Types of Nutrients

You have previously learned about the four main macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These are the molecules that build our cells. Therefore, it is these molecules that we will primarily focus on here.

One of these macromolecules, the nucleic acids, are predominantly found in the nuclei of cells, composing their genetic code; there are no food items that we can eat that are made up of cell nuclei only, so we really cannot discuss any macronutrients specific for nucleic acids. It is probably for this reason that your book ignores nucleic acids. This is the only mention that I will make of them, since we get enough in our diets to satisfy our needs.