Nutrition Basics: Chapter 1 Practice Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary and core concepts from Chapter 1 of Nutrition Basics, including definitions of health, nutrients, the scientific method, and sustainable food systems.

Nutrition

The sum of all processes involved in how organisms obtain nutrients, metabolize them, and use them to support all of life’s processes.

Nutritional science

The investigation of how an organism is nourished, and how nourishment affects personal health, population health, and planetary health.

Health

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

Disease

Any abnormal condition that affects the health of an organism and is characterized by specific signs and symptoms.

Health Promotion

Activities and habits such as physical activity, healthy sleep habits, and a healthy diet that can assist in the promotion of health.

Disease Prevention

Activities and habits such as physical activity, healthy sleep habits, and a healthy diet that can assist in the prevention of disease.

Nutrient

A substance required by the body that must be obtained from the diet.

Carbohydrates

Organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that exist as simple sugars or complex sugars.

Lipids

A family of organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are insoluble in water; include triglycerides, phospholipids, and sterols.

Proteins

Macromolecules composed of chains of organic monomeric subunits called amino acids.

Amino acids

Simple monomers composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Micronutrient

Nutrients needed in smaller amounts, categorized as vitamins and minerals.

Minerals

Solid, inorganic substances that form crystals and are classified as trace or macro minerals.

Vitamins

Either water- or fat-soluble, non-caloric substances that act as enzymes or co-enzymes.

B1 (thiamine)

A water-soluble vitamin that acts as a coenzyme and assists in energy metabolism.

B6 (pyroxidine)

A water-soluble vitamin that acts as a coenzyme and assists in amino acid synthesis.

C (ascorbic acid)

A water-soluble vitamin involved in collagen synthesis and acting as an antioxidant.

Vitamin A

A fat-soluble vitamin essential for vision, reproduction, and immune system function.

Vitamin K

A fat-soluble vitamin necessary for bone and teeth health maintenance and blood clotting.

Sodium

A macro mineral involved in fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction.

Iron

A trace mineral that carries oxygen and assists in energy production.

Fluoride

A trace mineral necessary for bone and teeth health maintenance and tooth decay prevention.

Calorie

A unit of measurement of food energy; carbohydrates provide $4$ calories per gram, lipids provide $9$ calories per gram, and protein provides $4$ calories per gram.

Nutrient density

A measurement of food quality based on the amount of essential nutrients a food contains relative to the amount of energy it has.

Scientific method

An organized process of inquiry involving observations, hypothesis, testing, evaluation of results, gathering evidence, and drafting a conclusion.

Epidemiological studies

Scientific investigations that define frequency, distribution, and patterns of health events in a population.

Randomized clinical trials

Scientific investigations in which a variable is changed between groups of people to provide evidence.

Nutrigenomics

An emerging scientific discipline that studies how nutrients affect gene expression and how genes affect nutritional requirements.

Epigenetics

A scientific field studying how nongene factors affect gene expression.

Socioeconomic status

A person's or group's social standing, often measured by the combination of income, occupation, and education.

Sustainable food system

A system that meets the needs of the current generation while providing food for future generations without negatively impacting the environment.