Glossary

A

• Aerobic, adjective: Living in an environment with oxygen present.
• Amino Acid, noun: Any of the twenty natyurally occuring a-amino acids (having the amino, and carboxylic acid groups on the same carbon atom), and a variety of side chains, that combine, via peptide bonds, to form proteins. Ex: Leucine is a naturally occuring amino acid found in plant, fungal, and animal foods.
• Anaerobic, adjective: Living in an environment with oxygen absent.
• Antioxidant, noun: A compound that inhibits the process of oxidation to occur within the body. Ex: Many plant foods contain antioxidants which help protect against oxidative stress on the cells of the body.

B

• Beriberi, noun: A severe deficiency in vitamin B1, thiamine,  with varying forms occurring in different organ systems and ages.
• Bile, noun: A digestion-aiding fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder that helps with lipid digestion in the small intestine.
• Bioavailability, noun: The degree to which or rate at which a nutrient or other substance is absorbed or becomes available at the site of physiological activity after ingestion. Ex: The bioavailability of certain nutrients in food varies depending on many factors including how fresh it is, how it was produced, how it was cooked, etc. .
• Blood Sugar, noun: The concentration of glucose in the blood, measured in milligrams of glucose per 100 milliters of blood. Ex: Diabetes type II can be controlled through careful monitoring of blood-sugar levels, diet, exercise, regular health care, and medication if necessary.
• Blue Zone, noun: Regions of the world where, it is claimed, a higher than usual number of people live much longer than average. Ex: Okinawa (Japan), Sardinia (Italy), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Icaria (Greece), Loma Linda (California), etc. are all Blue zones due to the populations’ higher than average life expectancy.

C

• Calorie/Kilocalorie, noun: A unit of energy, often used as a measurement of the amount of energy that food provides, and the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius at 1 atmosphere pressure. Ex: An average medium banana contains ~100 calories.
• Cardiovascular System, noun: An organ system that includes the heart, arteries, veins,  and capillaries, all supporting the body by delivering blood throughout it, allowing oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and hormones to get to their destination.
• Case Study, noun: A detailed analysis of an individual or group, especially as a model of medical, psychiatric, psychological, or social phenomena. Ex: In the case study, how optimal was the nutrition program to reduce obesity in elementary school children?

D

• Disaccharide, noun: A simple sugar, providing quick energy to the body, formed by the glycosidic linkage of two monosaccharides.
• Dietary Fiber, noun: The portion of plant-derived food that connot be completely broken down by human enzymes. It’s two main components are soluable fiber and insoluable fiber. Ex: Beans are a great source of dietary fiber due to their fiberious composition.

E

• Enzyme: Biochemical catalysts to countless metabolic reactions and are made up of globular proteins.
• Essential Amino Acid, noun: One of the naturally occuring amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize, and so must be provided by dietary protein. Ex: Glutamine is an essential amino acid that is used in the biosynthesis of proteins.
• Essential Nutrients, noun: Nutritional substances required for optimal health. These must be in the diet, because they are not formed metabolically within the body. Ex: Carbohydrates, fats, protein, vitamins, minerals, and water are all essential nutrients.

F

• Fiber:

G

• Gastrointestinal Tract (GI Tract), noun: The path starting at the mouth and ending at the anus which includes all the organs of the digestive system in humans and other animals. Ex: The gastrointestinal tract contains thousands of different microbial organism species in their gut flora.
• Glucose, noun: A monosaccharide sugar, C6H12O6, occuring widely in most foods: plant, animal, fungal, etc. . It is the principal circulating sugar in the blood and the major energy source of the body. Ex: Glucose levels vary throughout the day depending on eating/fasting habits and metabolic health.
• Glycemic Index, noun: A numerical index out of 100 points given to a carbohydrate rich food that is based on the average increase in blood glucose levels occuring after the food is eaten. However, sometimes the index can not accurately predict how a food will effect blood glucose due to other metabolic factors such as fiber.
• Glycogen, noun: A multibranched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage in humans/animals, fungi, and bacteria. Ex: After you finish your workout, you may crave carbohydrates to replenish the glycogen stores you’ve depleted.
• Gut Flora, noun: The microorganisms that normally live in the digestive tract of humans/animals. Ex: Medications that change gut flora populations may also contribute to the development of diarrhea, brain fog, and other negative health factors.

