Understanding precisely what and how much nutrients the body needs daily is both a simple and complex matter. In our earlier years, we were always reminded of the importance of our five a day. 

We were consistently taught that consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables every day will allow us to grow big and strong but we were never told why...

In this case, the why is very important. Knowing why we need to consume a wide array of nutrients daily and knowing what may occur if we don't can massively increase the chances of us doing so. 

With that being said, vitamins and minerals are not the only essential nutrients we must receive, in fact, there are 6 essential nutrients we must consume daily for an optimized bodily state. 

These 6 essential nutrients are deemed essential as the body simply cannot produce them itself, therefore, they must be taken in through food. So, without further ado, allow me to present and discuss the importance of the 6 essential nutrients. 

Water -

For those of us who are fortunate enough to have access to clean drinking water, there is no excuse as to why so many of us go the day dehydrated. Let's take a look at what this colorless, odorless fluid does for our health. 

• Water keeps us alive. The most obvious and yet most crucial factor that's for sure. Unlike being able to survive for weeks without food, a lack of or complete elimination of this fluid would result in death after just a couple of days.

• Water maintains all bodily functions. The brain, organs, skin, blood, bones, muscles and just about every other bodily function and role require the consistent consumption of water to function and maintain. 

• Water maintains a healthy BP. For those of you suffering from unstable blood pressure, have you considered drinking more water? The consistent consumption of water maintains the thickness of the blood, this, in turn, ensures your heart doesn't have to work harder than it does. 

How much should you consume?

A commonly asked yet not concluded question. This question has baffled the scientific community as there truly isn't a straight answer.

Some experts suggest 3 liters, others might state 2 or 1.5 a day. The fact of the matter comes down to this, you should opt to drink when thirsty. 

If you aren't thirsty, the consumption of water is essentially useless as your body will just expel it through your urine. If you are thirsty, this is a sign of dehydration and this is when water should be consumed.

Vitamins -

At this point, you should know and understand just how important vitamins are to our health. They assist with very unique tasks around the body that no other nutrients can compete with but what precisely do they do? Let's find out.

• Vitamins may protect you from cancer. Cancer in simple terms is a fault that may occur when a cell fails to copy itself correctly from another. This results in the growth of a wrongly constructed cell. Vitamins protect you from cancer by ensuring that the cell copying is done correctly.
  
  
• Vitamins help prevent illness and infections. Illnesses and colds occur when the body fails to prevent germs, viruses and other microbes from taking over the body. Vitamins boost the body's ability to fight invaders like these by boosting the white blood cell count!
  
  
• Vitamins ensure proper skin and hair production. The skin and hair on our bodies require nutrients for production and maintenance. Without vitamins, the body will struggle to effectively produce and maintain all the hair and skin we have. If you want to vastly improve the quality of your skin, nails and hair, consider upping your vitamin intake. 

How much should you consume?

Vitamins are an incredibly potent array of nutrients, so much so that the body only requires small amounts. This is precisely why vitamins are in the family of micronutrients. 

How much vitamins you need daily is very hard to calculate, this is because there are so many different vitamins needed. There are 13 vitamins essential to the body.

With that being said, consistency is key. Opting for a bowel filled with numerous different fruits and vegetables is a great way to start. Also, remember that some vitamins are less commonly found therefore finding specific foods and drinks is important for a complete intake of essential vitamins.

Minerals -

Minerals, perhaps the most under-consumed nutrient on this list, why? This can be attributed to the fact that not many people understand what food sources contain them! Allow me to explain why minerals are so essential for our health!

• Minerals assist with hormone regulation. Hormones play a huge role in how we feel, look and live life. When the body doesn't receive a sufficient number of minerals, a hormonal imbalance may occur. To prevent this, try to make sure you include some of the foods listed below into your diet. 
  
  
• Minerals are crucial for a healthy metabolism. The metabolism is the rate at which your body utilizes calories taken in through food. The higher your metabolism is, the faster you burn fat. Optimizing your mineral intake will greatly assist your body by keeping your metabolic rate up.
  
  
• Minerals are needed for the production of blood. Iron, one of the more essential minerals is one of the components responsible for the production of red blood cells. Not only does it help with the production of red blood cells, but iron allows for a better oxygen intake making you overall much healthier.

How much should you consume?

Like vitamins, minerals are also micronutrients. They are only needed in small amounts. Unlike vitamins, minerals are a little bit harder to obtain as they are found in fewer food sources. 

To effectively consume enough minerals daily, you should opt for foods such as leafy greens, nuts, garlic, kale, green tea, black tea and white tea.

There are other food sources containing minerals, these, however, are packed with minerals and offer a better choice. By aiming for a small serving of these per day, you'll effectively provide the body with an adequate level of minerals. 

