The nutrients that the body breaks down into basic units are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. From carbohydrates comes glucose, your body's -- especially the brain's -- primary form of fuel; from fats we get glycerol and fatty acids, many of which are essential ingredients in hormones and the protective sheath in our brain that covers communicating neurons; and from proteins we get amino acids, which are the building blocks to lots of structures, including our blood, muscle, skin, organs, antibodies, hair, and fingernails.
Each of these nutrients travels down a different pathway, but all can eventually fuel the body's production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which is essentially our bodies' ultimate energy currency.
Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). These of nutrients required. It is dependent on a number of factors e.g., age, sex, body mass, physical activity, health, pregnancy. RDA, established values for nutrients set by federal agencies originally established by Food and Nutrition Board reviewed and updated periodically used for food planning, food labeling, education, etc.