You need three macronutrients in your diet for energy: carbohydrates, fat and protein. While these nutrients offer energy in the form of calories, they do not have vitamins and minerals. Some protein-rich foods, such as meat and dairy, offer vitamins in addition to protein, but the protein itself does not contain vitamins. If you take a protein supplement or drink protein powder beverages each day, make sure you let your physician know, as a precaution.
Macronutrients in the Diet
Carbohydrates and protein each provide 4 calories per gram, but fat is a concentrated energy source containing 9 calories per gram. The majority of your calories, 45 to 65 percent, should come from carbs. Around 20 to 35 percent of calories need to come from fat, while the remaining 10 to 35 percent should originate from protein. During digestion, your body breaks down and metabolizes these macronutrients and either uses the energy right away or stores it for later.
Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins are organic substances made in the body of humans and animals. Minerals are inorganic compounds originating from soil and water. You get minerals in your diet in a couple of different ways. Eating plant foods, like grains or fruits, allows you to directly absorb minerals that the plant previously absorbed. You also get some minerals indirectly by eating animal foods, such as meat and dairy, since the animal consumed plant foods containing minerals. While you need vitamins and minerals in your diet, they do not provide calories in the way that protein and other macronutrients do.
Functions of Protein
Protein is a prominent source of energy in your diet, and it also has other important functions. Protein strands are structural components of hair, skin, nails and muscle fibers. Your body works hard to continuously break down and rebuild protein strands for each of these structures. Brain cells rely heavily on the amino acids from proteins to support everyday functioning and communication.
How Much Protein
For all of these functions to work properly, you need to consume a certain amount of protein each day. Women need approximately .75 grams per kilogram of body weight, while men need as much as .84 grams per kilogram of body weight, says the Better Health Channel. Determine your weight in kilograms by dividing your weight in pounds by 2.2. Multiply this answer by the appropriate amount of protein for your gender. For example, if you are a 120-pound woman, divide your weight by 2.2, which turns out to be 54.5 kilograms. Multiplying your weight in kilograms by .75 means that you need about 41 grams of protein per day.
Functions of Vitamins
Water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin C and all of the B vitamins, do not stay in your body. Instead, your system uses what it needs and excretes the rest out through urine. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, are stored in various parts of your body until you need them. Vitamins help regulate your immune system, assist in digestion, aid in hormone production and allow your body to absorb and store minerals. You need varying amounts of each type of vitamin, but eating a variety of foods from each food group allows you to get all of the vitamins your body needs, as well as protein.
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