Most people go about their day eating whatever may sound appealing, with no nutritional information of what they are consuming. Poor diet can have an injurious impact on health; causing deficiencies as well as health-threatening conditions like obesity and weight gain and metabolic syndrome, and such common chronic systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. There are seven major classes of nutrients: minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats, fiber and water that are essential for human life. Let’s evaluate their nutritional value.

Nutritional value is a term used on today’s food labels. It points out the amount of a nutrient that is provided by a single serving of a food item. Daily values are used to establish standards for comparison. Nutritional information is presented in a format regulated by law. It is therefore consistent from product to product and allows you to compare the foods available to you. It gives you a break down of the energy provided by the food and of the nutrients it contains.

Fats

Fats are composed of fatty acids bonded to a glycerol. Fat is classified as either saturated or unsaturated. Generally, saturated fat is solid at room temperature while unsaturated fat is a liquid. Unsaturated fats may be further classified as mono-unsaturated or poly-unsaturated. Trans fats are saturated fats which are typically created from unsaturated fat by adding the extra hydrogen atoms in a process called hydrogenation.

Fiber

Dietary fiber consists mainly of cellulose that is indigestible because we do not have enzymes to digest it. Fruits and vegetables are high in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is important because it provides bulk to the intestinal contents and stimulates peristalsis - the rhythmic muscular contractions passing along the digestive tract.

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