Nutrients are split into two main groups, the macronutrients which contains carbohydrates, fats and protein and the micronutrients which contains vitamins and minerals. These split groups are based on the amounts of a nutrient needed

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Nutrition assignment 1

Nutrients are the chemical substances which we obtain from food. There are many different nutrients and they all provide the body with different things such as energy, structural materials, regulating agents to support body growth, maintenance and repair of the body's tissues.

Nutrients are split into two main groups, the macronutrients which contains carbohydrates, fats and protein and the micronutrients which contains vitamins and minerals. These split groups are based on the amounts of a nutrient needed in a person's daily diet. Therefore, we should eat more carbohydrates, fats and proteins each day than vitamins and minerals.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are composed of composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to form compounds. Carbohydrates have a general molecular formula of CH O, this means that for every carbon and oxygen atom there will be twice as many hydrogen atoms.

Carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules which are classed into different groups depending on how many sugars the carbohydrate contains. There are monosaccharides, which is made up of one sugar, disaccharides which consist of two sugars and there are polysaccharides which consists of many sugars.

Monosaccharides and disaccharides are called 'simple carbohydrates' as