ABSTRACT
The approach to dening the nutritional adequacy of diet has progressed according to scientic understanding of the biochemical and physiological basis of human nutrition.
The primary role of diet is to provide an adequate mix of foods and beverages in appropriate amounts, to sustain growth and development of the body and to optimize its numerous functions. This may be achieved by means of nutrients and other substances of nutritional interest, widely distributed in foods that, following absorption in the gastrointestinal track, intervene in many physiological processes and metabolic pathways essential for life. Nutrients include macronutrients, such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and water that the body needs in relatively large amounts, and micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals provided in minor amounts. Moreover, there are other compounds in food that, although not considered as nutrients (e.g., polyphenols, carotenoids, etc.), are involved in human metabolism
6.1 Nutrients: Denition and Classication .......................................................... 83 6.2 Macronutrients ................................................................................................84
