Proteins, vitamins and moisture are very important substances for our body. For example, proteins build and repair cells and vitamins keep us healthy. Moisture is also essential for our lives, we can only survive a few days without it. Without substances in our diet, there is no life!
Protein
All our body cells are made up of amino acids. The body cannot make most amino acids itself and must therefore obtain them from certain substances. Proteins contain all kinds of chains of amino acids, which our body can use to build tissue, muscles, skin and bones. Fortunately, proteins are found in our food and are broken down in our digestive system, leaving the amino acids. This happens through certain enzymes in the intestines. The amino acids are then transported via our blood to where they are needed. Amino acids are also used in the production of hormones and they play a role in replacing your old or dead cells.
Proteins are therefore really essential for our body and that is why we must get enough of this substance. Proteins are mainly found in meat, fish and chicken, but also in cheese and eggs. These are mainly animal proteins, we mainly find vegetable proteins in nuts, bread and beans. Animal products usually provide sufficient amino acids, but this is not always the case with vegetable proteins! A healthy person needs 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. This means that someone weighing 60 kilos can eat 48 grams of protein per day. In other words, this means that about 10 percent of all our calories per day should come from protein.
Vegetarian people in particular quickly run out of protein. They generally do not consume animal products, sometimes not even cheese or eggs. Because they eat a lot of plant-based food, they still get proteins. However, these are vegetable proteins and contain much fewer essential amino acids than animal proteins. For example, vegetarians need about 15 extra grams of protein per day! In addition to vegetarian people, growing children and people with serious injuries need extra protein. This is because growth and repair require proteins and especially amino acids to build and repair your cells.
Proteins can never be stored in our body in its current form. Before use it must be broken down into amino acids. However, if there are enough amino acids in your body, there will be a surplus of proteins. The body breaks them down anyway and uses the carbon from the protein for combustion (these are the calories from the proteins) and the rest is dumped in the form of urea (for your urine). Proteins do not actually make you fatter, but they do help build muscle!
Vitamins
Vitamins are extremely important for our body. They are found in small amounts in our food and provide no energy, so no calories. Vitamins cannot be made by the body itself and must be absorbed from our food. Without vitamins we become ill and develop diseases such as scurvy.
Nowadays we know 13 types of vitamins: vitamins A, C, D, E and K and another 8 types of vitamin B. It used to be thought that there was only one type of vitamin B, but nowadays there are the following types: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8, B11 and B12. Vitamin A is mainly found in milk and butter products and also in fish. Vitamin C is generally found in vegetables, fruit and potatoes. We actually don’t find much vitamin D in our food, only fish contains a lot of vitamin D. Fortunately, we get most of our vitamin D from sunlight! Vitamin E is mainly found in plant products such as nuts, bread, vegetables and fruit. Our body is capable of making vitamin K itself, fortunately we also find this in most vegetables.
Vitamin B1 is not found in many products and is usually present in a fairly low percentage. We only find this type of vitamin in pork and grain products. Milk, vegetables, fruit and grain contain a lot of vitamin B2, and vitamin B3 is also mainly found in meat and vegetables. Vitamin B5 is also found in meat and vegetables, as well as in fish and grain products. B6 is mainly found in grain, potatoes, legumes and fish, while vitamin B8 is mainly found in meat, fish and nuts. Vitamin B11 is found in green vegetables, local products and fruit. Finally, we know vitamin B12, which is mainly found in animal products, such as fish, meat and cheese.
You get enough vitamins by eating a varied diet. There are enough in your daily diet. Children and the elderly generally need a lot more vitamins per day than a normal person. So they should actually eat more products with sufficient vitamins to protect them against diseases.
Moisture
In addition to all kinds of nutrients, most products also contain a lot of water. Moisture is very important for our body, as 60 percent of our body consists of water! Water helps absorb nutrients into our body, as they are easily absorbed. In addition, fluid regulates the transport of nutrients in our blood and plays a role in the fluid ratio between blood and tissue outside the blood. Moisture also regulates your body temperature!
An average person (adults) should drink just over 2 liters of water per day. However, this is an average as it definitely varies from person to person. For example, if you exercise and exercise a lot, you will probably need to drink more, because you lose more fluid through sweating. In addition, one person loses more fluid when urinating than another, making the fluid balance of your body very different from person to person. 70 percent of the fluid you consume per day must be drunk. This means that the rest, 30 percent, can come from your food or through your breathing!
If you don’t get enough fluid, you will show signs of dehydration. Your body does not have enough water to restore the fluid balance and will therefore excrete much less fluid. Too little fluid can have serious physical consequences, for example the development of kidney stones! So try to prevent this and drink enough water.
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- Substances in our diet: carbohydrates, fiber and salt
- Substances in our diet: fats and minerals