H

• Hemoglobin, noun: An iron-contianing respiratory pigment of vertebrate red blood cells that consists of a globin composed of four subunits each of which linked to a heme molecule, that functions in oxygen transport to the tissues after converion to oxygenated form in the lungs or gills, and that assists in carbon dioxide transport back to the lungs or gills after surrender of its oxygen. Ex: People with sickle-cell disease, a congenital illness, lack an enzyme that helps the hemoglobin molecules in their blood maintain shape.
• Holistic
• Homeostasis, noun: Any self-regulating process by which biological systems tend to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are optimal for survival. Ex: Homeostasis is present in all life, helping to stabilize and sustain an organisms’ functions, and molding with environment and psychophysiological input.
• Hypocalcaemia, noun: Low calcium levels in the blood serum. The normal range is 2.1-2.6 mmol/L with levels less than 2.1 mmol/L defined as hypocalcemia. Ex: He had hypocalcaemia, because he didn’t eat enough foods rich in calcium

I

• Impact Factor, noun: A measure reflecing the average number of citations to recent articlespublished in an academic journal, used as an approximation of the relative importance of a journal within its field. Ex: In any given year, the two-year journal impact factor is the ratio between the number of citations recieved in that year for publications in that journal that were published in the two preceding years and the total number of “citable items”published in that journal during the two preceding years.
• Inflammation, noun: Part of the complex biological response of the body’s cell, tissue, etc. to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and it is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molecular mediators. Ex: nThe cardinal signs of inflammation include: pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function.
• Insoluble Fiber, noun: One of the main components of dietary fiber, it does not dissolve in water. It plays roles in helping maintain many digestive functions, including helping clear out the digestive tract. Ex: Insoluble fiber can help constipation by adding bulk to the stool.
• Insulin, noun: A hormone secreted by the pancreas that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, especially the conversion of glucose to glycogen, which lowers the blood glucose (sugar) level in your body. Ex: Diabetes occurs when decreased or absent levels of insulin limit blood sugar regulation.

J

• Jasmine tea

K

L

• Lymphatic system

M

• Malabsorption, noun: Faulty absorption especially of nutrient materials from the gastrointestinal tract. Ex: Malabsorption of nutrients can contribute to the vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
• Marinade, noun: A combination of sauces and seasonings to be used to marinate a food.
• Marinate, verb: To soak a food in a combination of sauces and seasonings for a varied period of time.
• Metabolism, noun: The whole of ever-going, biochemical processes going on inside of the human body (Or any other organism). Ex: The body generates heat through metabolism, using food as energy.
• Microbiome, noun: A microbial environment, such as the community of microbes within the human gut. Ex: The health of your gut microbiome is directly connected with the foods you eat.
• Monomer

N

• Nutrient-Dense, adjective: Food that has a relatively high nutrient content ratio to the amount of calories it has. Ex: Kiwis are nutrient-dense, because they have a high amount of potassium, vitamin C, and fiber for the low amount of calories it contains.
• Nutritional Deficiency, noun: An inadequate supply of essential nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water) in the diet resulting in malnutrition or disease. Ex: Pregnant women often suffer from nutritional deficiency in iron.

O

• Osteoporosis

P

• Phytochemical/phytonutrient, noun: A compound found in a plant that can be considered as a nutrient, having beneficial properties towards certain metabolic processes. Ex: Blueberries contain a phytochemical, resveratol, which is an antioxidant with anti-cancerous properties along with other potential benefits.
• Polymer
• Preservative, noun: A substance or a chemical that is added to products such as food products, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, paints, biological samples, cosmetics, wood, and many othe rproducts to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes. Ex: Many food products contain various preservatives to maintain taste, shelf life, color, etc.

Q

• Quinoa

R

• Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA)
• Recommended Daily Intake (RDI), noun: Sometimes referred to as recommended daily intake, is the average daily intake level of a particular nutrient that is likely to meet the nutrient requirements of 97%-98% of heathy individuals in a particular life stage or gender group. Ex: The RDI is used to determine the Daily Value (DV) of foods, which is printed on the nutrition facts labels (as % DV) in the U.S .

S

• Saturated Fat
• Soluable fiber, noun: One of the components of dietary fiber that dissolves in water, turning it into a gel-like substance. Ex: Soluable fiber delays the time of transit through the intestine.

T

• Trace mineral, noun: Any of a group of metal ions present in minimal (milligram or microgram) amounts in biologival systems, which are required for their optimal activity. Ex: Trace mineral enzyme cofactors play critical roles in the organization of molecules, membranes, and mitochondria, and includes chromium, cobalt, copper, fluorine, iodine, iron, mangeanese, selenium, silicon, vanadium, and zinc.
• Triglyceride

U

• Urinary tract infection

V

• Vivo: Refers to studies, experiments, medical tests, etc. preformed inside or on a living organism (animal, human, etc.)
• Vitro: Refers to studies, experiments, medical tests, etc. preformed outside of a living organism (generally conducted in a test tube, petri dish, etc.)

W

• Warburg effect
• Weight

X

• Xylitol

Y

• Yeast

Z

• Zinc