What are nutrients and why are they important for your health?

What are nutrients?

“Nutrients” is another word for nutrients. By this we mean components of food that you need to support your health. In this article, we’ll discuss the different types of nutrients out there and what role they play in your body. Of course, we’ll also let you know what you can do to make sure you get enough of all the essential nutrients. In doing so, we will address:

• which nutrients are considered essential nutrients
• the distinction between macronutrients and micronutrients
• The different macronutrients and what foods they are found in
• the different types of micronutrients and which foods are good sources
• How to make sure your diet contains enough essential nutrients

What are essential nutrients?

When we talk about “essential nutrients,” we mean substances that your body cannot produce on its own, or not in the right quantities. For this, your body depends on various foods from which it can derive these essential nutrients. Essential nutrients provide your body with energy and play a role in a variety of bodily processes. These include growing and repairing tissue, bones and muscles and supporting your immune system.

Different types of nutrients

A surprising number of different nutrients exist. According to the Nutrition Center, it is now possible to distinguish as many as 50 nutrients that support your body in its daily functioning. That’s quite a few! We cannot discuss them all one by one. However, we can make this large group of nutrients a little easier to understand by dividing them into categories. The main distinction you can make within the essential nutrients is between macronutrients and micronutrients.

What are macronutrients?

The word “macronutrients” may not immediately seem familiar to you, but the nutrients that belong to it probably do. These are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. You need these macronutrients in larger amounts every day. Your daily macronutrient requirement is therefore expressed in grams. Macronutrients are the building blocks of the body and provide you with the energy you need for your daily activities.

What are micronutrients?

The large group of micronutrients includes vitamins, minerals and trace elements. You need them in smaller amounts than macronutrients, but they do play an important role in supporting your health. Your daily micronutrient requirement, depending on the nutrient, can usually be expressed in micrograms or milligrams. Besides the essential nutrients already mentioned, by the way, you also need water and fiber.

Which macronutrients do you find in which foods?

Want to make sure you get enough macronutrients daily? Then it’s helpful to know which foods they can be found in! That way you can make your own selection based on your preferences and needs. For example, are you a vegetarian or vegan? Then it’s useful, for example, to know which non-animal sources you can get your daily dose of protein from. Keep in mind that a varied diet is generally recommended for your health.

Protein

Proteins are also called “proteins.” According to the Nutrition Center, the daily protein requirement of a healthy person is an average of 0.83 grams per kilogram of body weight. So, to illustrate, for someone who weighs 60 pounds, that’s about 50 grams of protein per day; someone weighing 70 pounds would need 58 grams of protein per day. Vegetarians and vegans, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and children may need a little more protein per day. The same may be true for people who do intense strength or endurance sports, or people who have certain physical conditions.

Proteins are involved in various bodily processes. For example, they contribute to the growth and maintenance of your muscle mass. Proteins also support the recovery of your muscle mass after physical exertion. In addition, proteins contribute to the maintenance of strong bones.

Your body can extract protein from both animal and plant sources. Some animal sources of protein are:

• meat
• poultry (such as chicken and turkey)
• fish
• eggs
• dairy products
• cheese

Examples of plant sources of protein are:

• nuts
• Legumes (beans, peas and lentils, for example)
• tofu and tempeh
• grains and grain products (e.g., bread, pasta and couscous)

Fats

Fats are also among the essential nutrients. First, they are an important source of energy. With each gram of fat, you get 9 calories (compared to 4 calories per gram of protein or carbohydrate). Fats that your body does not immediately use as a source of energy to function, it stores as body fat. In that form, it is a store of energy, as well as a means of protecting your organs and keeping your body better warm in cold conditions. So body fat does have a function. Eating fats with your meal makes you feel satiated longer, because fats stay in your stomach for a proportionately long time. The benefit of this is that you are less likely to snack between meals. In addition, some fats also provide vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin D.

