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News from CRIS: Protective Nutrition - Overview

January 21, 2025

Top Takeaways:

  • Proper nutrition serves as a powerful protective defense mechanism for our health.
  • Fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, dairy, and fiber-rich grains provide the essential nutrients your body needs to thrive.
  • Achieving protective nutrition doesn’t require a restrictive diet—focus on balance, variety, and moderation.

What is protective nutrition?

Proper nutrition serves as a powerful defense mechanism for our health.

At CRIS, we define protective nutrition as the practice of prioritizing foods and beverages rich in essential nutrients that not only safeguard our bodies from chronic diseases but also mitigate the impacts of environmental contaminants. By prioritizing protective nutrition, we maintain our overall well-being.

What is a nutrient?

The foods and beverages we consume contain the necessary nutrients to support our essential bodily functions. Our bodies use nutrients to perform essential functions like providing energy, building and repairing tissues, regulating processes like metabolism, and more.

Nutrients are typically broken into two main categories: macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients

Macronutrients are needed in larger quantities for our bodies to function properly.

  • Carbohydrates: Provide energy by breaking down into glucose.
  • Proteins: Essential for building and repairing tissues, producing enzymes, and supporting immune functions.
  • Fats: Provide long-term energy, support cell structure, and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins.
  • Water: Essential for hydration, temperature regulation, and as a medium for chemical reactions in the body.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are needed in small quantities for our bodies to function properly.

  • Vitamins: Organic compounds that support various biochemical processes (e.g., Vitamin C for the immune system, Vitamin D for bone health).
  • Minerals: Inorganic elements needed for structural and physiological roles (e.g., calcium for bones, iron for oxygen transport).

Additional nutrient classifications

Nutrients can be further classified based on whether our bodies can produce them.

  • Essential nutrients: Must be obtained from the diet because the body cannot synthesize them (e.g., certain amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals).
  • Non-essential nutrients: Can be produced by the body but may still be consumed for additional benefits.

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To continue reading the entire blog post, visit: https://cris.msu.edu/news/protective-nutrition-news/protective-nutrition-overview/