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Report On Nutrients Required By The Body

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Report on Nutrients Required by the Body This report is going to investigate the six nutrients found in food. It will describe the molecular structure of the three main nutrients; carbohydrates, fats and proteins and also other nutrients required by the body, i.e. vitamins, minerals and water. It will also describe the roles that all the nutrients play in the body, the recommended daily amounts and the specific foods which correlate to the specific nutrients. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the main source of energy from food that we use in the body. It should roughly make up around 55% of the overall food we consume on a daily basis. There are 3 different types of carbohydrates; monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The monosaccharides which are made up from one sugar molecule and disaccharides which are two monosaccharides with a hydrogen molecule removed. These two types of food are classed as simple carbohydrates because they are very easily broken down. They make up foods that are bad for your health as they provide very little nutrients and can also lead to health problems later on in life if too much is consumed, for example; cake, chocolate and fizzy drinks (Linda J Vorvick 2014), whereas the polysaccharides, the foods that are made up of many monosaccharides are known as complex carbohydrates or starches as it is more difficult for the body to break them down so it takes a lot longer. In turn, this means the energy is lasting and spaced out over a

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