Fats - 

Fats are perhaps one of the most negatively viewed macronutrients. Most people would rather view this nutrient as an extremely detrimental component as opposed to what it is - essential! Let's dive in and take a closer look at what fat has to offer!

• Fats ensure proper hormone production. As stated earlier, hormones play a huge role as to how we look, feel and live our life. This is most certainly true and consuming the right amount of fats ensures an optimal hormonal production.
  
  
• Fats help regulate body temperature. It's no secret that fat carries the potential for weight gain but in some cases, this side effect can be required! Putting on fat helps to keep the organs and muscles warm, even in the coldest temperatures! But obviously too much fat is clearly not a good sign of health either.
  
  
• Fats may reduce your chances of a heart attack! The healthy fat, HDL plays numerous roles in the body, one of them is the clearing out and elimination of bad cholesterol filling the arteries. When this occurs, your risk of developing a heart attack alongside numerous other diseases massively decreases!

How much should you consume?

You may be surprised to hear that fats should take up around 20-35% of your overall daily calories. 

As it turns out, fat is not only beneficial to the body but essential! The benefits fat can provide for us far outweigh the list put together above meaning you must ensure you are getting enough. If you are a food lover and must have flavor to enjoy your food like me, then try looking at recipes that have an aim at increasing your daily consumption of essential nutrients, while keeping in mind that eating good tasting food is just as important to keep a steady and ongoing diet.

To further ensure you are consuming the right fat sources, opt for foods such as nuts, olive oil, dark chocolate, chia seeds and avocados!

Carbohydrates -

Like fats, carbohydrates are often viewed as extremely useless and good for nothing. Regardless of common health myths surrounding this macronutrient, carbs are very important for the brain and body! Let's see just how important!

• Carbohydrates provide a reliable energy source. The body relies on ATP, glucose and fat for fuel. Since carbohydrates are typically the easiest form to utilize, this very factor makes this macronutrient the most efficient fuel source. 
  
  
• Carbohydrates enhance training performance! During an intense training session, glucose is utilized for fuel. When there is a lack of this fuel source, your overall performance will suffer. To optimize your training performance, be sure to consume carbohydrates before and after your training session!
  
  
• Carbohydrates keep the brain running smoothly. Not only do your muscles and nervous system run on glucose but your brain does too! Ensuring a diet rich in carbohydrates means your brain will be able to function at its best throughout the day!

How much should you consume? 

Deciding how much you should consume per day heavily depends on the type of carbs you tend to go for. There are two types, simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. 

Simple carbohydrates are foods containing massive amounts of artificial sugars. These sugars are fast-acting meaning they digest quickly.

Complex carbohydrates are different, they do not deliver sugar to the body, they do, however, get converted to it by the body when consumed. This is precisely why complex carbohydrates provide a much longer-lasting energy source.

All in all, carbohydrates should take up around 45 to 65% of your daily caloric intake. 

Protein -

Perhaps one of the most glorified nutrients and for good reason. Protein is a label given to a wide array of amino acids. These amino acids assist with a number of important roles around the body, let's take a look at some!

• Protein is required for hair, skin and nail growth! The amino acids in protein are not only utilized for many different roles but they are the building blocks of skin, hair and nails meaning they are essential for growth!
  
  
• Protein preserves and grows muscle mass. This is because the muscle tissue itself is made up of amino acids. The body, therefore, needs amino acids to formulate and or maintain muscle tissue.
  
  
• Protein maintains all bodily functions. Not only is the skin, hair, nails and muscles made from protein but almost every bodily function and cell are comprised of protein. In short, protein must be consumed every day to maintain good health.

How much should you consume?

The subject of how much protein you need a day has been massively discussed in recent years. It would seem that the answer is much lower than you might think. 

The more is better mentality has more than flooded the minds of those desperate to build muscle, however, the body does not work this way. 

0.6 to 0.7 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight seems to be a good basis to utilize and can be deemed a relatively effective dosage. 

 Why moderation is key - 

When striving for the healthiest diet plan possible, it's important that you know and understand that more is not always better, especially when it comes to the body. 

Moderation is key and this rule should be applied to all areas of your life when referring to the body and its health.

Consuming too many nutrients can cause issues and not consuming enough nutrients can cause issues. This factor is the key and should be applied when deciding to go with a healthier lifestyle.

All in all, as long as you consume an adequate amount of essential foods daily, your body should be able to effectively and efficiently carry out its tasks perfectly.

If you have trouble with locating and or implementing healthy food options, look no further than the products we have to offer! We offer a range of products all comprised of organic and healthy ingredients that you can trust :)