Chapter 2: Recommendations for a Healthy Diet Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key nutrition vocabulary and assessment definitions from Chapter 2 of Nutrition for Your Life by Lee T. Murphy.

Variety

Eating many different foods from all five food groups (grains, fruits, protein, vegetables, and dairy) every day because no single food meets all nutrient needs.

Proportionality/Balance

Eating more nutrient-dense foods and beverages (such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk products) and less foods high in certain types of fat, sugars, cholesterol, salt, and alcohol, while matching energy intake with energy expenditure.

Moderation

Refers mostly to portion size and planning a daily diet to avoid overconsuming any nutrients.

Adequacy

A nutritional concept describing a diet that provides enough of all essential nutrients in balance.

Nutrient Density

A comparison of the vitamin and mineral content of a food with its total calorie content.

Empty Calories

Calories from foods that have little or no nutritional content but a high proportion of calories, such as soft drinks.

Energy Density

A comparison of the calorie content of a food with the weight of the food.

Anthropometric Assessment

The measurement of body weight, lengths, circumferences, and thicknesses of parts of the body to assess nutritional status.

Biochemical Assessment

Assessment of nutritional status involving biochemical functions related to a nutrient's function, such as concentrations of nutrient by-products or enzyme activities in blood or urine.

Clinical Assessment

Assessment of nutritional status involving physical examination of general appearance of skin, eyes, and tongue, evidence of rapid hair loss, sense of touch, and ability to cough or walk.

Dietary Assessment

Estimation of typical food choices relying on recounting one's usual intake or recording previous days' intake.

Environmental Assessment

Assessment of nutritional status involving living conditions, education level, ability to purchase, transport, and cook food, and weekly budget for food purchases.

Undernutrition

A form of malnutrition characterized by nutrient deficiency.

Overnutrition

A form of malnutrition characterized by nutrient excess, such as obesity.

1992 Food Guide Pyramid

A USDA food guidance tool introduced in 1992 that organized food groups and recommended serving counts.

2005 MyPyramid Food Guidance System

A USDA food guidance system introduced in 2005 featuring the slogan "Steps to a Healthier You".

2011 MyPlate

A USDA food guidance icon introduced in 2011 illustrating five primary food groups: dairy, fruits, grains, vegetables, and protein.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA)

Science-based nutrition guidelines updated every 5 years by the USDA and HHS that form the core of federal food and nutrition education programs.

Healthy Eating Index (HEI)

A measure of how closely food and beverage choices align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI)

Nutrient recommendations established by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to estimate the amount of nutrients needed to prevent deficiency diseases and maintain optimal health, encompassing EAR, RDA, AI, UL, and DV.

Estimated Average Requirement (EAR)

The amount of a nutrient needed to meet the functional requirement of $50\%$ of a healthy population.

Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The nutrient intake amount sufficient to meet the needs of $97\%$ to $98\%$ of individuals in a specific life stage, calculated as the EAR $\pm 2$ standard deviations.

Adequate Intake (AI)

The lowest intake level of a nutrient with no signs of nutrient deficiency, used when no EAR exists for that nutrient.

Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL)

The maximum daily intake of a nutrient that is unlikely to cause adverse health effects or toxicity.