Introduction
Food is a ready-to-eat food used as a source of building materials and energy. They can be natural or subjected to culinary or industrial processing. The composition of the products includes food substances or nutrients, which are organic and inorganic elements. The body uses them to renew and build cells and tissues, generate energy, and coordinate biochemical and physiological functions. Therefore, it is important to determine the effect of macronutrients on the human diet.
Foundational Concepts of Nutrients and Their Importance
Micronutrients are food substances that the body requires in small quantities—in fractions of grams (milligrams, micrograms). These are vitamins and several minerals that play a role in energy assimilation, in the coordination of various functions, and in the development and growth of the body. Essential nutrients (irreplaceable) are vital food substances for the body; the lack or absence of which in the diet causes the development of diseases, and prolonged deficiency leads to the death of the body (Alou et al., 2019). They include some amino acids, minerals, and vitamins.
Replaceable nutrients can be produced by the body (in the required amount or part) with the help of intestinal microflora microorganisms. Among them are several vitamins, amino acids, and vitamin-like substances. However, a certain amount of interchangeable nutrients must come with food.
Vitamins should be used regularly and in a balanced composition and quantity. A lack of vitamins when getting them from food can be associated with several factors: poor food quality, poor diet, heat treatment of food, and diseases of the digestive tract (Alou et al., 2019). Vitamins impact growth and development, coordinate metabolism, protect against diseases and negative environmental factors, and affect mental and physical performance. Vitamin deficiency affects the state of health, mind, and youth much more seriously than any other factor, since an insufficient amount of any vitamin is the cause of most diseases. Various biologically active additives provide a balanced and complete intake.
Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, and Minerals: Their Roles and Sources
Carbohydrates are the most significant component of nutrition by weight. They can be complex and simple, digestible and non-digestible. The primary source of carbohydrates is vegetable products. Digestible carbohydrates are an essential energy resource for the body; they are burned 100% without forming slags (Alou et al., 2019). The best options among products containing carbohydrates are natural, non-processed vegetables, fruits, and berries.
Fats are macronutrients that are required by the body in large quantities. In the process of splitting, fats, fatty acids, and glycerin are formed. Fats are the primary source of energy for the body and the material for building cell membranes. In addition, fats coordinate metabolic processes; their composition includes minerals, vitamins, and enzymes (Pagoto & Appelhans, 2019).
Proteins, the main component of nutrition, are one of the most complex nutrients needed by the body in large quantities. Protein sources are plant and animal products, but animal products, due to the large number and ratio of amino acids, have a higher biological value. Proteins’ role in the body is vital: they perform a building function, catalytic, transport, contractile, protective, homeostatic, and energetic functions.
The group of minerals includes macronutrients (calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, chlorine) and micronutrients (iron, zinc, bromine, iodine, cobalt, manganese, copper, molybdenum, selenium, fluorine, chromium). In recent decades, trace elements have attracted more and more attention from researchers due to their extensive range of effects on the body, from the necessity for existence to the toxic impacts (Pagoto & Appelhans, 2019). It is not possible to divide trace elements into toxic and vital ones since the corresponding effect largely depends on the dose.
An Analysis of Adult Dietary Trends in the United States
The analyzed article examines the effect of trace elements on the diet of the adult population of the United States. The article begins with the fact that the authors draw readers’ attention to the problem of nutrition in the US; 43,996 adults participated in this study (Shan et al., 2019). Poor nutrition is the leading risk factor for the development of non-communicable diseases. Moreover, inadequate nutrition is one of the leading causes of death in the adult population of the United States. Thus, for a proper lifestyle, it is important to consume all trace elements: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Often, people’s fats and carbohydrates far exceed the level of proteins since food is full of cholesterol and sugar. As a result of the study, it was found that from 1999 to 2016, the macronutrient composition of the diet of the adult population of the United States improved (Shan et al., 2019). This trend may be related to the trend towards a healthy lifestyle and a vegetarian diet. Thus, the adult population of the US has significantly reduced sugar consumption in recent years. However, despite the improvement in the quality of the diet, there is still a high fat intake and a sedentary lifestyle.
Conclusion
The main components of nutrition that are needed in different quantities and ratios include water, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals, fats, and proteins. That is, it is possible to organize your diet based on various nutrition theories and programs, taking into account all the main components of nutrition. Based on the analyzed article, it can be concluded that over the past decades, the diet of the adult population of the United States has improved markedly. However, people still eat a lot of carbohydrates and lead a sedentary lifestyle.
References
Alou, M. T., Lagier, J. C., & Raoult, D. (2019). Diet influence on the gut microbiota and dysbiosis related to nutritional disorders. Human Microbiome Journal, 1, 3-11. Web.
Shan, Z., Rehm, C. D., Rogers, G., Ruan, M., Wang, D. D., Hu, F. B. & Bhupathiraju, S. N. (2019). Trends in dietary carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake and diet quality among US adults, 1999-2016. Jama, 322(12), 1178-1187.
Pagoto, S. L., & Appelhans, B. M. (2019). A call for an end to the diet debates. Jama, 310(7), 687-688.