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A-Z to Healthy Living
Nutrition Dictionary
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Additives
As the name indicates, they are substances that are added to food to improve its appearance or to preserve its taste and quality. Additives have been used for centuries and some of them are natural such as vinegar, salt and vitamin C. Food additives are listed on the food labels in the ingredient list and can be identified by numbers.The addition of additives to foods is normally regulated by recognized agencies such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. There are 20 different types that are combined in different ways to make different proteins. The body can make some of its own amino acids but some are essential meaning that they cannot be made by the body so we need to get them from food.
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Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise, also known as cardiovascular exercise, raises the body’s demand for oxygen resulting in an increase in heart rate and respiration rate. This type of physical activity is relatively low to moderate in intensity and of long duration (more than 20 minutes), such as walking, jogging, dancing, cycling, stair climbing, swimming, and jumping rope. These types of exercises, if done regularly, improve heart function.
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Anemia
Anemia indicates a decrease in the number of red blood cells (RBC) in the blood or less than the normal amount of haemoglobin in the RBC's. Haemoglobin transfers oxygen from the lungs to all body cells where it is used to produce energy and give the skin its healthy color. So when a deficiency exists, less oxygen is transported to body cells which will make us feel unpleasant symptoms such as tiredness, pale skin, less concentration and headaches.
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Aspartame
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener made up of two amino acids – aspartate and phenylalanine. These amino acids are found naturally in many foods such as meat, vegetables, dairy products and cereal grains. Individually these amino acids are not sweet, but joined together they produce an intense sweet taste that is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.
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Blood pressure
Blood pressure is one of the important vital signs; it refers to the pressure exerted upon the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood throughout the body. Blood pressure is indicated in terms of systolic pressure over diastolic pressure, for example a normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. If the value is higher than 140/90 mmHg,then it is considered high, and a consistently high blood pressure increases the risk of heart failure, heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure.
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Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally occurring chemical found in plants. Common sources are coffee beans, tea leaves, guarana berries and smaller amounts are found in cocoa beans.Caffeine acts as a stimulant to the nervous system in the body, increasing mental alertness.
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are short or long chains of sugars that play an important role in the diet and are used to supply the body with energy. Sugar, starch and cellulose are types of carbohydrates. Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, legumes, fruit and certain vegetables are all good sources of carbohydrates.
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Calories
Calories are a unit of energy. The amount of energy available in food is expressed in calories. What you read on food labels are kilo calories which is equivalent to calories in 1 serving or 100 grams of that food product. Nutrients in food such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats provide calories; Fat provides the most calories per gram (9 calories/gram) as compared to carbohydrates and proteins (4 calories/gram).
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Codex Alimentarius
Codex Alimentarius, meaning “Food law or code”, is a set of internationally adopted food standards, guidelines, codes of practice, food labelling texts and other recommendations relating to food, its production and safety. These were established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission within the framework of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the United Nations and WHO (World Health Organization) with the purpose of ensuring fair practice in the food trade and protecting the health of consumers.
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Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that has important functions in the body including an integral part of the structure of cells and being used by certain glands for making sex hormones. There are two types of cholesterol in the blood: HDL (high density lipoprotein) or ‘good’ cholesterol and LDL (low density lipoprotein) or ‘bad’ cholesterol. High levels of LDL in the blood can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
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Calcium
Calcium is a mineral that is an important component of our bones. Dairy foods such as yogurt, milk and cheese are rich sources of calcium, and it is also found in canned salmon and sardines with bones, some nuts, seeds and fortified foods such as breakfast cereals.
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Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease is a name given to a group of diseases that affect the heart and/or blood vessels and includes stroke, heart attack, angina and high blood pressure.
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Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which the body has difficulty controlling the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 (previously called insulin dependent) where insulin is no longer produced; Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (previously called non-insulin dependent) where the body does not respond well to insulin, or the insulin that is produced does not work properly; and gestational diabetes which is type 2 diabetes that occurs during pregnancy.
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Dietary Fibre
Dietary fibre is an indigestible form of carbohydrate of which there are three types, insoluble fibre, soluble fibre and resistant starch. Insoluble fibre helps keep the bowel regular by absorbing water which softens the bowel contents. It is mostly found in wheat based foods such as bread and cereals and also in nuts, seeds, fruit and vegetables. Soluble fibre found mostly in fruits, vegetables, oats, dried beans and peas, slows down the emptying of the stomach helping people feel full for longer.
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Energy
The food we eat provides calories that release energy in our body. This energy is needed for normal body functions like breathing, digesting the food we eat and performing our daily activities. Daily energy requirements differ depending on age, sex, body weight, height and activity levels. Average daily needs for men are about 2000-2500 calories and women about 1800-2000 calories.
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Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids are types of fat that are needed for proper function and development but need to come from the diet as they cannot be made by the body. There are two essential fatty acids – linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid). Good sources of linoleic acid include polyunsaturated oils and some nuts (e.g. walnuts) and some seeds (e.g. sesame). Good sources of linolenic acid include canola oil, flaxseed and walnuts.
