Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR): Set by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board, these healthy ranges for macronutrients as a percentage of calories are said to be the most acceptable for optimum health.
Amino Acids: The building blocks of protein. They have one acidic end and one basic end. This allows them to connect to each other through peptide bonds.
Antibodies: These are what your body uses to fight infection. They are made when your body senses an invader, and the antibodies bind to that invader, tagging it for destruction by immune cells.
you because they include the part of the grain that contain fiber and vitamins.
Buffers: Your body, especially your blood, needs to be kept at a constant pH. Buffers are molecules that prevent the pH from changing too much.
Calories: The energy it takes to raise one gram of water 1 degree Celsius. It is the unit which we use to measure the energy we eat. A Calorie (the unit we are used to using) is really 1000 calories. The average human needs to eat between 2000-3000 Calories a day.
Carbohydrates: Molecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in cyclic formations. Carbohydrates are produced by photosynthesis and serve as a major energy source in animal diets. Sugars, starches, and cellulose are all carbohydrates.
Cardiovascular Disease: Any disease affecting the heart and blood vessels, including atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.
Cells: All living things are made up of tiny units called cells. These individual units all work together to form a complete, living body. The human body is composed of billions of cells that all have different functions. For example, the cells that make up your blood are different than the cells that make up your muscle.
Cell Wall: A barrier formed around the contents of a cell. It is made from lipids, which keep certain things from flowing in and out of the cell.
Complex Carbs: Contain long chains of sugars joined together by chemical bonds. Starches and celluloses are examples (this means bread and pasta, as well as the fibery parts of the fruits and veggies you eat).
Daily Values: Set by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board, you will find these on the food items you buy at the store. They are shown as a percent of the total needed of that nutrient in one day. These values are based on a 2000 calorie diet, so they may differ a bit from your personal dietary needs.
Dehydration: An excessive loss of body fluid leading to health hazard.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Guidelines set by the U.S. Government every 5 years that focus on areas where the U.S. population can improve their health habits. These guidelines are based on the most current research.
Discretionary Calories: Calories that are not needed to provide vitamins and minerals, but are needed to provide energy. These are your "eat whatever you want" calories.
Enzymes: Your body also communicates with itself through proteins called enzymes. An enzyme is a specific shape and will only bind to a specific place on certain cells. This is how your body regulates body processes and functions, including digestion.
Glucose: A single unit of sugar, it is the form of sugar (carb) that our body uses for energy. It is broken down in the body by glycolysis and the citric acid cycle to yield ATP.
Hormones: These are chemicals that your body uses to regulate certain body processes. Examples are estrogen and testosterone.
Hydrogenation: The process of adding hydrogen to a fatty acid that is not completely saturated. In this process, most of the double bonds are broken and hydrogens are added. However, sometimes a trans double bond is created, which bonds are not present in nature and are difficult for the body to process.
Lipid: Any of a number of molecules that is made up of primarily carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen in long chains. They are not soluble in water because of these long chains.
Macronutrient: Nutrient needed in large amounts on a daily bases. They include carbohydrates, lipids, protein, and water.
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids: An unsaturated fatty acid that only has one double bond, or is lacking two hydrogen atoms.
Neurotransmitters: Your body communicates with its different parts through strings of neurons running from your brain to the different tissues. Neurons pass the message they carry from one neuron to another through tiny chemical compounds called neurotransmitters. Examples are dopamine and serotonin.
Nutrient: Any substance that the body needs to grow and survive. Nutrients enrich the body and provide sustenance for life.
Osmotic Pressure: The pressure exerted on a less concentrated solution when there are two solutions of differing concentrations separated by a semipermeable membrane. This pressure causes the water to move across the membrane to the less concentrated solution, making the solutions of even concentration. This is the pressure that causes water to flow in and out of your blood vessels and other tissues in your body.
pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. It ranges from 0 to 14.
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: An unsaturated fatty acid that has more than one double bond. Usually, the more unsaturated, the healthier it is for you.
Protein: A molecule that is made up of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. They are built by amino acids bonded together. A different sequence of amino acids yields a different protein.
Recommended Dietary Allowances: Determined by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board to be the daily dietary intake level adequate to meet 97% of the needs of the specific age and gender group.
Refined Grains: Include only the endosperm of the grain, lacking the fiber and vitamin rich parts of the grain.
Saturated Fatty Acid: A lipid that has as many hydrogens as is possible. This make the molecule more solid.
Simple Carbs: Contain mostly sugars, the smallest unit of a carb.
Sugar: Compounds that have a characteristic sweet taste, and are universally present in animals and plants as a source of energy. Sugars include sucrose, glucose, and lactose. They are the simplest form (smallest unit) of a carbohydrate.
Tissues: A solid mass made up of a group of similar cells. For example, your skin and muscles are different types of tissues.
Trans Fat: Fatty acids that contain trans double bonds, as opposed to cis double bonds. If that doesn't make sense, that's okay. All you need to know is that your body doesn't like to digest trans double bonds, and therefore this type of fat is bad for you.
Triglycerides: A lipid made from a glycerol molecule and three long chain fatty acids. These are the lipids found in the food we eat that we call fat.
Unsaturated Fatty Acid: A fatty acid (lipid) that has double bonds between the carbons. In other words, it does not have as many hydrogens as is possible. This makes the molecule more liquid like.
Water: A molecule made up of one atom of oxygen and two atoms of hydrogen. It can exist in a liquid, solid, or gas state. It is the source of life for all living creatures on the earth.
Whole Grains: Made from the entire grain, including the bran, germ, and endosperm. They are healthy for
Words defined by myself with help from http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com, an online medical dictionary.
