Nutrition: Food, Nutrients, and Health

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic nutrition concepts, macronutrients, micronutrients, deficiency diseases, fibre, and water properties.

Nutrition

The study of food, its composition, the amounts needed by the body, and its effects on the body.

Food

Any substance, solid or liquid, that contains nutrients.

Nutrient

Any substance that can be digested (broken down) and used by the body, composed of chemical elements.

Element

The simplest form of a substance.

Balanced diet

A diet containing all of the nutrients in the correct amount for the needs of the body to ensure health and wellbeing.

RDA

Recommended dietary allowance.

GDA

Guideline daily amount.

Composition

The elements that make up a nutrient and how they are arranged within that nutrient.

Deficiency disease

A condition or illness resulting from the lack of a particular nutrient in the diet.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in large amounts (proteins, fats, and carbohydrates), measured in grams ($\text{g}$).

Micronutrients

Nutrients required by the body in small amounts (minerals and vitamins), measured in milligrams ($\text{mg}$) and micrograms ($\mu\text{g}$).

Wellbeing

The state of being comfortable, healthy, and happy.

Amino acids

Building blocks of proteins composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen ($\text{CHON}$), joined together by peptide links to form chains.

High biological value (HBV) proteins

Animal proteins that contain more amino acids than low biological value proteins, sourced from meat, fish, milk, eggs, cheese, and yoghurt.

Low biological value (LBV) proteins

Vegetable proteins that contain fewer amino acids than HBV proteins, sourced from peas, beans, lentils, nuts, and cereals.

Lipids

Another word for fats and oils, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen ($\text{CHO}$) in the form of glycerol and three fatty acids.

Saturated fats

Fats that are solid at room temperature and usually come from animal sources (such as butter, meat, eggs, cheese, and cream), which can lead to cholesterol build-up in blood vessels.

Unsaturated fats

Fats that are liquid at room temperature (oils) and usually come from plant sources and oily fish, which help reduce cholesterol in the blood.

Hydrogenated fats

Hardened vegetable oils used in processed foods such as biscuits, cakes, and pastries that may cause cholesterol build-up.

Omega fatty acids

Unsaturated fats found in oily fish, seeds, and nuts that reduce the risk of heart disease and are associated with improved brain function.

Photosynthesis

The chemical process by which plants manufacture carbohydrates.

Cellulose

An indigestible carbohydrate, also called roughage or dietary fibre, that aids digestion by helping food move through the intestines and helps prevent bowel cancer.

Peristalsis

Muscle contractions in the gut that move food and bulky waste matter through the intestines.

Empty kilocalories

Sweet foods that contain sugar only and are completely lacking in all other nutrients.

Hidden sugars

Sugars present in foods that may not taste sweet (such as savoury sauces), often listed in ingredients under names like glucose and dextrose.

Fat-soluble vitamins

A group of vitamins that dissolve in fat or oil, consisting of vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Water-soluble vitamins

A group of vitamins that dissolve in water, consisting of the B group vitamins and vitamin C.

Carotene

A plant-derived substance found in carrots, peppers, and dark green vegetables that the body converts into vitamin A.

Night-blindness

A deficiency condition caused by a lack of vitamin A where the eyes cannot adjust to the dark.

Rickets

A disease occurring in children caused by insufficient vitamin D or calcium, resulting in deformed bones, bowlegs, and easily fractured bones.

Osteoporosis

A condition in which bones become thin, brittle, fragile, and easily fractured, worsened by a diet deficient in calcium and vitamin D.

Beriberi

A nerve disease caused by a deficiency of B group vitamins.

Folate (Folic acid)

A water-soluble B vitamin found in wholemeal bread and fortified breakfast cereals that helps prevent neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, in newborn babies.

Scurvy

A deficiency disease caused by a shortage of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) that affects the gums and teeth and causes delayed healing of wounds.

Haemoglobin

The red, iron-containing pigment in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.

Anaemia

A disease resulting from a shortage of iron or severe blood loss, characterized by insufficient haemoglobin, tiredness, breathlessness, headaches, and dizziness.

Calcium

An essential mineral found in milk, cheese, green vegetables, and tinned fish that is required for healthy bones and teeth.

Fluorine

A mineral found in drinking water that functions to help prevent tooth decay.

Sodium

A mineral found in all body fluids (such as blood) and in salty foods; a deficiency can result in low blood pressure.

Water

A nutrient composed of hydrogen and oxygen ($\text{H}_2\text{O}$) that is colourless, odourless, tasteless, dissolves substances, regulates body temperature, boils at $100^\circ\text{C}$, and freezes at $0^\circ\text{C}$.