What Are Vitamins, Fats and Carbohydrates?

A good diet provides vitamins, fat and carbohydrate that your body needs.


Eating a healthy diet is key for your health and to help you avoid illness. Adding fresh foods regularly supplies essential vitamins that your body needs for many reasons. Nutrients in food, including fats and carbohydrates, are an energy source needed by all your cells, tissues and organs. Choosing healthy types of fat and carbohydrate also could help you avoid chronic problems that can lead to potentially serious disorders.


Vitamins are a type of natural micronutrient found in plant- and animal-based foods. Your body needs these organic substances to grow normally and, when you are an adult, to maintain proper functioning of your organs. They include vitamin D, which helps you absorb calcium to strengthen bones, and vitamin A, a group of compounds called retinoids needed by your immune system, for cellular communication and to support normal vision. Vitamin E and vitamin C are both antioxidants, helping remove potentially damaging free radicals that can, over time, accelerate aging and raise your risk for cancer. Vitamin K is important in helping your blood to clot when needed, and the B-complex, containing eight different vitamins, helps your body derive energy from food and supports functions of many organ systems.


Fats are dietary compounds that belong to a class called lipids, which can be either solid or liquid. Fat is extremely energy-dense, providing 9 calories per gram, considerably more than any other nutrient. One type of fat that you are unable to make, called essential fatty acids, or linoleic and linolenic acid, must come from food. These fatty acids help stop inflammation, regulate blood clotting and are important for the function of your nervous system. In general, fat also helps maintain your skin and hair, and supports absorption and storage of some vitamins. Chemically, fatty compounds may be saturated or unsaturated. Consuming too much saturated fat, including cholesterol and trans fats, another type of solid fat, could raise your body's level of blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease.


Carbohydrate is a nutrient your body converts into glucose, an energy source for all your cells. When you are active, for example during exercise, your body consumes calories from carbohydrate first, initially using glucose in your blood and then carbohydrate stored in your liver, muscles and other organs. Dietary carbohydrate may be simple or complex, depending on its chemical structure. Simple carbohydrates include fructose, found mostly in fruits; lactose and galactose in dairy products; and sucrose, which is ordinary table sugar. Complex carbohydrates include starch, found in many foods, and fiber, an indigestible form of carbohydrate that has major benefits for your digestive system and general health.

Sources and Recommendations

According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, you should consume 45 to 65 percent of your calories from carbohydrate, 10 to 35 percent from fat and the remainder from protein. Healthy carbohydrate choices include fruits, especially high-fiber citrus fruits and berries, low-fat dairy products, fiber-rich vegetables such as legumes, and whole grains, such as brown rice, quinoa, and whole-wheat cereals and breads. When consuming fat, choose unsaturated fats whenever possible and minimize your intake of all forms of saturated fat. Avoid fatty meats, opting instead for fish and skinless poultry. Use vegetable oils and other unsaturated fats instead of butter and avoid trans fats, which are unhealthy forms of solid fat added to many processed foods. If you consume a varied, balanced diet, you should take in enough vitamins, although you might consider a multivitamin supplement after consulting your doctor for a recommendation.

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