Nutrient glossary

Every nutrient, explained in plain English.

What it is, what it does, how much a day the evidence points at, and which foods actually deliver it. The same 46-nutrient panel the app tracks, minus the jargon.

Macronutrients

The big three that carry your energy.

Protein

Protein is the macronutrient your body uses to build and repair muscle, skin, enzymes and hormones.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel, covering everything from oats and fruit to sugar, and they include fibre.

Fat

Fat is an essential macronutrient for hormones, cell membranes and absorbing vitamins A, D, E and K.

Fibre and net carbs

The carbohydrate story beyond the headline number.

Fibre

Fibre is the indigestible part of plants that feeds your gut bacteria, steadies digestion and helps you feel full.

Net carbs

Net carbs are total carbohydrate minus fibre: the digestible carbohydrate that actually reaches your bloodstream.

Fats

The fat family, from omega-3 to the ones to keep an eye on.

Saturated fat

Saturated fat is the solid-at-room-temperature fat in butter, fatty meat and coconut, best kept moderate for heart health.

Monounsaturated fat

Monounsaturated fat is the olive-oil-and-avocado fat associated with better heart health when it replaces saturated fat.

Polyunsaturated fat

Polyunsaturated fats include the essential omega-3 and omega-6 families your body cannot make itself.

Trans fat

Trans fat is the partially hydrogenated fat with no safe benefit, now largely removed from UK food but worth watching in imports.

Omega-3

Omega-3s are essential fats for heart, brain and eye health, richest in oily fish and, as ALA, in flax, chia and walnuts.

Omega-6

Omega-6 is an essential fat family from seeds, nuts and their oils that almost everyone already gets enough of.

Cholesterol (dietary)

Dietary cholesterol is the cholesterol in food itself, which moves blood cholesterol far less than saturated fat does.

Minerals

From iron to iodine, the elements food has to bring.

Sodium

Sodium is the mineral in salt that regulates fluid balance, and the one most people need less of, not more.

Potassium

Potassium is the counterweight to sodium: it relaxes blood vessels, supports nerves and muscles, and most people fall short.

Calcium

Calcium is the mineral that builds bone and teeth and keeps muscles, nerves and blood clotting working.

Iron

Iron carries oxygen in your blood; low iron means tiredness, and women lose enough monthly to need nearly double the male amount.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a helper mineral in over 300 enzyme reactions, from muscle contraction and sleep to blood sugar control.

Zinc

Zinc powers immune cells, wound healing, taste and testosterone production, with meat and shellfish the richest sources.

Copper

Copper works alongside iron to form red blood cells and keeps nerves, immunity and connective tissue in order.

Manganese

Manganese is a trace mineral for bone formation, metabolism and antioxidant defence, plentiful in whole grains and tea.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus pairs with calcium in bone and carries energy in every cell as part of ATP.

Selenium

Selenium fuels antioxidant enzymes and thyroid hormone conversion; two brazil nuts cover a day.

Iodine

Iodine is the raw material of thyroid hormone, which sets your metabolic rate; milk and white fish are the UK staples for it.

Vitamins

A to K, plus the B family and choline.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A keeps vision, immunity and skin working, from retinol in animal foods and beta-carotene in orange and green vegetables.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C builds collagen, boosts iron absorption and protects cells; peppers and berries beat oranges per bite.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D lets you absorb calcium and supports muscle and immune function; UK sunlight cannot make it from October to March.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is the fat-soluble antioxidant that shields cell membranes, richest in seeds, nuts and their oils.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K activates the proteins that clot blood and bind calcium into bone; leafy greens are its home ground.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

Thiamin turns carbohydrate into energy for nerves, brain and heart, arriving through wholegrains, pork, beans and fortified flour.

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

Riboflavin powers energy release and recycles other B vitamins; milk, yogurt, eggs and almonds are its everyday carriers.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Niacin runs the redox reactions that release energy in every cell; meat, fish and peanuts are dense in it.

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid)

Pantothenic acid builds coenzyme A, the hub molecule of metabolism, and is found in almost everything you eat.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 handles amino acid metabolism and neurotransmitter production, from chickpeas, fish, poultry, bananas and potatoes.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 keeps nerves insulated and red blood cells forming, and it only occurs naturally in animal foods.

Folate

Folate builds DNA and new cells, which is why needs jump in pregnancy; greens, beans and lentils are the classic sources.

Choline

Choline builds cell membranes and the memory neurotransmitter acetylcholine; egg yolks are its densest everyday source.

Essential amino acids

The nine building blocks protein must deliver.

Histidine

Histidine is the essential amino acid behind histamine, haemoglobin and the buffering that lets muscles keep working.

Isoleucine

Isoleucine is a branched-chain essential amino acid that muscles burn directly and use for glucose regulation.

Leucine

Leucine is the amino acid that flips the muscle-building switch (mTOR), making it the most watched of the nine essentials.

Lysine

Lysine builds collagen and carnitine and is the amino acid grain-based diets run lowest on.

Methionine

Methionine starts the build of every protein and donates the methyl groups DNA regulation runs on.

Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is the raw material for tyrosine, dopamine, noradrenaline and thyroid hormone.

Threonine

Threonine is the backbone of gut mucus and collagen, quietly consumed in large amounts by your intestinal lining.

Tryptophan

Tryptophan is the scarcest essential amino acid and the raw material for serotonin, melatonin and niacin.

Valine

Valine is the third branched-chain essential amino acid, fuelling muscle and supporting nervous system function.