The top 6 essential nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. These are compounds that the body cannot synthesize on its own. So, your diet is the main source of these nutrients. You can use high-quality supplements to fill in the nutritional gap in your diet.
According to the World Health Organization, these nutrients promote growth, health, and prevent diseases. Want to know more about the top 6 essential nutrients and their role in leading a healthy and happy life? Let's find out.
Types of Essential Nutrients
Essential nutrients are fundamental prerequisites for health, development, and reproduction in a person. There are two main categories of these essential nutrients:
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Macronutrients: More of these are needed and examples are water, protein, carbohydrates, and fats.
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Micronutrients: They are needed in small amounts. Micronutrients consist of minerals and vitamins.
What are the Top 6 Essential Nutrients?
Certain nutrients cannot be synthesized by our body but are necessary for its growth. They are called essential nutrients. These nutrients have to come externally, from diet or supplements, since they are required for growth, maintenance, and physiological processes of the body. The main 6 nutrients are:
1. Protein
Protein is essential for your body to develop and maintain tissues. Protein is needed to help in the development of lean muscle mass and it is also needed for producing hormones and enzymes.
20 amino acids are the building blocks to create protein. 9 of them are called essential amino acids. Your body can't make these essential amino acids and they have to come from food.
The demand for protein varies with several parameters such as age, sex, the extent of exercise, height, and weight.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8g per kg of body weight. Generally, most healthy men need a daily protein intake of 56 grams, while women, on the other hand, need about 46 grams. Often, daily protein intake is not sufficient; that is why we need essential nutrient supplements.
2. Carbohydrates
These are the major energy-giving compounds and also provide adequate fiber to the diet. They are also vital for good digestion. They are important to your health and overall wellness.
Carbohydrates are mainly of two types:
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Simple: They are easy and quick to digest. Examples are bread, fruit, milk, soda drinks, etc.
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Complex: They take longer to break down and provide sustained energy. Examples are whole grains, legumes, starchy vegetables, etc.
Standard dietary recommendations indicate that the daily intake of calories should consist of about 45% to 65% carbohydrates. However, this differs according to your age, body size, and level of exercise.
3. Vitamins
Vitamins, being micronutrients, are needed in very small quantities. Either the body cannot produce these or produces too little of the vitamins. Hence, vitamins can be termed as essential nutrients. A well-balanced diet with varied foods can give you all the essential vitamins for the body. If food is not enough, vitamin supplements can fill the nutritional deficits.
While all the vitamins are needed and play important and specific roles in the body, most health professionals would concur that iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin D are the three most vital vitamins. These important nutrients are vital for optimal health, and deficiencies in them are either more common or affect your health more.
4. Minerals
Minerals are vital for your physical and mental health and well-being. Vitamins and minerals are different. Vitamins are produced by plants or animals, but minerals are obtained from soil and water.
There are two types of minerals: Macrominerals (needed in greater quantities) and microminerals (needed in very small quantities).
A lot of processes are supported by minerals: your immune system, heart, bones, nerves, and joints. They are involved in bone construction, regulating muscle and nerve function, and maintaining the body's water balance.
If your diet doesn’t have enough minerals, you can ensure that you take the right amount of minerals through supplements.
5. Fats
Fats acquired a bad image along the way since so many associate them with body fat. But, fats are also an important component of a healthy diet.
This is because they supply energy and assist your body in absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. Fat also safeguards your organs.
Unsaturated fats, rather than saturated fats, must be a part of a healthy diet. Heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids is an unsaturated fat. While foods like fatty fish, nuts, and seeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, omega-3 supplements are more convenient to take on a daily basis.
6. Water
Water's important role in maintaining your health and well-being is no secret. Water makes up 50 to 75% of your body. It's needed for a range of important tasks like regulating body temperature, aiding digestion, and maintaining healthy skin.
Your daily water intake can fluctuate based on many factors. Your age, health, weight, level of exercise, and locale all play a role. Men need 13 cups of water a day, while most women need 9 cups a day as a standard rule.
Why Do You Need Nutrient Supplements For Healthy Living?