Different types of fats

Fats have long had a bad name because, because of their high calorie content, they were seen primarily as “fatteners.” Today, people are more likely to distinguish between different types of fats. Some can be harmful to your body (e.g. trans fats), others can actually have a positive effect (such as unsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids). You can read more about them here! Anyway, it is important not to eat too much fat. Unsaturated fats can be found in foods such as:

• vegetable oils such as sunflower oil and olive oil
• soft margarine or low-fat margarine for bread
• liquid margarine or liquid cooking fat

Sources of omega-3 fatty acids include:

• fish, seafood, fish oil/krill oil/algae oil
• linseed oil, rapeseed oil, soybean oil
• eggs and some meats

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are also among the essential macronutrients. They can be divided into sugars, fiber and starch, among others, and are found in many different types of foods.

Sugars

Every carbohydrate is made up of sugar molecules. It can be one, or it can be a whole group. Those sugar molecules are also called “saccharides.” Monosaccharides contain only one sugar molecule. Glucose, fructose and galactose belong to this group. They are found in fruits (juice) and certain types of vegetables (juice), for example. Some carbohydrates contain 2 sugar molecules (the disaccharides). Well-known examples are lactose (from milk), and sucrose/sugarose (from sugar beets or sugar cane). Oligosaccharides consist of 3 to 9 sugar molecules and polysaccharides consist of more than 9 sugar molecules. These come from starch from cereals, root crops (such as potatoes) and legumes, for example. Eventually, they are broken down in your body into glucose, sometimes in combination with fructose or galactose.

Different types of carbohydrates

Monosaccharides, or carbohydrates that can be broken down into monosaccharides in your body, are your body’s sources of energy. They are quickly absorbed into your blood and used by tissues that can burn them to generate energy. Glucose that cannot be burned immediately can be temporarily stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen, but in limited quantities. When your body has enough fuel and can no longer store glycogen, the excess can be stored in the form of fat. There are also carbohydrates that are not digestible by your body, but still perform an important function for your intestines. These are the so-called fibers.

It is important that your diet contains the right amount of carbohydrates; not too much and not too little. Eating enough carbohydrates is also important for brain function. Eating at least 130 grams of carbohydrates a day helps maintain normal brain function.

Of the total prescribed number of calories per day (you check that here), a minimum of 40% and a maximum of 70% should consist of carbohydrates. If 70% of your daily calorie intake consists of carbohydrates, make sure the remaining 30% consists of 20% fats and 10% protein. This puts you in line with the Nutrition Council’s food recommendations regarding macronutrients.

It is best to choose more complex carbohydrates that contain many other healthy nutrients besides sugars, starches and fiber, such as:

• whole grain cereals
• potatoes
• vegetable
• fruit
• legumes

So while cookies, candy and soft drinks, for example, do contain carbohydrates, especially in the form of simple sugars such as glucose and fructose, they are poor in other healthy nutrients. Therefore, it is better to consume as little of these as possible.

Micronutrients

The micronutrients can thus be divided into vitamins, minerals and trace elements. With few exceptions, they cannot be produced by the body itself. Your body must therefore derive them from food. Micronutrients are found in many different types of food. In vegetable products, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, various types of oil, nuts and seeds, but also in animal products, such as milk, eggs, meat and fish.

The micronutrients themselves are not a form of fuel for the body, but they are important for creating energy from the macronutrients. They also play a role in numerous physical and mental processes. Below are 18 vitamins, minerals and trace elements that support your health if you get enough of them.(Here you will find an overview of the recommended daily amounts of the various vitamins). For each micronutrient, we also list important sources of them, as well as juices from our range that you can choose as a source of the nutrient.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A can be found in meat, fish, dairy products and, for example, margarine. As provitamin A (also known as beta-carotene) it is found, for example, in carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and various yellow and orange fruits, but also in various green leafy vegetables. Your body produces vitamin A from provitamin A. Our juice Fresh is rich in provitamin A and contains 284% of the recommended daily allowance of this vitamin. Our juice Energy is also high in vitamin A.

TIP: You can read more about how vitamin A and the other vitamins and minerals support your health right away on each juice’s page on our website!

Vitamin B1

Vitamin B1 is found, for example, in nuts, cereal products, potatoes, milk (products), meat, vegetables and fruits (for example, pineapple, grapes and berries). Our juice Fuel is rich in vitamin B1. Wild is a good source of vitamin B1, as is our juice Reboot.

