A Nutrient, such as micronutrients and macronutrients, was any substance that provided nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life. Most organic life forms received their nutrients in the form of food prepared by cooking or synthesizing.
In 2383, Zero and the crew of the de facto crew of the USS Protostar discovered an M-class planet that was thriving with cillium-like vegetation, but whose soil was "devoid of any nutrients." It was later discovered the planet was a massive superorganism that lured its prey with psychic illusions so that it could consume them for their own sustenance. (PRO: "Dream Catcher")