20 Examples of Organic and Inorganic Nutrients - encyclopedia

Video: Organic vs Inorganic Nutrients Differences & Importance

Content

Types of nutrients
Difference between organic and inorganic nutrients
Examples of organic nutrients
Examples of inorganic nutrients

Thenutrients They are the set of substances and elements external to the body that are essential for its maintenance tasks: obtaining energy for the different biological processes, obtaining material for structural growth and for tissue repair, etc.

To the extent that these essential substances are not present in the body (or cannot be produced spontaneously), must be ingested or taken from the environment.

In the case of single-celled cells and organisms, this is accomplished through phagocytization of desired elements or exchange across the cell membrane (cell transport). In the most complex living beings, it occurs through the intake of food.

Types of nutrients

There are many classifications of nutrients:

According to its importance. Nutrients essential Y non-essential, that is, key nutrients for the support of life and that cannot be synthesized within the organism, and accessory nutrients that can have some type of substitute.
According to the necessary amount of your consumption. Here we have macronutrients- proteins, carbohydrates and fats, which must be consumed daily in large quantities; Y micronutrients, like minerals and vitamins, which must be consumed in small doses.
According to its function. A distinction is made between energy nutrients, which provide calories for the functioning of the living system; plastic or structural, which give the body the necessary material to grow or repair tissues; and regulators, which allow to maintain homeostasis and keep the body at its ideal levels of metabolism.
According to its origin. Nutrients organic and inorganic, that is to say, substances whose base is carbon as a primary element, and others in which it is not.

Difference between organic and inorganic nutrients

The fundamental difference between these two types of nutrient concerns their molecular chemistry: while the organic nutrients consist of substances made atomically from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other similar elements, inorganic nutrients they come from minerals and metallic monatomic supplements.

So, organic nutrients include all carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, essential oils, vitamins and essential amino acids, necessary to compose new organic substances and to feed the energetic mechanisms of glucose oxidation.

While inorganic nutrients are roughly mineral salts and water.

Examples of organic nutrients

Elemental fatty acids. Like Omega-3 or Omega-6, these are fatty oils that the body is unable to synthesize but requires for the proper metabolism of sugars and lipids. They are present in certain whole grain cereals, vegetable oils, certain nuts, in blue fish (herring, bonito, tuna) and in many artificially fortified foods.
Sugars. Like sucrose (table sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar), many carbohydrates they are part of the organic nutrients that we consume daily. These compounds are made mainly from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, and once in the body they are transformed into glucose (immediate energy).
Vegetable fiber. Like those present in cereals, wheat products, bran, whole grain products and in fruits such as bananas and apples, it is one of the most common forms of complex carbohydrates that we consume and that nourishes us the most with matter and energy.
Animal proteins. This is the name given to those from the consumption of animal meat, whether they are red meat (cow, pork, camelids) or white (poultry, fish). It is one of the most abundant and immediate sources of proteins and lipids for the human being, although many times it does not represent the healthiest model of eating (especially in the case of red meat).
Vitamins. Vitamins are essential substances that the body requires for many processes of homeostasis and ordinary functioning, but that it cannot synthesize on its own. So we must consume them in food. There is a varied and huge list of vitamins, grouped into different complexes or groups (B complex, Vitamin C, etc.) and present in various dietary sources, from fruits (citrus fruits for vitamin C, for example) to eggs.
Fats. Despite the fact that excess consumption of lipids has become a health problem in contemporary times, these are part of the body as energy reservoirs (triglycerides from sugar become fat), structural bases (organ support) or protection (layers of lipids that insulate from the cold). The most abundant source of fat in the diet are animal meats and fried foods or fatty sauces (such as mayonnaise).
Essential amino acids. As well as vitamins or fatty oils, there are amino acids necessary for the body that we must obtain from food. Eggs, as a source of animal protein, are also a great supplier of essential amino acids, which are nothing more than the biological bricks with which they are built. enzymes, proteins and other more complex substances.
Vegetable proteins. Legumes, grains, soybeans and many fruits are an excellent source of vegetable protein, alternatives to eating meat and its dangerous saturated fats. With these proteins the body can obtain different material parts for the long term, such as building muscle or growing.
Carbohydrates. The immediate source of energy, whose oxidation keeps the body moving and fulfilling its tasks. Carbohydrates (especially simple ones) are of rapid and immediate assimilation, so they serve to light the fire but not to keep it burning for long. Important carbohydrate sources are potatoes, rice, corn and those derived from wheat.
Antioxidants. Many vitamins, such as E, and other similar organic substances, have an antioxidant effect that preserves cells from the collateral damage of respiration and prolongs their life. These antioxidant elements are highly coveted in contemporary dietetics, as they allow us to deal with the free radicals produced, for example, by alcohol consumption and which have polluting effects.

Examples of inorganic nutrients

Water. As simple as that, water is an inorganic nutrient essential for life, and it is the greatest solvent known, which makes up a high percentage (more than 60%) of our bodies. A human being can survive weeks without food, but barely days without drinking water.
Sodium. This extremely reactive and abundant metal on the planet actually makes up our common salt (sodium chloride), and plays a fundamental role in the body in the homeostasis and cellular transport (sodium-potassium pump) to keep the body's level of alkalinity and acidity stable.
Potassium. This is one of the vital salts of the body, along with sodium and magnesium. It is one of the electrolytes, that is, of the substances that exchange neurotransmitters of the central nervous system and that helps muscle function, including heart function. A recognized source of potassium are bananas (bananas), citrus fruits and grapes.
Calcium. Mineral responsible for the hardening of bones and their degree of strength, as well as many other metabolic processes, calcium must be consumed in the daily diet through dairy foods or dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach or asparagus.
Iodine. Iodine is an abundant element in the sea and in the animals that we extract from the ocean. In fact, people who are allergic to shellfish are usually really allergic to iodine, even though we all need it for the proper functioning of the thyroid, a endocrine gland one of the most important in the body. Vegetable (and less allergenic) sources of iodine are cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Iron. The heart of the earth and a good part of its crust are made from this mineral. In our case, we require it in small doses to build the hemoglobin that carries oxygenated blood to the confines of the body, as well as for other important compounds. Known sources of iron in the diet are meat, eggs, dried fruits, and dried legumes.
Match. Closely linked to calcium, this element makes up about 1% of a person's total weight, and is part of their bones and teeth, as well as brain chemistry. Its absorption grows in the presence of vitamin C or vitamin A and it can be ingested by eating fish, poultry and dairy products, or nuts.
Selenium. Antioxidant mineral, which integrates vitamin E, widely studied as a therapy against aging and as a possible therapy to increase male fertility. Meat and fish are your best sources of consumption.
Manganese. Many cognitive and brain abilities are attributed to the margins of this mineral, such as memory, lucidity and also less mental functions, such as the production of hormones sex, the assimilation of vitamin E and the production of cartilage. It is widely distributed in the dietary universe, but in general, vegetables, meat and dairy products are rich in this element.
Magnesium. A mineral salt of utmost importance for the body's electrolyte balance, along with sodium and potassium. It is necessary in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body and can be found in sea salt, but also in bones and in cellular energy dynamics.