Nutritious Food and Functions of Food

A good food is the food that fulfills several requirements which are hygiene. Containing balanced nutrition, and easy to digest. The general functions of food for human are as follows. 

 a. Source of energy, coming from carbohydrate, lipid and protein. 

 b. Body builder and replacement of damage cells. 

 c. Controlling the internal process of body, such as nerve coordination. The source is obtained from mineral, vitamin and protein. 

 d. Immunization of the body, obtained from food containing prebiotic (represented by fiber Le Lactose) and probiotic (represented by floral bacteria). 

 Nutrients can be grouped based on the amount required by body which are macro nutrients and micro micro nutrients. 

 a. Macro nutrients are the nutrients required by body in a large amount, including carbohydrate, lipid, protein, and water. 

 b. Micro nutrients are the nutrients required by body in a small amount, including vitamin and mineral.

1. Carbohydrate 

 Carbohydrate is an organic compound which became the main source of energy fur human and animal. Carbohydrate can be distinguished into three groups based on the number of sugar group composition. Namely monosaccharide, disaccharide, and polysaccharide. Carbohydrate has several functions, as the main source of energy, controlling lipid metabolism, maintaining acidity and alkalinity balance, forming the structure of cell, tissue, organ, assisting calcium absorption, giving sweet taste on food, and assisting in feces excretion.

2. Protein 

Protein is the largest macromolecule that composes the body after water, which is one fifth of body. Protein is formed by long chain of amino acid that binds together in peptide bond. Amino acid is composed of C, H, O, N, and sometimes S and P. Amino acid consists of carboxyl group, one group of amino (-NH2), one atom H, and one radical group (-R). 

3. Lipid 

Fat or lipid is an organic compound that is insoluble in water, but soluble in organic solvent (non-polar), i.e chloroform, eter, and kerosene. 

4. Vitamin 

Vitamin is an organic compound that plays a vital role for life, health and growth. Vitamin does not contains energy. Vitamin functions in some stages of energy metabolism reaction, growth, and maintenance. Generally, vitamin functions as co-enzyme or part of enzime. 

 5. Water 

Water is a vital substances for living organism because all the metabolism processes need water. Water also functions as both organic and inorganic solvents, a carrier of metabolism product to tissues, as a stabilizer of body temperature, and as suspension material for protein, lipid, glycogen, and starch. 

6. Mineral 

Mineral is a material that is important for maintaining body function as a whole. However, the excessive mineral consumption can poison the body.