Vitamin B2

Vitamin B2 is found, for example, in fish, meat and eggs, nuts, seeds, seaweed, green leafy vegetables and various types of cabbage. Our juice Wild is a source of vitamin B2, as is our juice Fuel. Vitamin B2 is also counted among antioxidants, along with vitamins C, and E, copper, manganese and zinc, among others.

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 is found, for example, in meat, fish, nuts, seeds and mushrooms. Our juice Power is a source of vitamin B3.

Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5 is found, for example, in seeds, cheese, meat, eggs, mushrooms, lentils and avocado. Our juice Fuel is a source of vitamin B5.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is found, for example, in seeds and nuts, meat, fish and rice. Our juices Boost is a source of vitamin B6.

Folic acid (vitamin B11)

Folic acid is found in several green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, arugula and lettuce. You can also find it in fruits, whole grain cereals and in smaller amounts in meat and dairy products. Our juice Recharge is rich in folic acid, as is our juice Fuel.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is found in all kinds of fruits and vegetables, but especially in bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, kale, blackcurrants, strawberries and kiwi. Herbs like parsley can also be rich in this vitamin. Our juice Sunny is very rich in vitamin C, as is our juice Power. These give you 116% and 115% of your daily recommended intake of this vitamin, respectively.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is mainly found in seeds, kernels and nuts, but also, for example, in eggs, spinach and avocado. Our pure and potent tomato soup is rich in vitamin E; just like our green shot of Purify.

Vitamin K

Vitamin k is mainly found in (green) leafy vegetables, such as kale, chard and spinach, but also, for example, in Brussels sprouts, broccoli, watercress and parsley. Our juice Detox is very rich in vitamin K, it contains as much as 532% of the recommended daily allowance for this vitamin. But actually, the vitamin is found in most of our juices.

Potassium

Potassium is found in fruits and vegetables, such as apricots, spinach and purslane. Cocoa and various nuts and seeds are also high in potassium; for example, almonds, pistachios, flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds. Our juice Support is rich in potassium, just like our Recover juice, Energy juice and many other juices!

Calcium

Calcium is mainly found in cheese, various seeds and nuts, such as sesame seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, almonds and hazelnuts, as well as in green leafy vegetables, such as kale, spinach and purslane. One bottle of our Detox juice gets you 100% of your daily recommended amount of calcium.

Iron

Iron is mainly found in liver, cocoa, sesame seeds, soy, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and Brazil nuts. Vegetables can also be high in iron. Our juice Fuel is a good source of iron, as is the juice Detox.

Iodine

Iodine is found in various types of fish and shellfish, as well as in bread, eggs, endive and banana. Our Detox contains many healthy nutrients and is also a source of iodine.

Copper

Copper is found in oysters, liver, cocoa and various nuts and seeds, such as cashews, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts and pine nuts, among others. The juice Wild contains as much as 90% of your recommended daily allowance of copper. The juices Recover and Energy are also good sources of copper.

Magnesium

Magnesium is found in nuts and seeds, such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, chia seeds and peanuts, among others. Cocoa is also rich in this mineral. In addition, you can find it in various vegetables. For example, our juices Fuel and Recover are good sources of magnesium.

Manganese

Manganese is found in kernels, seeds and nuts, such as pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans and hazelnuts. Grains such as oats, rye and teff are also sources of manganese, as are our juices Detox, Sunny, Fuel and Recover. The juice Wild is rich in manganese.

Zinc

Zinc is found in hemp seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts and cocoa, among others. Our wheatgrass shot Purify is a source of zinc, as is our juice Wild.

Learn more about the nutritional value of different types of food here!

Vegetable juice as a source of micronutrients

Do you eat little to no meat, fish, or other animal products? Then the list above shows that it is important to make sure you eat plenty of nuts, seeds, kernels and grains. These contain many important vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables are also excellent sources of micronutrients. Not for nothing is eating enough vegetables recommended by the Nutrition Center.

Drinking vegetable juices is also a great way to make sure you get vitamins and minerals. Because we make our juices with fresh, organic, seasonal fruits and vegetables, they are generally rich in healthy nutrients. Because we slow-juice them and then freeze them, the original vitamins and minerals from fruits and vegetables are well preserved. You can read more about them in our blog on the benefits of vegetable juice for your health.