Amino Acids- nitrogen-containing chemical compounds
of which protein is composed
Anemia - condition caused by insufficient
number of red blood cells, hemoglobin, or blood supply
Antioxidant - substance preventing damage from
oxygen
Appetite- learned psychological reaction to food
caused by pleasant memories of eating
Arteriosclerosis - generic term for thickened
arteries
Atherosclerosis - a form of arteriosclerosis
affecting the intima (inner lining) of the artery walls
Balanced Diet- one that includes all the essential
nutrients in appropriate amounts
BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis)
Bland Diet - diet containing only mild-flavored
foods with soft textures
BMI (Body Mass Index)
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) - the rate at which the
energy is needed for body maintenance
Body Fat
- Please visit link for body fat definition
Cachexia- severe malnutrition and body wasting
caused by chronic disease
Caffeine - stimulant in coffee, tea and many cola
drinks
Caloric density - energy value; number of kcals in a
food
Calorie - also known as kcal or kilocalorie;
represents the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius (C)
Carbohydrate - the nutrient providing the major
source of energy in the average diet (For more information:
Low
Carbohydrate Diets
)
Cardiovascular - pertaining to the heart and the
entire circulatory system
Cardiovascular Disease - disease affecting heart and
blood vessels
Cellulose - indigestible carbohydrate; provides
fiber in the diet
Cholesterol - fat like substance that is a
constituent of body cells; is synthesized in the liver; also found in
animals food
Clear-liquid diet - diet that includes only liquids
containing primarily carbohydrates and water; nutritionally inadequate
Complex Carbohydrates -
Convenience Food - food that has been partially
prepared commercially and consequently is quickly and easily prepared at
home
Crash Diets - fad type diets intended to reduce
weight very quickly; in fact they reduce water, not fat tissue For more information:
Quick
Weight Loss
Daily Values (DV) - represents percentage per
serving of each nutritional item listed on new food labels based on daily
intakes of 2,000 kcal
Diabetes mellitus - Chronic disease in which the
body lacks the normal ability to metabolize glucose
Diastolic pressure- blood pressure measured when the
heart is at rest
Dietary fiber - indigestible part of plants; absorbs
water in large intestine, helping to create soft, bulky stool; some is
believed to bind cholesterol in the colon, helping to rid cholesterol from
the body; some is believed to lower blood glucose levels
Diet Therapy -treatment of a disease through diet
Digestion- breakdown of food in the body in
preparation of absorption
Diuretic - substances used to increase the amount of
urine excreted
Diverticulosis - intestinal disorder
characterized by little pockets forming in the sides of the intestines; pockets are called diverticula
Electrolyte - chemical compound that in water breaks
up into electrically charged atoms called ions
Elimination Diet - limited diet in which only
certain foods are allowed; intended to find the food allergen causing
reaction
Energy Balance - occurs when the kcal value of food
ingested equals the kcal expended
Enriched Foods- foods to which nutrients, usually B vitamins and iron,
have been added to improve their nutritional value
Essential Hypertension - high blood pressure with
unknown cause; also called primary hypertension
Exchange Lists - Lists of foods with interchangeable
nutrient and calorie contents; used in specific forms of diet therapy ( for examples:
Exchange Diets)
Fad Diets - currently popular weight-reducing diets;
usually nutritionally inadequate and not useful or permanent methods of
weight reduction
Fast foods - restaurant food that is ready to served
before orders are taken
Fats - highest kcal-value nutrient
Fat Cell Theory- belief that fat cells have a
natural drive to regain any weigh lost
Fatty Acids - a component of fats that determines
the classification of fat
Fiber - indigestible, edible parts of plants
Food Diary - written record of all food and
drink ingested in a specified periods
Food Guide Pyramid - outline for making food
selections based on Dietary Guidelines
Fortified - foods that have had vitamins and
minerals added
Gastric Bypass - surgical reduction of the stomach
Gestational Diabetes - diabetes occurring during
pregnancy; usually disappears after the delivery of the infant
Glucose - the simple sugar to which carbohydrate
must be broken down for absorption; also know as dextrose
Grams - smallest unit of measurement of weight in
the metric system
Healthy Foods - said by food faddist to have special
health-giving characteristics
High-density lipoprotein (HDLs) - lipoproteins
that carry cholesterol from cells to the liver for eventual excretion
Hunger - Physiological need for food
Hydrogenation - the combining of fat with hydrogen,
thereby making it a saturated fat and solid at room temperature
Hypercholesterolemia - unusually high level of
