what is meant by the term 'nutrients'?

Answer 1

Nutrients are small substances that are taken up by the cells to run the metabolism. For example, protein is not the nutrients for the cell; it is the amino acid, the unit of protein which serves as nutrient. Starch is not the nutrient, but its unit, glucose is.

Answer 2

A nutrient is either a chemical element or compound used in an organism's metabolism or physiology. Non-autotrophic organisms typically acquire nutrients by the ingestion of foods. Methods for nutrient intake vary, with animals and protists having an internal digestive system, while plants digest nutrients externally and then ingested.

Organic nutrients include carbohydrates, fats, proteins (or their building blocks, amino acids), and vitamins. Inorganic chemical compounds such as minerals; water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide may also be considered nutrients. A nutrient is essential to an organism if it cannot be synthesized by the organism in sufficient quantities and must be obtained from an external source. Nutrients needed in relatively large quantities are called macronutrients and those needed in relatively small quantities are called micronutrients.