Nutrients (raw materials) are chemical substances found in foods. Essential nutrients are those that the body cannot make or is unable to make in the amount it needs. The 50 or so essential nutrients people need can be grouped into 6 basic categories and include protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water.

Chemically, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, oxygen and hydrogen atoms make up proteins. Protein molecules are usually long chains.

About half the organic material in your body is protein. Proteins help build and repair our bodies. They make up muscles, organs, and some hormones.

Protein also helps your body by making hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen to all of your other cells. Protein also makes antibodies, the cells that help your body fight off infection and disease.

People usually think that you have to eat meat to get protein. That’s not true. Protein IS in meat, but it's also in seaweed, nuts, eggs, and beans. It’s also in cheese and other dairy products like milk and yogurt.