DHA Clinical Dietician key terms

The energy a body uses at complete rest to maintain vital functions such as breathing, circulation, and cell production, measured under neutral thermal conditions after an overnight fast and expressed as kcal per unit time.

Energy burned during rest and quiet wakefulness, typically slightly above BMR and usually estimated by indirect calorimetry or predictive equations to guide calorie prescriptions in clinical nutrition support.

The energy cost of digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing nutrients, roughly 5 to 10 percent of total intake and higher for protein than for carbohydrate or fat.

A comparison of nitrogen taken in through protein against nitrogen lost in urine, stool, and skin; a positive balance supports anabolism, while a negative balance signals catabolism or inadequate protein intake.

Leucine, isoleucine, and valine, three essential amino acids with side-chain branching that are important in muscle protein synthesis and are often monitored in liver disease and critical illness.

A ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods by how much they raise blood glucose over two hours compared with a reference food, useful for counseling people with diabetes and insulin resistance.

A measure combining a food's glycemic index with its available carbohydrate content, giving a more practical picture of the total blood-glucose impact of a realistic portion.

The proportion of a consumed nutrient that is absorbed and made available for body use; it depends on food form, preparation, competing compounds, and individual physiology such as gut health.

A naturally occurring food compound such as phytate or oxalate that reduces absorption of minerals like iron, zinc, or calcium; effects can be reduced by soaking, fermenting, or cooking techniques.

Vitamins A, D, E, and K, which require dietary fat and bile for absorption, are stored in body tissues, and can accumulate to toxic levels with excessive supplementation.

A screening ratio of weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, used to classify underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity in adults but limited by not distinguishing fat from lean mass.

A tape measurement around the abdomen at a defined landmark, used with BMI to estimate central adiposity and cardiometabolic risk; thresholds differ by sex and population.

A quick field measure of the arm at its midpoint, used to screen for acute malnutrition, especially in children and in emergency or community settings where scales and height boards are unavailable.

A validated clinical tool that classifies nutritional status as well nourished, moderately malnourished, or severely malnourished using history of weight change, intake, symptoms, function, and a brief physical exam.

An interview method in which a person reports everything eaten and drunk in the previous day, valued for low respondent burden but limited by memory error and day-to-day variability.

A structured survey asking how often and in what amounts a person usually consumes listed foods over a period, useful for ranking habitual intake in epidemiology but weaker for precise nutrient quantification.

A prospective diary in which a person weighs or estimates and logs all foods and drinks consumed over several days, offering detail but prone to underreporting and changes in eating behavior while recording.

A deficiency state from inadequate protein and energy intake, ranging from wasting and stunting in children to adult undernutrition, with impaired immunity, wound healing, and muscle function.

Individualized nutrition assessment, counseling, and intervention delivered by a dietitian to treat a disease or condition, such as diabetes, kidney disease, or dyslipidemia, with measurable clinical goals.

A reversible neuropsychiatric complication of liver failure linked to ammonia and other toxins, managed partly through protein timing, avoidance of prolonged fasting, and sometimes branched-chain amino acid support.

Advanced liver scarring that impairs metabolism and nutrient storage, often causing malnutrition, fluid retention, and altered protein needs that require careful dietitian monitoring.

Abnormal fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity, common in cirrhosis and some cancers, which distorts weight-based nutrition assessment and often requires sodium restriction and small frequent meals.

Progressive loss of kidney function that alters fluid, electrolyte, and protein handling; nutrition care adjusts sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein, and energy as stage and dialysis status change.

A blood-cleansing treatment for kidney failure that removes wastes and fluid several times weekly and increases protein losses, so protein and fluid prescriptions differ from non-dialyzed CKD care.

Rapid gastric emptying after stomach surgery that causes cramping, diarrhea, and reactive hypoglycemia; managed with small meals, limited simple sugars, and separating fluids from solids.

Delivery of liquid formula nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract by tube, used when oral intake is unsafe or insufficient but the gut still works, preserving gut function and reducing infection risk.

Intravenous delivery of amino acids, dextrose, lipids, electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals when the gut cannot be used or cannot absorb enough, requiring sterile preparation and close metabolic monitoring.

A dangerous shift of electrolytes, especially phosphate, potassium, and magnesium, after reintroducing nutrition to a malnourished person; prevented by starting low, advancing slowly, and supplementing thiamine and electrolytes.

A serious infection related to a central venous catheter, a key risk in parenteral nutrition; prevention relies on sterile technique, dedicated lines where possible, and prompt removal when no longer needed.

Introduction of safe, adequate solid and semi-solid foods alongside breast milk from about six months of age, timed to meet rising nutrient needs and developmental readiness for chewing and swallowing.

Feeding an infant only breast milk, with no other foods or fluids except prescribed medicines, for the first six months, which supports immunity, growth, and reduced infection risk.

A standardized reference plotting weight, length or height, and head circumference against age percentiles or z-scores, used to detect faltering growth, stunting, wasting, or obesity in children.

A preventive food safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards, sets control points with limits, and verifies monitoring so unsafe food is caught before it reaches patients or customers.

The temperature range roughly between 5 and 60 degrees Celsius in which bacteria multiply rapidly; holding food outside this range and controlling time are core controls in food service.

Transfer of harmful microbes or allergens from one food, surface, or utensil to another, prevented by color-coded boards, handwashing, separate storage, and allergen labeling in food service.

A client's voluntary agreement to a service or research participation after receiving understandable information about purpose, risks, benefits, and alternatives, documented according to policy and law.

The legally defined set of activities a dietitian is trained and authorized to perform, which guides when to act independently, consult, or refer to another health professional.

The ethical and legal duty to protect a client's personal and health information from unauthorized disclosure, with limited exceptions such as imminent harm or legally required reporting.

Working jointly with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and others to share assessment findings and coordinate care, which improves nutrition outcomes and reduces duplication or conflicting advice.

Clinical decision-making that combines the best available research, professional expertise, and client values and preferences, rather than relying on tradition or single studies alone.

A structured, preplanned synthesis of all relevant studies on a focused question, using explicit search and appraisal methods, often with meta-analysis to pool results and reduce bias.

Recommendations for care developed from systematic evidence review by a recognized body, intended to standardize and improve decisions while allowing professional judgment for individual cases.

Measurement of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to estimate energy expenditure and substrate use, the reference method when predictive equations may misjudge a critically ill patient's needs.

Surgical alteration of the stomach and sometimes intestine to produce weight loss; postoperative nutrition care focuses on protein, micronutrient supplementation, hydration, and avoiding dumping syndrome.

Softening of adult bones from defective mineralization, most often due to vitamin D deficiency, causing bone pain and weakness and relevant to dietitians managing malabsorption or limited sun exposure.