Nutrition & You Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining key terms and concepts from Chapter 1: What Is Nutrition?

Nutrients

Chemical compounds in foods that provide fuel for energy, growth, and maintenance, and regulate body processes.

Nutrition

The science that studies how nutrients and compounds in foods nourish you, help you function, and affect body functions and health.

Macronutrients

Energy-yielding nutrients needed in higher amounts, consisting of carbohydrates, lipids (fats), and proteins.

Micronutrients

Nutrients needed in smaller amounts, consisting of vitamins and minerals.

Kilocalorie Yield

The amount of energy provided by nutrients, where carbohydrates and proteins yield $4\text{ kilocalories/gram}$ and fats yield $9\text{ kilocalories/gram}$.

Glucose

A major energy source supplied to the body by carbohydrates.

Vitamins

Organic compounds that usually have to be obtained from food and are essential for metabolism.

Minerals

Inorganic substances that play key roles in body processes and structures.

Phytochemicals

Nonnutritive compounds in plant foods that may play a role in fighting chronic diseases.

Fiber

The portion of plant foods that is not digested in the small intestine.

Healthy People 2030

A set of disease prevention and health promotion objectives for Americans to meet over the third decade of the twenty-first century.

Consensus

The opinion of a group of experts based on a collection of information.

Scientific Method

The process used by scientists to generate sound research findings through observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and peer-reviewed publication.

Hypothesis

An idea based on observation that is tested through research and experimentation.

Observational Research

Research that involves looking at factors in two or more groups of subjects to see if there is a relationship to certain health outcomes.

Epidemiological Research

A type of observational research that involves studying populations of people.

Experimental Research

Research involving at least two groups of subjects: an experimental group receiving a specific treatment and a control group receiving a placebo.

Experimental Group

The group in an experiment that receives a specific treatment being tested.

Control Group

The group in an experiment that receives a placebo.

Double-blind Placebo-controlled Experiment

The gold standard experimental design in which neither the scientists nor the subjects know which group receives the treatment or the placebo.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

A health professional who completed at least a bachelor's degree at an accredited U.S. college or university, completed a supervised practice, and passed a national exam administered by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Medical Nutrition Therapy

An integration of nutrition counseling and dietary changes based on an individual's medical history and current health needs to improve health.

Public Health Nutritionist

An individual who may have a degree in nutrition but is not an RDN because they did not complete a supervised practice.

Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist (LDN)

A dietitian who is licensed by state licensing agencies.