Basal Metabolic Rate
The rate at which the body uses energy while at rest to keep vital functions going, such as breathing and keeping warm.
Calories
A unit of energy, often used to express the nutritional value of foods, equivalent to the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1 °C, and equal to one thousand small calories; a kilocalorie.
Carbohydrates
Food consisting of or containing a lot of sugars, starch, cellulose, or similar substances that can be broken down to release energy in the human body, and make up one of the main nutritional food groups.
Cholesterol
A compound of the sterol type found in most body tissues. Cholesterol and its derivatives are important constituents of cell membranes and precursors of other steroid compounds, but a high proportion in the blood of low-density lipoprotein (which transports cholesterol to the tissues) is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Diabetes
A disease in which the body’s ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin is impaired, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine.
Dietary Fiber
The parts of plant foods your body can't digest or absorb.
Digestive system
The organs that take in food and liquids and break them down into substances.
Electrolytes
The ionized or ionizable constituents of a living cell, blood, or other organic matter.
Fats
A natural oily or greasy substance occuring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs.
Macronutrients
A type of food (e.g. fat, protein, carbohydrate) required in large amounts in the diet.
Metabolism
The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.
Micronutrients
A chemical element or substance required in trace amounts for the normal growth and development of living organisms.
Minerals
A solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence
Nutrients
A substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.
Protein
Food consisting largely of proteins and making up one of the main nutritional food groups.
Saturated Fat
A type of fat containing a high proportion of fatty acid molecules without double bonds, considered to be less healthy in the diet than unsaturated fat.
Trans Fat
Another term for trans-fatty acid.
Unsaturated Fat
A type of fat containing a high proportion of fatty acid molecules with at least one double bond, considered to be healthier in the diet than saturated fat.
Vitamins
Any of a group of organic compounds that are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body.
Water
A colorless, transparent, odorless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.