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Diet & Nutrition Glossary

• Adipose Tissue - fatty tissue
  
• Albumin - protein that occurs in blood plasma
  
• 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 assessment - evaluation of food habits
  
• Diet - A regulated selection of foods, as for medical reasons or cosmetic weight loss.
  For an overview: Diet, Dieting and Weight Loss Reviews 
  
• 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
• Free Diets - Is a free diet cost effective, safe?
  
• 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
   

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