Fats meet our energy needs, unsaturated fats in particular are very healthy. In addition, our body needs numerous minerals. They often have very different, but also very essential functions within our body and are therefore indispensable to our body, just like fats.
Fats
About 20 to 40 percent of our calories per day should come from fats. A fat molecule consists of different substances that are bonded to each other. One of those substances is fatty acid. These fatty acids are used in our body as fuel and are therefore important for our energy production. In addition, these fatty acids can be stored in our cells to serve as a later source of energy. Fatty acids also serve as building blocks for body cells and help keep invaders out. In addition, the fat layer in our skin protects us from the cold from the outside and keeps us nice and warm from the inside. In addition to fatty acids, fats also contain calories. We also find vitamins A, D and E in fats.
The fats from our food can be divided into unsaturated and saturated fats. Usually the fat in our food is a combination of both. Saturated fats are also seen as bad fats, because they increase the cholesterol level in our blood. A high cholesterol level in your blood increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Unsaturated fat is much better for our body. This ensures that the cholesterol level in our blood decreases. It is therefore advisable to mainly eat products with more unsaturated fats than saturated fats. These are products such as: oil, margarine, liquid frying fat, low-fat margarine, oily fish and nuts. Oily fish in particular contains a lot of unsaturated fats and is therefore good for your body. In addition, it is wise to choose lean products and eat fewer snacks.
Most fatty acids (saturated) are made by our body itself. However, the body cannot produce most unsaturated fatty acids itself. Linoleic acid and alpha-linoleic acid in particular are among the essential fatty acids, in other words, the important acids for our body. These two fatty acids have important functions for our body and we must therefore ensure that we consume these fats through our food. Linoleic acid is mainly found in vegetable oils, such as sunflower oil, corn oil and soy oil. In addition, we mainly find this fatty acid in low-fat margarine and margarine. Alpha-linoleic acid is found in rapeseed, soy oil and nuts. The latter type of fatty acid is also found in small amounts in meat products.
Minerals
Minerals are absorbed by plants and used as building blocks. When we eat those plants, we also ingest the minerals. Our body cannot make these minerals itself, so they must come in with our food. The most important minerals are: calcium, chlorine, phosphorus, sodium, potassium and magnesium.
Calcium , also known as lime, is mainly found in dairy products such as cheese and milk. This mineral is necessary for building your bones and maintaining your teeth. Calcium also helps transport other nutrients and plays a role in blood clotting. If you get too little calcium, you run the risk of osteoporosis! An adult needs about 1 gram of calcium per day.
We generally find chlorine in products containing table salt . We need this mineral for our stomach acid. Chlorine occurs in our stomach as hydrochloric acid and therefore plays a role in the functioning of our digestive system. We also need chlorine for our moisture balance. The amounts of chlorine that you must or may ingest per day has not been fully determined and is related to the maximum of 6 grams of table salt per day. If you do not consume more than that much salt per day, you have not consumed too much or too little chlorine.
Phosphorus is mainly found in dairy products, meat, fish and legumes. This mineral, together with calcium, ensures that your bones and teeth remain strong and beautiful. Consuming too little phosphorus is not common, but if it does happen, it can cause kidney stones, for example. An adult person needs about 700-1400 milligrams of phosphorus per day.
Sodium is found in almost all our foods . An example is table salt, which contains about 400 milligrams of sodium per gram. Sodium, together with potassium, plays an important role in the fluid balance of our body. In addition, it helps to transmit stimuli to nerve cells and contributes to the contraction and relaxation of muscles. The amount of sodium is also related to the maximum amount of table salt you can consume per day. This is therefore no more than 6 grams per day. This is approximately 2.4 grams of sodium.
Potassium is found in a large number of products: milk, meat, fruit, vegetables and potatoes. Unfortunately, potassium can be lost by cooking vegetables in too much water, so make sure you avoid this. Potassium maintains our fluid balance and ensures that stimuli in our nerve cells can be transmitted to other cells or to our brain. Together with sodium, potassium also ensures the correct blood pressure in our bloodstreams. Our body itself provides the right amounts of potassium and a surplus or deficiency is therefore not often applicable. An adult needs about 3,500 milligrams of potassium per day.
Magnesium is mainly found in milk, vegetables, bread and other grain products. We need magnesium to build our bones and to make the body’s own proteins. In addition, magnesium plays a role in muscle contraction and the functioning of enzymes within our body. An adult person needs about 300 to 350 milligrams of magnesium per day. A magnesium deficiency does not occur quickly, nor does an overdose occur quickly.
Minerals in a row
Calcium: 1 gram per day
Chlorine: no more than 6 grams of table salt per dayPhosphorus: between 700 and 1400 milligrams per daySodium: about 2.4 grams per dayPotassium: around 3500 milligrams per dayMagnesium: between 300 and 350 milligrams per day
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- Substances in our diet: proteins, vitamins and moisture
- Substances in our diet: carbohydrates, fiber and salt
