Where do we get vitamins and nutrients?

Where do we get vitamins and nutrients?

If your diet includes a wide variety of foods, including whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meats, then you are probably getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Where do we find nutrients in food?

Foods that naturally are nutrient-rich include fruits and vegetables. Lean meats, fish, whole grains, dairy, legumes, nuts, and seeds also are high in nutrients.

What process converts food into nutrients for body use?

The digestive system converts the foods we eat into their simplest forms, like glucose (sugars), amino acids (that make up protein) or fatty acids (that make up fats). The broken-down food is then absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine and the nutrients are carried to each cell in the body.

How does food turn into nutrients?

The muscles of the small intestine mix food with digestive juices from the pancreas, liver, and intestine, and push the mixture forward for further digestion. The walls of the small intestine absorb water and the digested nutrients into your bloodstream.

How are vitamins and minerals obtained from food?

Absence or low levels of vitamins can have a dramatic effect on health, as outlined in Table 15.1 and Table 15.2. Both fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins must be obtained from food. Minerals, listed in Table 15.3, are inorganic essential nutrients that must be obtained from food.

How are essential nutrients synthesized by the body?

Essential nutrients can be synthesized by the body. Vitamins are required in small quantities for bodily function. Some amino acids can be synthesized by the body, while others need to be obtained from diet. Vitamins come in two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

How are vitamins and nutrients absorbed in the body?

Understanding the differences between types of micronutrients is one way you can personally improve your absorption process. For example, there are two categories of vitamins: water-soluble (all the various Bs and C) and fat-soluble (like A, D, E, and K). Water-soluble vitamins require water for transport.

How are vitamins made in the human body?

There are two ways the body can make vitamins: certain vitamins can be made from a provitamin, or a precursor substance that can be converted into the active form of a vitamin; other vitamins can be synthesized by bacteria living in the intestinal tract.

Where do you get your vitamins and minerals from?

In addition to getting vitamins from the foods we eat, there are some vitamins that can be synthesized in the body.

How do fat soluble vitamins travel through the body?

Many fat-soluble vitamins travel through the body only under escort by proteins that act as carriers. Food containing fat-soluble vitamins is ingested. The food is digested by stomach acid and then travels to the small intestine, where it is digested further.

How is food broken down into nutrients for absorption?

Digestive juices break down food into the tiniest nutrient components. Proteins are broken down to amino acids; fats are broken down to fatty acids and glycerol; and carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars for absorption of these vital nutrients.

How are vitamins stored in the human body?

Vitamins are divided into two categories: water soluble—which means the body expels what it does not absorb—and fat soluble where leftover amounts are stored in the liver and fat tissues as reserves.