Nutrition & Diet Therapy 1: Basic Concepts in Nutrition

Basic vocabulary and foundational concepts from Day 1 of the Nutrition & Diet Therapy lecture, including definitions, nutritional status assessment, and dietary characteristics.

Health

A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity as defined by the WHO.

Nutrition

A science that studies nutrients and other substances in food and how they relate to health and diseases; the sum of processes involved in food nutrients, assimilating and using them to maintain body tissue and provide energy (Williams, 1999).

Nutrients

The nourishing substances in food that provide energy and promote the growth and maintenance of the body.

Essential Nutrients

Compounds that the body cannot make or cannot make in sufficient quantity and therefore must be supplied from food.

Food

A substance consisting of essential nutrients used in the body of an organism to sustain growth and vital processes and to furnish energy, usually of plant and animal origin.

Diet

The food and beverages that a person normally eats, which refers to the sum of food and drink habitually consumed or a specific regimen prescribed for weight management, athletic performance, or medical treatment.

Nutritional Status

One's physical condition as determined by the diet, resulting from nutrient intake, absorption, and utilization.

ABCD framework

A method to evaluate nutritional status using Anthropometrics (body measurements like BMI), Biochemical (blood/urine tests), Clinical (physical exams), and Dietary (food intake records).

Optimum nutrition

The state of receiving and utilizing essential nutrients to maintain health and well-being at the highest possible level, providing a reserve for the body.

Overnutrition

An excessive intake of one or more nutrients, frequently referring to nutrients providing energy.

Undernutrition

A deficiency of one or more nutrients, including nutrients providing energy.

Energy

In food, defined as the energy released from carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and other organic compounds; the strength and vitality required for sustained activity.

Calories

The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of $1\,kg$ of water to $1\,^{\circ}C$; in nutrition, one calorie refers to a kilocalorie (kcal).

Nutrient Density

A measure of the amount of essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and lean protein a food provides relative to its calorie count.

Energy Density

The number of calories in a specific weight of food, usually expressed as calories per gram ($kcal/g$).

Carbohydrates Fuel Factor

$$4\,kcal/gram$$

Protein Fuel Factor

$$4\,kcal/gram$$

Fats Fuel Factor

$$9\,kcal/gram$$

Alcohol Fuel Factor

$7\,kcal/gram$ (non-food)

Adequate Diet

A diet that provides enough energy, nutrients, and fiber to maintain health.

Moderate Diet

Eating foods in amounts that are not too much and not too little.

Balanced Diet

A diet containing combinations of foods to provide proper proportions of nutrients, such as filling half a plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with lean proteins, and a quarter with whole grains.

Varied Diet

Eating many different foods from different food groups on a regular basis to ensure consumption of all necessary nutrients.

Hunger

The body's physical, biological need for food signaled by hormones and low blood sugar.

Appetite

The psychological or sensory desire to eat, triggered by the sight, smell, or craving for a specific food.

Double burden of malnutrition

The dual presence of undernutrition (deficiencies) and diet-driven chronic diseases within a population.

Food choice values scale

A 25-item questionnaire measuring eight factors of food choice: accessibility, convenience, health/weight control, tradition, sensory appeal, organic, comfort, and safety.

Palatability factors

Characteristics of food including color, aroma, flavor, and texture.