Nutrition and Digestion Vocabulary

Flashcards for vocabulary review based on lecture notes about nutrition and digestion.

Saturated Fats

Solid at room temperature, found in animal products, rich in cholesterol.

Cholesterol

A waxy fatlike substance found in animal products necessary for body cells, fluids, and tissues.

Proteins

Nutrients containing nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen; made of amino acids.

Amino Acids

Small basic units that make up proteins.

Nonessential Amino Acids

Amino acids that are made by the body.

Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids that must be obtained from food.

Vitamins

Nutrients essential for chemical reactions in the body; can be water-soluble or fat-soluble.

Minerals

Nutrients not made by living things, absorbed by plants from the soil.

Nutrients

Essential substances in food that the body needs to grow and survive.

Six Classes of Essential Nutrients

Classes of essential nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, water.

Calorie

Unit measuring the amount of energy nutrients release.

One Calorie

Amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius at 1 atmosphere.

Joule

Less common unit to measure food energy; 1 C = 4.184 kJ.

Carbohydrates

Body's main source of energy, composed of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple sugars found in fruits, milk, and some vegetables; include monosaccharides and disaccharides.

Glucose

A monosaccharide and major source of energy for the body.

Complex Carbohydrates

Polysaccharides made of many monosaccharides or disaccharides linked together.

Starch

Complex carbohydrate found in plant foods; the body must break it down into glucose.

Fiber

Complex carbohydrate found in plant food that the human body cannot break down into sugar molecules.

Fats

High-energy nutrients composed of glycerol and fatty acids; form part of cell structure and protect body organs.

Unsaturated Fats

Fats that come from vegetables and are usually liquid at room temperature.

Absorption

The process that allows nutrients to pass from the digestive tract into the blood.

Digestion

The process by which the body breaks down food into smaller nutrient molecules.

Human Digestive Tract

Main organs: mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, & large intestine.

Mechanical Digestion

Food broken down into smaller pieces; begins in the mouth.

Chemical Digestion

Food broken down into simpler molecules with the help of enzymes.

Enzyme

Protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body.

Obesity

Condition in which excess fat is accumulated in the body.

Starvation

A severe deficiency in Calorie intake from food.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Ratio of a person's weight to height (weight in kg / height in meters squared).