Simple and Composite Foods: Water, Minerals, Nutrients

Simple and Composite Foods: Essential Nutrients

Understanding Simple and Composite Foods

Simple foods consist of a single component. Examples include salt and olive oil. Composite foods (which make up the majority of foods) contain water, minerals (inorganic substances), and organic substances such as glucides, lipids, proteins, and vitamins.

Water and Mineral Salts

Water is an inorganic substance crucial for life processes. Our body is approximately 65% water. Organs and tissues with high metabolic activity, like the heart and brain, have the highest water content. Organs and tissues with lower metabolic activity, such as bone and adipose tissue, have a lower water proportion.

Intake: We obtain water through water-rich foods and beverages. Properties:

• Water is an excellent solvent, dissolving nutrients and waste products.
• It is easily absorbed by the intestine and transported via the bloodstream.

Inorganic substances, specifically mineral salts, are also essential.

Intake:

• Mineral salts are found dissolved in water or within organic substances.

Functions:

• Regulatory: Involved in nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.
• Structural: Components of bones and teeth.

Classification:

• Macrominerals (needed in larger quantities): Examples include Fe (Iron), Na (Sodium), K (Potassium), and Ca (Calcium).
• Microminerals/Trace Elements (needed in very small quantities): Examples include F (Fluorine), Cu (Copper), and Zn (Zinc).

Essential Organic Nutrients

The primary organic nutrients are glucides, lipids, proteins, and vitamins.

Lipids

Lipids are organic molecules composed of C (Carbon), H (Hydrogen), and O (Oxygen), with some potentially containing S (Sulfur) and other elements. They are high-energy substances that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents like alcohol. Simple lipids are fats; when liquid, they are called oils.

Classification:

• Saturated Fatty Acids: Found in coconut and palm oil, milk, etc.
• Unsaturated Fatty Acids: Found in olive oil, corn oil, soy oil, and fatty fish.
• Cholesterol: A complex lipid found in foods like lamb meat.

Proteins

Proteins are composed of C, H, O, S, and sometimes P (Phosphorus) and other elements. They have a structural function and constitute approximately 18% of the human body. Proteins can also serve as an energy source if needed. They are macromolecules made up of simple components called amino acids. There are about twenty known amino acids, eight of which the human body cannot synthesize. These eight are called essential amino acids. It is generally more beneficial to obtain essential amino acids from plant-based sources rather than animal-based sources.

Nutritional Needs

Our body requires certain substances for proper functioning. These needs are categorized into three types:

• Energetic
• Structural
• Functional