Nutrition and You
This term refers to the sum of all processes involved in how organisms obtain nutrients, metabolize them, and use them to support life.
What is nutrition?
This condition occurs when someone receives too little or too much of required nutrients, leading to improper bodily function.
What is malnutrition?
This semiliquid mass of partially digested food, mixed with gastric juices, leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine.
What is chyme?
These simple carbohydrates include glucose, fructose, and galactose and are the smallest units of carbohydrate structure.
What are monosaccharides?
These foods, including salmon, flaxseed, walnuts, and chia seeds, are excellent sources of this anti‑inflammatory fatty acid.
What are sources of omega‑3 fatty acids?
These amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be obtained through the diet, including lysine, leucine, valine, and tryptophan.
What are essential amino acids?
This process describes the movement of water across a selectively permeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to lower water concentration.
What is osmosis?
These three nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids—are known by this name because they provide the energy needed by the body.
What are energy-yielding nutrients?
A diet that provides all nutrients, fiber, and energy in sufficient amounts to maintain good health is described using this term.
What is an adequate diet?
These muscular actions—including peristalsis and segmentation—help physically break down food and move it through the GI tract.
What is mechanical breakdown?
This enzyme, secreted by the salivary glands, initiates the chemical breakdown of carbohydrates in the mouth.
What is salivary amylase?
This type of fatty acid contains the maximum number of hydrogen atoms and has no double bonds.
What is a saturated fatty acid?
This term describes the physical unfolding of a protein caused by heat, acid, alcohol, salt, or mechanical agitation.
What is denaturation?
These are the two major fluid compartments of the body—one inside cells and one outside them.
What are intracellular and extracellular compartments?
This type of study changes one variable between groups of people to test a hypothesis about health or nutrition.
What is a randomized clinical trial?
These nationally published guidelines emphasize limiting added sugars, saturated fat, sodium, and alcohol while focusing on nutrient‑dense food choices.
What are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans?
These microscopic projections dramatically increase the surface area of the small intestine, allowing efficient absorption into capillaries and lymphatic vessels.
What are microvilli?
This measure indicates how carbohydrate‑containing foods affect blood glucose levels, with a related measure calculating the impact of a food’s GI multiplied by its carbohydrate content.
What is the glycemic index (and what is glycemic load)?
Produced by the liver, this emulsifying substance helps disperse fat so it can be digested and absorbed in the small intestine.
What is bile?
This stomach enzyme begins the chemical breakdown of proteins by dismantling long chains into smaller fragments.
What is pepsin?
This regulatory sensation occurs when receptor proteins detect decreased fluid volume or increased sodium concentration, triggering the hypothalamus to signal the conscious urge to drink.
What is thirst?
Income, occupation, and education are the three factors that define this environmental determinant of health.
What is socioeconomic status?
According to the MyPlate model, this proportion of your plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables.
What is one-half?
This state occurs when nutrient intake is in equilibrium with the energy needed to sustain biological processes.
What is metabolic homeostasis?
This process occurs when the body converts non‑carbohydrate sources such as amino acids, lactate, or glycerol into glucose—often requiring the breakdown of muscle proteins.
What is glucogenesis?
Known as “bad cholesterol,” this lipoprotein delivers cholesterol to cells but may also deposit it in blood vessel walls.
What is LDL?
This abundant blood protein maintains fluid balance, acid–base balance, and helps transport biological molecules.
What is albumin?
This electrolyte is the most abundant positively charged ion inside cells and plays roles in nerve impulses, muscle contraction recovery, protein synthesis, and acid‑base balance.
What is potassium?
A system that provides food for the current generation without harming the ability of future generations to meet their needs is described using this term.
What is a sustainable food system?
This value on a Nutrition Facts panel shows what percentage of a nutrient in one serving contributes to a standard 2,000‑calorie diet.
What is percent Daily Value (%DV)?
This autoimmune disorder, affecting up to 1% of Americans, results from an abnormal immune reaction to gluten and may cause fatty stools, abdominal pain, and growth failure in children.
What is celiac disease?
This metabolic disease occurs when immune cells destroy the pancreas’ insulin‑producing cells, typically developing before age 30 and requiring insulin injections.
What is type 1 diabetes?
Current guidelines recommend that adults keep their dietary fat intake to this percentage range of total calories, with less than 10% coming from saturated fats.
What is 20-35 percent?
This severe syndrome results from inadequate protein intake and is characterized by abdominal swelling, poor skin health, and liver malfunction.
What is kwashiorkor?
Defined as water loss without adequate replacement, this condition can cause dizziness, fainting, headaches, fatigue, and low blood pressure, and increases chronic disease risk.
What is dehydration?