Nutrition Vocab

Amino Acids

Organic molecules that build proteins.

Anemia

A condition where the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells, resulting in insufficient oxygen delivery.

Anorexia Nervosa

An eating disorder and serious mental health condition.

Antioxidants

Compounds that protect cells from damage by neutralizing free radicals.

Body Composition

The distribution and proportion of different components in the human body, including fat, muscle, bone, and water.

Bulimia Nervosa

An eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by forced vomiting.

Caloric Balance

A state where the number of calories a person consumes equals the number of calories they burn.

Carbohydrate

A macronutrient that includes sugars, starches, and dietary fiber.

Cholesterol

A waxy, fat-like substance that the body needs to build cells, make vitamins, and hormones.

Creatine

A naturally occurring substance in the body that supplies energy to cells, particularly muscles.

Dietary Supplement

A product taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient" intended to supplement the diet.

Electrolytes

Minerals that have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water.

Essential Nutrients

Substances the body cannot make on its own and must be obtained through diet.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

A group of vitamins that dissolve in fat and are absorbed along with dietary fats.

Fat substitutes

Food ingredients that are used to replace or mimic the function of fat, to reduce a food's caloric content.

Fiber

A type of carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that aids digestion.

Lactase Deficiency

A condition where the body does not produce enough of the enzyme lactase.

Lactovegetarian

A person who eats a plant-based diet that includes dairy products but not meat or poultry.

Macronutrients

Nutrients that the body needs in large amounts.

Metabolism

A set of chemical processes that occur in a living organism to convert food into energy.

Micronutrient

Vitamins and minerals that are essential for human health but are only needed in very small amounts.

Mineral

An inorganic element the body needs in small amounts for vital functions, such as building bones and making hormones.

Nutrients

Substances required by the body for basic functions like growth, energy, and repair, which must be obtained through diet.

Ovolacto vegetarians

A person who follows a diet that excludes all meat, fish, and poultry, but includes eggs and dairy products.

Percent body fat

The percentage of your body's total weight that is composed of fat versus other tissues like bone, muscle, and water.

Proteins

A molecule made of amino acids essential for life, serving as the building blocks for body structures and performing critical functions.

Semivegetarian

Primarily plant-based but includes occasional consumption of meat, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs, where meat is typically excluded.

Starches

Complex carbohydrates and the primary energy-storage molecules in plants, broken down into glucose to fuel essential functions.

Vegans

A strict diet that requires careful nutritional planning to ensure adequate intake of critical nutrients like vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and zinc.

Vegetarianism

A plant-based eating pattern that excludes all meat, poultry, and fish.

Vitamins

Organic compounds essential for normal metabolism that the body needs in small amounts but cannot synthesize sufficiently on its own.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

A group of nutrients that dissolve in water, are not stored in large amounts by the body, and are excreted in urine.

Ergogenic Aid

Any item designed to increase work or improve performance above that of a regular training diet.

Anabolic Steroids

Synthetic variations of the male sex hormone testosterone in some tissues.

SERMs

A class of drugs that act like estrogen in some cases, while blocking its effects in others.

Androstenedione

A steroid hormone and key intermediate in the body's production of androgens and estrogens.

DHEA

A hormone produced by the adrenal glands that acts as a precursor to other hormones like testosterone and estrogen.

Ephedrine

A medication used primarily to treat hypotension (low blood pressure) that occurs during surgery.

Bioelectrical impedance

A medical method used to estimate body composition by measuring the resistance to a low-level electrical current sent through the body.

Hydrostatic weighing

A medical technique for measuring body composition by determining a person’s body density using the principle of buoyancy in a water tank.

Basal Metabolic Rate

The minimum number of calories the body needs to perform basic, life-sustaining functions while at complete rest.