Everyone wants to lead a healthy life and they consume a diet that they think is best for them. Reality is that, due to the busy lifestyle, the amount of time you spend in preparing and cooking whole foods is limited. As a result, you may opt for processed foods that may not give you all the nutrients you need. For this reason, it is important to consume nutrient supplements.
Some of the reasons why you may need nutrient supplement support are:
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Lack of Nutrients: Most people all over the world suffer from this issue partly due to the poor availability of vitamins and minerals in the modern diet. Many busy professionals don't take the time to eat a proper diet every day. Absorption is naturally lower in elderly individuals. You may consume a nutrient supplement along with a diet to overcome this nutritional deficiency.
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Increased Nutrient Requirements: Most phases in life like pregnancy or an active lifestyle with heavy exercises require high nutritional input. This can be achieved through the consumption of supplements.
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Convenience: Nutrients provide a convenient and easy means for individuals with hectic lifestyles. With a high-quality multivitamin supplement, a single capsule may be all that you need.
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Absorption Problems: Most people find it hard to absorb some types of nutrients. Medical ailments or stomach disorders can reduce absorption. Supplements are able to provide such nutrients easily in a form that can be absorbed.
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Vegan Diet: Individuals with strict vegan diets or other types of diets may not get crucial nutrients such as B12, iron, etc. They can fill the nutrition gap with the use of supplements. Many vegan nutrient supplements are available so that you can choose a product that fits your lifestyle.
Diet is the first and foremost source for healthy living. The purpose of the dietary supplement is to complement your normal diet. They make up for the low nutrient levels of most of the foods we eat. They also ensure that you are receiving an adequate amount of essential nutrients.
Experts say that 90% of us don't have chromium, an important micromineral, which we can get with the help of supplements. Besides, stress may increase the requirement of some nutrients by the body. But we can't obtain these through regular foods; these are present in supplements.
It's better to take nutrients in larger amounts aside from a regular diet. It improves athletic performance. With a good diet, you can support health goals like fat loss and muscle gain. The multivitamin supplements provide these nutrients in standard doses so that your body absorbs them completely.
How to Choose the Right Nutrient Supplements?
Want to improve your health with nutrient supplements? Read these tips first:
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Trusted Brand: Trusted brands have a good reputation and are commonly recommended by nutritionists. These supplements must be third-party tested to ensure potency and purity.
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Talk to your doctor: Your doctor will conduct some tests, depending on the deficiency, they will prescribe you a recommended dose. Taking supplements suitable for your body and health can give you health benefits.
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Read Labels: Always consume the nutrients in the advised quantity. Overconsumption of nutrients may result in an imbalance of such nutrients. Certain multivitamins are made for specific age groups or genders. Pay attention to those labels and choose supplements suitable for you.
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Bioavailability: Bioavailability means how easily the nutrients are absorbed by the body. Always choose the most bioavailable nutrient form for optimal usage.
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Avoid over-consumption: Supplements must be consumed moderately because over-consumption is detrimental to health. Stick to the recommended dosage to improve your health.
Final Thoughts
Essential nutrients play a crucial role in our daily health. But we rarely receive sufficient nutrients from the daily diet. Therefore, it is better to turn to essential nutritional supplements after consulting your doctor. Proper nutritional supplements could assist us in achieving our daily quota of nutrients without any additional effort. Always choose a trusted brand that assures quality, safety, and efficacy of supplements. A healthcare expert can guide you in choosing the best nutritional supplement for your age, lifestyle, and specific health conditions.
FAQ
1. What is the difference between essential and non-essential nutrients?
Essential nutrients are not synthesized by the human body. Thus they must be consumed through the daily diet and nutritional supplements. But non-essential nutrients are synthesized in the human body itself and you don't need to consume them in bulk.
2. Do vitamins contain calories?
No, vitamins do not add to calories. They are need for a stable metabolism and encourage the body to use the energy you get from macronutrients.
3. How many essential nutrients do we need?
Humans need 6 essential nutrients and you can get them only from the food and supplements you take. They are needed for growth, physical, mental, and reproductive health. The six essential nutrients are:
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Carbohydrates
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Proteins
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Fats
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Water
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Vitamins
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Minerals