Necessary definitions Flashcards
learning important vocab for the course
Nutrient
a substance in food that provides energy and structure to the body and regulates bodily processes
Fortification
The process of fortification was begun to help eliminate deficiencies of nutrients in the populations, but voluntary fortification of food has become common practice
Calories
units of measure of energy for the amount of heat needed to raise one gram of water one degree Celsius
How many calories in a gram of carbohydrates?
4
How many calories in a gram of protein?
4
How many calories per gram of fat?
9
Macronutrients
nutrients needed every day in the body; the 3 caloric macronutrients are carbs, protein, and fat, water is the only non-caloric macronutrient
Macronutrients are classified by what?
by what nutrient makes up the majority of the calories (ex: fruits are classified as carbs but have small amounts of protein)
Micronutrients
nutrients needed by the body each day but in small amounts; the groups are vitamins and minerals and because their raw forms do not contain any calories they do not supply the body with energy
Empty calorie foods
foods high in calories (calorically dense) but containing very few nutrients
Ex: doughnuts, muffins, sodas, chips
Nutrient dense foods
foods low in calories but still providing a great deal of vitamins and minerals
Ex: vegetables, fruits, beans, lean animal products (seafood and poultry)
Essential nutrients
nutrients that your body needs but the body must ingest them, they cannot be formed in the body
there are 9 essential amino acids, all minerals & almost all vitamins are essential
What vitamin is not essential?
vitamin D
Nonessential nutrients
nutrients that your body needs but can create in the amount needed
there are 9 nonessential amino acids and vitamin D is also considered nonessential
Dietary Reference Intakes
the nutrient needs for each gender and for various life-stage groups dependent on the physiological differences between them
