For human beings, nutrition is the process by which the body takes advantage of the nutrients in food to keep its body and cells alive and have energy. However, not only do humans need to be nourished, but plants, for example, do too.

Evolutionarily there is no single way to extract the raw material from food for what needs to be built; it is a complex process that has been modified over several million years of evolution. These processes can be different and therefore can be classified in different ways into types of nutrition .

Nutrition is a vital process

Food intake by humans is a vital need for the body. Good nutrition, i.e. an adequate and well-balanced diet, is necessary for good health and to avoid physical and mental deterioration.

This process provides the energy necessary to keep us alive and allows us to carry out all the other functions of living beings. Food also provides the raw materials for the growth and repair of our organism.

Difference between nutrition, food and diet

There is some confusion with the term nutrition. As a science, it includes the study of foods and the processes involved in utilizing their nutrients: the digestion, absorption and assimilation of them into the cells of the organism . Nutrition, in fact, is an involuntary process, since it is too important to leave us to its controls: the physiological functioning of the body takes care of it.

So it would be wrong to talk about good nutrition or bad nutrition, because this would refer to food. Food is a series of voluntary and conscious actions that are aimed at selecting, preparing and eating food . Diet is also often confused with food. Instead, diet is a person’s eating habits. Although it is associated with weight loss and weight control, diet does not have to have any purpose that affects body image.

Types of nutrition

But… what types of nutrition are there? In the following lines you can find a classification of the different types of nutrition

1. Autotrophic nutrition

Autotrophic nutrition refers to feeding on oneself, synthesizing organic substances. In other words, it is the nutrition carried out by those living beings that are capable of producing their own food .

Plants are a clear example, since they feed thanks to photosynthesis. The living beings that carry out the process of photosynthesis are called photolithoautotrophs. On the other hand, those that use chemical elements are the chemolithotrophs. For example: bacteria.

2. Heterotrophic nutrition

This type of nutrition is used by living beings who need a ready-made source of food. For example: animals, fungi and most microorganisms. Heterotrophic nutrition can be divided into several types :

Parasitic nutrition, in which the living being inhabits on or within another organism which it harms and from which it obtains its nutrients by ingestion or absorption; saprophytic nutrition, in which the living being absorbs the nutrients from the environment and breaks them down by means of enzymes to obtain the energy it needs; and holozoic, which is characteristic of humans, and in which an organism ingests the food in solid form and then digests it to obtain the nutrients it needs.

Holozoic nutrition can be classified in three ways :

  • Herbivorous nutrition: The organism feeds on vegetables
  • Carnivorous nutrition: The body feeds on meat.
  • Omnivorous nutrition: The organism feeds on vegetables and meat.

Types of nutrients

Nutrients are necessary for the growth and health of the body. There are five types of nutrients that are divided into two major groups: macronutrients and micronutrients . Macronutrients are needed in large amounts and include carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are needed in small amounts and include vitamins and minerals. Water and fibre are not nutrients but are necessary for the body to function properly.

Below you can find the different types of nutrients.

1. Carbohydrates

Although carbohydrates have become the enemies of the weight loss diet, they are essential macronutrients for the body, feeding the brain and muscles. Carbohydrates are the best source of energy and the foods that contain them can also be rich in fibre, which is necessary for the intestine to function properly.

There are two types: simple carbohydrates (banana, honey, etc.), which contain one or two sugars; and complex carbohydrates (for example, brown rice), which are made up of three or more linked sugars. These macronutrients provide 4 calories per gram, although complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates and are more filling.

2. Proteins

Proteins are the structural nutrients to all cells . That is, they form what we could call the raw material of our body, the bricks with which it is built and reformed. On the other hand, they also help repair tissues and fight infections. When consumption exceeds the body’s needs, protein can serve as an energy source. They provide 4 calories per gram.

3. Fats

Fats, like the two macronutrients above, also provide energy to the body and are involved in the processes that keep the body alive. However, provide 9 calories per gram . Despite the fact that they are currently demonised, fats are essential for maintaining good health.

On the other hand, fats have other functions besides energy. For example, they play a structural role, provide a means of transport for certain substances, and increase palatability.

There are several types of fat, you can learn more in this article: “Types of fats (good and bad) and their functions”.

4. Vitamins

Vitamins are micronutrients that the body needs to assimilate other nutrients. Their functions are: to participate in the formation of chemicals of the nervous system, red blood cells, hormones and genetic material. They also participate in the regulation of metabolic systems and are necessary for the health and proper functioning of the body.

If you want to know about the different types of proteins, in this article you will be able to go deeper into this topic: “Types of vitamins: functions and benefits for your body”.

5. Minerals

Minerals give structure to bones, teeth and nails . Like vitamins, they help enzymes in many processes in the body. However, unlike vitamins, they are inorganic substances that come from soil, rocks, and water. Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, or magnesium are some examples of minerals.

Types of feeding

As commented in the previous lines, feeding is a series of voluntary actions aimed at selecting what is ingested. The types of food that exist are the following.

1. Veganism

Veganism is the behaviour of an individual who decides not to ingest food products of animal origin or, in general, to use any product that in order to be produced involves the death of animals. Therefore, a vegan does not eat meat and fish products, nor do they consume eggs, dairy products or honey.

Furthermore, in certain cases, products known to be condemning animals to death due to their production system, despite being of purely vegetable origin, are not consumed either.

2. Vegetarianism

Vegetarians are people who because of their ideology eat basically vegetables. Apart from strict vegetarians, there are also lacto-ovo vegetarians , who eat eggs and dairy in addition to vegetables, and lacto-vegetarians, who only incorporate dairy into their diet in addition to vegetables. The idea is not to consume animals directly, but to consume some of the products derived from their way of life.

3. Emotional eating

It is the feeding that is associated with emotional and psychological problems . For example, when someone suffers from anxiety he or she eats more food that is rich in fat, even automatically and without realizing it.

4. Sports nutrition

It is the food that aims to increase sports or physical performance . For example, the consumption of carbohydrates to perform better in a marathon. It is also associated with the improvement of physical appearance and bodybuilding.

5. Healthy eating

Healthy eating is the choice to consume products that are beneficial to one’s well-being . For example, fruit or olive oil because of their healthy properties.