What are essential nutrients? Essential nutrients are those nutrients that are vital for your health, but they cannot be produced in your body, so you have to get them from foods or dietary supplements in order to be healthy. Five, Not Six Groups of Essential Nutrients. Five groups of essential nutrients include 1. water, 2. all vitamins, 3. some minerals, 4. some amino acids (from proteins) and 5. some fatty acids (from fats). Carbohydrates, frequently listed as an essential group of nutrients, are NOT essential.