Hello everyone.
I been working on these "articles" for some time now and I think steemit might be the perfect place to get them out into the world for the first time. If you have already researched into the field of nutrition some concepts might seem simplistic, I do encourage you to look for the next article.
I don't really want to get into anecdotal talk in order to get you to read. I do promise you the information you will find it's of high grade, no filler, not trying to sell anyone anything. I promise you if you hang on with me by the end you will be able to create the own lifestyle adjust your "diet" to your time schedules and goals. I know everyone promises that, but I am not really into selling anyone any specific type of lifestyle; this is entirely based on science if anyone is willing to expand on the subject or call me ugly names you are free to do so.
With that out of the way. This one its focused on "Macro and Micro" Nutrients.
So first things first, let’s get some concepts down.
• Calories: Are energy required to raise water temperature. What does that mean? One of the, if, not the most important result of human metabolism it’s the production of ATP (Basic energy unit for living beings) The energy process occurs when ATP is broken down into ADP by the specialized enzyme, this exothermic catalysis it's accepted in the field to be around 7.3 calories per mol. That's why calories are a thermal unit.
Everyone who’s ever researched into nutrition has stumbled upon a calorie; the first thing that’s gets recommended it’s for you to start counting your calorie intake and it works on a thermodynamic level but human body function goes much deeper than that.
• Macronutrients: What does that mean? From both the word Macro (meaning to be in relative larger scale/overall.) and Nutrient (molecular compounds that nourish biological creatures). So these are the nutrients that the human body requires in larger scale/overall.
These are; Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and if you are a believer; water.
• Carbohydrates if you break down the word the basic meaning is molecular substances made up from hydrated carbon chains; depending in the type of the molecular chain it’s what the carbohydrate gets called. Meaning there are different kinds of carbohydrates, those found in fruits, starch, milk, muscles, vegetables, fish, chicken everything contains carbohydrates, difference it’s on the amount and the type of carbohydrate.
• Glucose it’s the most important carbohydrate in humans and it’s metabolized by nearly all living organisms. The concentration of glucose in the bloodstream its used to regulate the release the metabolic hormone "Insulin". There are different metabolic pathways for different carbohydrate molecules but most of them end up as Glucose to be used in the main metabolic pathway in which the body metabolizes nutrients as energy.
Fun fact
What does keto even mean?
In case glucose levels drop below threshold the body activates different pathways to regulate the levels back to normal (the body enters a state known as ketosis) most importantly metabolizing other macro nutrients into glucose. The body targets muscle and fat reserves for degradation in order to regulate glucose levels. These little metabolic twist it’s what spawned all the no carb diet fashion and keto.
Lactose intolerance it’s a result of the body inhibition of the enzyme lactase which is used in the breakdown of lactose (a carbohydrate found in milk) resulting in the well-known symptom.
It is widely established that 1 gram of carbohydrates provide 4 kcal once metabolized.
Proteins: These are chains of smaller molecules called Amino Acids; of the twenty amino acids that are most commonly found in human proteins ten cannot be synthesized by the body itself from other residual molecules. These are called essential amino acids. The ten amino acids that we can produce are alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine. The he essential amino acids are arginine (required for the young, but not for adults), histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
These are called essential amino acids because if one of them its missing the human body cannot synthetize the protein it needs from that certain amino acids so these must be obtain through diet. The uses the body makes of protein are vast. In its metabolic pathways you have DNA and RNA, the production of hormones, enzymes and muscle mass to name a few.
It is widely established that 1 gram of proteins provide 4 kcal once metabolized.
Fats are found in their Saturated and Unsaturated molecule form (the saturated part literally means that one type it’s saturated up until its last Carbon with Hydrogen the other one is not.) What happens it’s instead of hydrogen the carbon bonds to the neighbor carbon resulting Omega Fatty Acid.
These are called omega fatty acids two of which the body cannot produce by itself like essential amino acids; omega 3 and 6.
Fat is the organism main energy reserve, in its metabolic pathways you have the synthesis of hormones and other vital molecules for the organism.
It is widely established that 1 gram of fats provide 9 kcal once metabolized.
Micronutrients: Meaning that they are nutrients needed on a smaller scale; vitamins and minerals. These act as aides and/or catalyzers in metabolic pathways and other body functions.
These chemical molecules serve as the nourishing for life, if you are able to intake your daily needs your body will function at peak and optimum capacity.