An essential nutrient is a nutrient required for normal body functioning that can not be synthesized by the body.

Categories of essential nutrient include vitamins, dietary minerals, essential fatty acids and essential amino acids.

Many essential vitamins, such as Vitamin C, are also by definition phytonutrients, as they occur in plants.

Different species have very different essential nutrients.

Most essential nutrients are substances that are metabolically necessary but cannot be synthesized by the organism.

Some essential nutrients may be toxic in large doses..

For more information about the topic Essential nutrient, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Micronutrient — Micronutrients are essential elements needed by life in small quantities. They include microminerals and Vitamins. Microminerals or trace elements ...  > read more

Food groups — The food groups are part of a method of classification for the various foods that humans consume in their everyday lives, based on the nutritional ...  > read more

Dietary mineral — Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms. Appropriate intake levels of each dietary mineral must be sustained to ...  > read more

Vitamin — A vitamin is an organic molecule required by a living organism in minute amounts for proper health. In general, an organism must obtain vitamins or ...  > read more

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