Correct option is B
Nutrients are the substances that food provides to maintain overall health and proper body functioning. These include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. While energy and calories are related to the fuel provided by food, nutrients are the broader and more essential components that ensure the body operates optimally.
Information Booster:
- Nutrients play an essential role in various bodily functions. Proteins help in tissue repair and muscle growth. Carbohydrates and fats provide energy. Vitamins and minerals are crucial for the proper functioning of metabolic processes, immune system support, and overall cellular health.
- Micronutrients such as vitamins (A, C, D, E, etc.) and minerals (iron, calcium, potassium) do not provide energy directly but are necessary for the body’s metabolic processes, helping enzymes function and aiding in energy production from macronutrients.
- Calories are a unit of measurement for energy, but the nutrients in the food are what keep the body functioning and healthy in the long term.
Additional Knowledge (Incorrect Options):
- (a) Energy:Energy refers to the fuel provided by food, mainly derived from carbohydrates and fats. While energy is vital for the body to perform daily functions, it is only part of what food provides. The primary purpose of food is to provide nutrients, not just energy.
- (c) Calories:Calories measure the energy provided by food. While they are an important aspect of food, they are not a comprehensive term to describe all the essential components that food provides for maintaining health. The term nutrients is more inclusive.
- (d) More than one of the above: This is incorrect because while energy and calories are important, they do not encompass the full spectrum of what food provides. Nutrients is the correct answer, as it includes everything required for health.
- (e) None of the above: This is incorrect because nutrients is the correct answer.