Nutrients Essays (1195 words) - Vitamins, Nutrition, B Vitamins

Nutrients 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,