Ziquin Specializes in Essential Nutrients

As the science of chemistry developed in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, so did procedures to analyze what we eat. Scientists soon discovered the great variety of chemically distinct compounds in foods. Ongoing experiments determined which foods and which parts of foods are best suited for growth, health and combating diseases.

In 1827, the English physician William Prout described the three “stamina principles” of foods necessary to support life: the oily, the saccharin, and the albuminous principles. These are recognized today as fats and oils, carbohydrates, and proteins. Believing that a diet supplying these substances would be nutritionally satisfactory, Prout was probably among the first to define an “adequate diet.”

The study of food chemistry became increasingly sophisticated. Researchers began to use animals in their investigations. By the latter part of the 19^th century, the “adequate diet” proposed by Prout was expanded to include inorganic elements, known as minerals. Today, about 17 minerals are recognized as essential nutrients for humans, and the list is growing.

By the dawn of the 20^th century, a fifth class of nutrients was discovered. Scientists found that experimental animals perished if they were fed diets containing only highly purified preparations of fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and the known minerals.

Thirteen necessary vitamins are now known. One of the last, vitamin B12, was discovered in 1940s. Since these discoveries, the phrase “adequate diet” has been updated to refer to one that supplies all of these essential nutrients in healthful amounts.

Yours in health and vitality,

Jayme Hirashiki
President, The Ziquin Educational Group, LLC