cholesterol in blood; also known as high serum cholesterol
Hyperglycemia - excessive amounts of sugar in the
blood
Hyperkalemia - excessive amounts of potassium
Hyperlipidemia - excessive amounts of fats in the
blood
Hypermetabolic - higher than normal rate of
metabolism
Hypertension - higher than normal blood pressure
Hypoglycemia - subnormal levels of sugars in the
blood
Inflammatory Bowel Disease - chronic condition
causing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract
Insulin - secretion of the islets of Langerhans in
the pancreas gland; essential fro the proper metabolism of glucose
Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (type 1 or IDDM)
- Diabetes occurring suddenly between the ages of 1 and 40; patients
secrete little, if any, insulin and require insulin injections and a
carefully controlled diet
Invisible Fats - fats that are not immediately
noticeable such as those in egg yolk, cheese, cream, and salad dressings
Ketones - substances to which fatty acids are broken
down in the liver
Ketosis - condition in which keystones collect in
the blood; caused by insufficient glucose available for energy
Lactase - enzyme secreted by; the small
intestine for the digestion of lactose
Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian - vegetarians who will eat
dairy products and eggs but no meat, fish or poultry
Lactose - the sugar in milk; a disaccharide
Lacto-Vegetarian - vegetarians who eat dairy product
Lean Body Mass - the percentage of muscles in the
tissue
Legumes - plant food that is grown in a pod; for
example peas and beans
Lipid - fat
Lipoproteins - carriers of fat in the blood
Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) - carries blood
cholesterol to the cells
Metabolism - the use of food by the body after
digestion which results in energy
Minerals - one of many inorganic substances
essential to life and classified generally as minerals
Monounsaturated Fat - fats that are neither
saturated nor polyunsaturated and are thought to play little part in
atherosclerosis
Natural Foods - unchanged; contain no
additives
Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus
(Type 2) - Diabetes occurring after age 40;onset is gradual and production
of insulin gradually diminishes; can usually be controlled by diet and
exercise
Nutrients - chemical substance found in food that is
necessary for good health
Nutrient Dense Food - foods that contain many
nutrients but few calories (kcals)
Nutritionist - the result of those processes whereby
the body takes in and uses foods for growth, development and maintenance of
health
Obesity - excessive body fat, 20% above
average
Omega-3 fatty acids - Polyunsaturated fatty acids
found in fish oil; may contribute to the reduction of coronary artery
disease
Organic Foods - grown without synthetic fertilizer
and produced without additives
Osteoporosis - condition in which bones become
brittle because there have been insufficient mineral deposits, especially
calcium
Overweight - weight 10-20% above average
Ovo-Vegetarian - vegetarians who will eat eggs
Phytochemicals- substances occurring naturally in
plant foods
Plaque - fatty deposits on the interior of artery
walls
Polyunsaturated Fat - fats whose carbon atoms
contain only limited amounts of hydrogen
Proteins - the only one of six essential nutrients
containing nitrogen
RDAs - recommended dietary allowances as determined
by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences -
National Research Council
Registered
Dietitian - a person who has graduated from college or university after
completing a course of study accredited by the American Dietetic Association
(ADA).
Regular Diet - Normal diet, based upon the food
guide pyramid
Saturated Fat - fats whose carbon atoms contain all
of the hydrogen atoms they can;considered a contributory factor in
atherosclerosis
Secondary diabetes mellitus - rare disease caused by
certain drugs or disease of the pancreas
Secondary hypertension - high blood pressure caused
by another condition such as kidney disease
Serum cholesterol - cholesterol in the blood
Serving Size -
Set Point Theory - belief that everyone has a
natural weight ("set point") at which the body is most comfortable
Standard Diets - basic diets used by most hospitals;
can be modified texture, kcal, nutrient content
Stomach Banding - surgical reduction of stomach, but
to lesser degree than bypass
Therapeutic Diets - diets used in treatment of disease
Trace Minerals - minerals that are essential but
only in very small amounts
Triglycerixdes - combination of fatty acids and
glycerol
Vegans - vegetarians that avoid all animal foods
Very-low-density Lipoproteins (VLDLPs) -
lipoproteins made by the liver to transport lipids throughout the body
Visible Fats - fats in foods that are purchased and
used as fats, such as butter or margarine
Vitamins - organic substances necessary for life
although they do not, independently provide energy
Yo-Yo Dieting - refers to crash diets; the dieter's
weight goes up and down over short periods because these diets do not change
eating habits For
more information:
Yo-Yo Diets
