Micronutrients
Micronutrients are as important for our health and well-being as macronutrients. They are, in fact, remarkable substances. We require them in such small amounts and yet crucial functions they perform.
What Micronutrients Do?
Vitamins and minerals do not in themselves provide energy, but macronutrients depend on them to regulate the release of energy from food.
Vitamins are organic substances. They activate enzymes, which are proteins that act as catalysts to speed up biological reactions that take place in your body. Your body produces a certain amount of vitamins D and K, but all other vitamins come from your diet.
Minerals are inorganic substances that originate from rocks and ores and enter the food chain through the soil.
Functions of Micronutrients
Ø We get minerals either by eating plants grown on mineral-rich soil or by eating animals that have fed on these plants. Calcium, magnesium and phosphorus are the major constituents of bone. Sodium and potassium control your body's water balance. Other minerals (chromium, iron, and magnesium) are needed for various chemical processes to take place in the body.
Micronutrients are as important for our health and well-being as macronutrients. They are, in fact, remarkable substances. We require them in such small amounts and yet crucial functions they perform.
ReplyDelete