human nutrition Flashcards
what is a balanced diet?
A diet that contains all the essential nutrients in the correct proportions to stay healthy
what is ingestion?
the taking in of food into the body through the mouth
what is digestion?
the breaking down of food from large insoluble molecules into small, soluble molecules, so that they can be absorbed into the bloodstream.
what is absorption?
the movement of nutrients small soluble food molecules, through the wall of the small intestine into the blood
what is assimilation?
the uptake and use of nutrients by cells
what is egestion?
the removal of undigested food molecules from the body as faeces
what is physical digestion?
the breakdown of food into smaller pieces without chemical change to the food molecules
what is chemical digestion?
the breakdown of large insoluble molecules into small soluble molecules
what is bile?
an alkaline mixture that neutralises the acidic mixture of food and gastric juices entering the duodenum from the stomach, to provide a suitable pH for enzyme action
(produced in liver, stored in gall bladder)
