An estimated 925 million people worldwide are considered malnourished, according to the World Hunger Education Service in 2010. Hunger will cause under-nutrition, a form of malnutrition, but nutrition is more than simply eating. Nutrition is the biological process whereby the materials and substances necessary to support life are distributed within and through the body. These substances and materials are called nutrients, and they consist of many organic and inorganic chemical compounds that are vital in maintaining life processes.
Nutrient Classes
The six major classes of nutrients are: protein, carbohydrates, minerals, fats, vitamins and water. These nutrients are further categorized as macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients: water, fats, fiber, carbohydrates and protein, provide structural materials and energy for the body. The micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, and are essential substances that maintain proper cellular function throughout the body. Various levels of these nutrients are found most foods.
Macronutrients
Carbohydrates are essentially complex sugar molecules that provide energy to the body. Carbohydrates are found in foods such as bread, noodles, rice and other grains.
Dietary fiber is an indigestible polysaccharide called cellulose that is necessary to maintain the mechanical process of food digestion, and has also been linked to providing a regulatory function for the absorption of nutrients. Good sources of dietary fiber are whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Fats are essential for both structural and metabolic functions, and are an important nutrient because many micronutrients are fat-soluble and can only be digested and absorbed in conjunction with fat in the diet. Sources of dietary fats are dairy products, meats, lard and vegetable oils such as olive or corn oil.
Micronutrients
Most of the body's structures, including muscles and organs, are made of proteins. Proteins also form the enzymes that regulate chemical reactions within the body. Since the body does not store or produce the amino acids from which proteins are formed, protein must be supplied in the diet. Sources of dietary protein are meats, eggs, dairy products and legumes.
Vitamins and minerals are vital components that serve as catalysts for many of the chemical and biological processes of life at the cellular level
Malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when your diet does not have a proper balance of nutrients. Nutrient intake can be insufficient, or excessive and imbalanced for malnutrition to occur, and can lead to the rapid deterioration of health through sickness and even death, according to "TeensHealth" from Nemours. Under-nutrition is a type of malnourishment. The terms are generally used interchangeably, but over-nutrition is also a type of malnutrition.
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