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EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) is an independent source of scientific advice and communication on the risks associated with the food chain in the European Union (EU). They are committed to ensuring food safety and consumer protection in Europe. It covers food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare and plant protection and health. EFSA gets involved in EU policy-making processes, for example, in approval of pesticides and food additives, or developing new regulatory frameworks and policies in the field of nutrition.
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Folate/Folic Acid
Folate is a B-vitamin that occurs naturally in green leafy vegetables, in fruits like bananas and oranges and also in legumes and peanuts. It is also added in breakfast cereals. Folate is required by the body for proper cell development. An adequate intake of folate pre-pregnancy and during the first three months helps to reduce the risk of foetal neural tube defects.
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Flavonoids
Flavonoids are a type of polyphenol, which is a group of plant chemicals with a similar chemical structure that act as antioxidants in the body. Sources include wine, grapes, apples, tea, onions and berries. Flavonoids are found in small amounts in most vegetables and fruits.
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Fructose
Fructose is a monosaccharide (a sugar) that occurs naturally in fruit and honey. It is the sweetest naturally occurring sugar. Glucose and fructose are joined together to form the common sugar, sucrose. Fructose is also used as a sweetener in certain processed foods.
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Food intolerance
Food intolerance is when a person cannot digest a food component or compound. It doesn’t produce an immune response like a food allergy. Symptoms mostly seen include nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Depending on the intolerance, people can still eat small amount of the problem food. Examples of food intolerance include lactose intolerance and intolerance to certain food additives.
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Food Allergy
Food allergy is when a person’s immune system reacts negatively against a certain harmless food component. Symptoms vary from runny nose to skin rashes, nausea and vomiting and can be sometimes serious if it causes swelling of the throat and difficulty in breathing. Most allergenic foods include milk, eggs, wheat, soya, fish, seafood and peanuts. The person has to avoid eating such food completely that cause an allergy. If diagnosed in infancy, the allergy is usually outgrown.
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Glucose
Glucose is a monosaccharide (a sugar). Carbohydrate containing foods are broken down during digestion into glucose. The body’s cells use glucose to make energy to fuel the body. Sometimes the words ‘blood glucose’ and ‘blood sugar’ are used interchangeably.
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Gluten
Gluten is a type of protein found in cereal plants like wheat, barely, rye and oats. For some people, gluten is an allergen.
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Guideline Daily Amounts
Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA's) are a form of nutrition labelling seen on food labels that aim to help consumers understand the nutrition information on the pack. GDA’s provide information on the quantities of specific nutrients in a given product. They tell you what percentage of the daily recommended intake of that nutrient is in the product as a percentage of a person’s daily dietary needs (calories, fat, saturated fat, sugars, and sodium).
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Halal Foods
Halal foods are those that are free from any component that is considered unlawful in Islam. These include processed, made, produced, manufactured and/or stored using utensils and equipment that have been cleansed according to Islamic law.
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Haem iron
The iron found in animal products is called ‘haem iron’. ‘Haem’ iron is found in high amounts in red meat and offal. White meats such as fish and chicken also contain haem iron but in smaller amounts than in red meat. As a general rule of thumb, the redder the meat, the more iron. Haem iron is more efficiently absorbed by the body than non-haem iron that comes from plant sources.
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Hydrogenated Fats
Hydrogenated fats are vegetable fats that have been chemically altered by the addition of hydrogen (hydrogenation) with the purpose of making them more solid. Turning a liquid oil into a more solid form makes it more stable for use in food manufacturing.Sources of hydrogenated fats include cooking margarine, biscuits, cakes, pies and popcorn and many commercial frying oils.
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Insulin
Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas in response to the food we eat. Insulin’s main role is to take glucose from the blood and move it into the body’s cells so that the cells can use the glucose for energy.
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Iron
Iron is a mineral that is used by the body to make haemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that transports oxygen. Iron-containing foods include red meat, poultry, legumes, green leafy vegetables and whole grain breads and cereals. A lack of iron in the diet or poor absorption of iron can lead to iron deficiency anaemia.
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Insoluble Fibre
Insoluble fibre is a type of dietary fibre found in cereals, the outer skins of some fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds and often in high fibre breads. Insoluble fibre absorbs water in the large intestine which helps to soften bowel contents and promote regularity.
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Kilojoules
As with Calories, Kilojoules (KJ) is another unit that measures the amount of energy available in food. You can also find it written on food labels. In the Middle East, we normally use Calories as our unit of measurement. 1 Calorie=4.18 KJ.
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Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance is when the body does not make enough lactase, the enzyme needed to digest lactose the main sugar in milk. So lactose passes unchanged into the large intestine where it is fermented by bacteria causing cramps, gas and diarrhea. Depending on the degree of the intolerance, milk and sometimes dairy need to be restricted in the diet.
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Monounsaturated Fat
Monounsaturated fats are the ‘good fats’ and are found in avocados, nuts such as peanuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias and oils such as olive and canola.
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Measuring units (1cup, 1tsp)
Measuring units are standard units for measuring physical quantity. When it comes to food recipes, the usual unit of measurement for volume is the cup or spoon. 1 cup is equivalent to 240 ml and 1 tablespoon (tbsp)= 3 teaspoons (tsp)= 15 ml.
FEATURED NUTRITION ARTICLES FOR YOUR LITTLE ONES
