes, normal growth and

development, and helps in taste and odor perception Saturated fats are fats that

are found in all food. Mono saturated fats are fats that lack one pair of

hydrogen atoms. Polyunsaturated fats are fats that lack two or more hydrogen

atoms. The seven day average for saturated fats is 15.83 g and the daily

requirement is 21. The mono- Unsaturated fat for the seven day average was 11.96

g and the daily requirement was 21.4 grams. The polyunsaturated fat seven day

average was 3.35 g and the daily requirement was 21.4 g. The last is calories.

Calories are the measure of energy of food. The seven day average was 1441 cal

and the daily requirement was 1926 cal . I exercise on a regularly basis because

I have a paper route. I usually bike my paper route and it takes about 30

minutes. When a person is physically fit this means the person is in good health

and watches what he or she eats and exercise everyday. I think I’m physically

fit because I ride my bike on my paper route. I do think i should exercise more

often after i found out of high my cholesterol is. In conclusion I have found

out that my behavior can be better because of the high cholesterol and low

calories. I think I should eat more healthy and exercise more so when I?m

getting older in life I don?t get any disease like heart disease or strokes. I

think I should of eaten more vitamins to make my health better. Most of my

vitamins I listed I was ten below and ten above the daily requirement. I have

found out that if i keep eating the way I do i can be in great risks of other

disease in life. During the week of the 2/88/99 through 2/14/99 I ate a lot of

food.