Nutrition Vocabulary
Vegetarians: People who choose not to include certain forms of animal products in their diet.
Diet: The food and beverage a person consumes.
Nutrition: The study and science of how the body uses food.
Health: A state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
Nutrients: The building blocks for growth, repair, and proper body function.
Digestion: The breaking down of a food into a form usable by the body.
Macronutrients: Nutrients required in large quantities.
Micronutrients: Nutrients required in smaller quantities.
Body composition: The components of the body including muscles, bones, tissues, organs, fluids, and fat.
Hypertension: High blood pressure.
Osteoarthritis: Degeneration of cartilage and the bone within a joint.
Hydrostatic weighing: A method to measure body composition that involves weighing a person while completely submerged in water.
Calories: A unit that measures the energy in food and the energy one’s body uses.
Sedentary: Not physically active.
Caloric input: The calories you consume through food.
Caloric output: The calories you expend through bodily functions and physical activity.
Whole grain: Foods containing all the nutrients that the whole grain has.
Translucent: Allowing light to pass through, but not allowing objects on the other side to be seen clearly.
Dehydration: When a person loses more fluids than he or she takes in.