Medicine
Understanding Core Concepts in Nutrition
Quick fact
The concept of 'essential nutrients' means the body cannot synthesize them, so they must come from food. There are exactly nine essential amino acids, two essential fatty acids, and about 30 vitamins and minerals.
Why this is interesting
You eat every day, but did you know your body only needs about 40 different essential nutrients to thrive—yet most modern diets bombard it with thousands of chemicals? Why does that matter?