Essential+Nutrients

Why do you eat? Because you're hungry, right? It's a good thing you feel those "hunger pains" because it's your body's way of saying, "You need nutrients!" When you eat, your [|digestive system], digests the food into much smaller molecules called nutrients. In your small intestines, these nutrients pass into your circulatory system (//blood system//). The blood then transports the nutrients to all the cells in your body to nourish them. Although there is no one answer to how many cells you have in your body, it's in the trillions! Can you imagine an apple trying to fit into your blood vessels and travel to all of your cells to feed them! I don't think so! Your body must digest your food, so it can pass into your blood vessels in the small intestine and then travel throughout your body to nourish all of your cells.

Nutrients are necessary in order for your body to work as it should and for you to stay healthy. The nutrients are used for growth, for repair of any injuries to your body and for the energy you need to do your homework or ride your bike. Everything your do takes energy. Even thinking takes energy!

There are six types of nutrients that you must ingest (//take in, eat // ) in order to stay healthy: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water.

Assignments: 1. For this page use SQ4R: survey, question, read, recite, rewrite, review. 2. Are there any words you want to add to your notes? to the glossary? 3. Complete your notes for this page in your notebook. You may look at the note format page for help. 4. Complete the web outline in your notebook. In the squares include an example of a food that would be a good source of that nutrient, for example under protein you could put milk.