When studying human nutrition you will learn how food affects the health and survival of the human body. Without food our bodies can not stay warm, build or repair tissues and maintain our heart beat. Eating the balanced food can help us avoid diseases. Above stated and other important functions of body are fueled by chemical substances in our food called nutrients. These nutrients are classified as water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Water helps the absorption of the food materials through the digestive tract. Importance of water can be judged that a person can survive only eight to ten days without water. Water also maintains a natural balance between dissolved salts and water, which are present inside and outside of cells. While water has no calorific value, without it we can not absorb the food we eat and eliminate waste through body's digestive system. Carbohydrates are the human body's key source of energy, providing four calories of energy per gram. As our body breaks down carbohydrates they produce a sugar called glucose. It is this glucose that is the critical energy source which helps to maintain tissue protein, metabolize fat, and fuel the central nervous system. Another source of energy for our body is proteins. Proteins help to build and repair body tissues from hairs to fingernails. In addition to this proteins speed up chemical reactions in the body, serve as chemical messengers, fight infection and transport oxygen from lungs to the body tissue. Although proteins produce four calories of energy per gram the body uses proteins for energy only if carbohydrates and fat intake is insufficient. When trapped as an energy source protein is diverted, from the many critical functions it performs for our bodies. Our body also utilizes fats as a source of energy. It is this fat which provides nine calories of energy per gram. They are most concentrated of the energy producing nutrients, so our bodies need only very small quantities. The important role that fats play in our bodies is by building the membranes which surrounds our cells and also by helping our blood to clot. Once digested and absorbed, it is these fats which help the body absorb certain vitamins. Fats stored in the body cushion vital organs and protect us from extreme cold and heat. So if our body does all of this, are health supplements really needed? Vitamins and minerals are needed by the body in very small amount to trigger the chemical reactions necessary to maintain good health. Therefore, taken in the right amounts, health supplements can only enhance our body's health. Thus we can make out the need of all the nutrients for maintaining good health. Lack of any of the nutrients gives rise to many problems. Thus we should always eat a balanced diet. But nowadays our eating habits are getting worse. Most of all food includes saturated fats rather than simple nutrients. Thus the correct intake on the nutrients is maintained by use of regular supplements. If the protein count in our body is less then the doctor advises us to take protein powders. The protein powders are a treasury of proteins. In the same way we can take multi vitamin or multi mineral tablets in case of a deficiency in the body.
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