CNS key terms

A nutrient the body needs in large amounts to supply energy and building material: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Alcohol also yields energy but is not treated as an essential nutrient.

A vitamin or mineral required in small quantities for normal metabolism, growth, and regulation of body processes. Micronutrients supply no energy yet are essential for health and disease prevention.

The proportion of a nutrient consumed that is absorbed and made available to body tissues for use or storage. It depends on food form, absorption enhancers and inhibitors, and individual physiology.

A ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they raise blood glucose over about two hours compared with a reference food such as glucose or white bread.

The energy expended to maintain basic physiological functions while at rest, measured under standardized conditions. It is the largest component of total energy expenditure for most people.

The difference between nitrogen taken in, mainly from dietary protein, and nitrogen lost through urine, feces, and sweat. Positive balance indicates net protein gain; negative balance indicates net loss.

An amino acid the body cannot synthesize in adequate amounts and must obtain from food. Nine are essential for adults: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.

A naturally occurring plant compound that is not a classic nutrient but may influence health through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hormonal, or other biological actions.

A family of nutrient reference values from the National Academies that includes the RDA, EAR, AI, UL, and AMDR. They are used to assess and plan diets for healthy populations.

The range of intake for an energy-yielding nutrient, expressed as a percentage of total energy, that is associated with reduced chronic disease risk while supplying adequate essential nutrients.

A measurement of body size, proportion, or composition, such as height, weight, waist circumference, or skinfold thickness. Values are compared with reference standards to screen for malnutrition or overnutrition.

Laboratory measurement of nutrients, metabolites, enzymes, or related compounds in blood, urine, or tissue to detect deficiency, excess, or disease risk.

A structured interview in which a person reports all foods and beverages consumed during the previous 24 hours. It is quick and low burden but depends on memory and interviewer skill.

A survey asking how often and in what amounts a person usually consumes a defined list of foods, often over the past year. It captures habitual intake but relies on memory and estimation.

A clinical tool that combines medical history, weight change, dietary intake, gastrointestinal symptoms, functional capacity, and physical examination findings to classify nutritional status.

Weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. It screens weight status at the population level but does not directly measure body fat or body composition.

A systematic four-step framework of assessment, diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring and evaluation that guides nutrition practice and is paired with standardized terminology.

A clinical statement identifying and describing a specific nutrition problem that the practitioner is responsible for treating, distinct from a medical diagnosis and its associated disease.

A structured nutrition diagnosis sentence with three linked parts: Problem, the diagnostic label; Etiology, the cause or contributing factors; and Signs and Symptoms, the defining evidence.

A controlled vocabulary of defined terms for nutrition diagnoses, interventions, and monitoring indicators that allows consistent documentation and comparison of care across settings and practitioners.

The individualized recommendation of the nutrient intake, foods, or nutrition support a client should receive, specifying amount, route, frequency, and duration of the plan.

Nutrition care delivered by a qualified practitioner that uses assessment, individualized therapy, and counseling to treat a disease or condition, usually alongside medical treatment.

Provision of nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract by tube or by mouth when ordinary oral intake is inadequate. Common routes include nasogastric, gastrostomy, and jejunostomy feeding.

Intravenous delivery of nutrients when the gastrointestinal tract cannot be used or is insufficient, bypassing digestion and absorption entirely. It requires careful monitoring for infection and metabolic complications.

A collaborative, person-centered counseling style that helps clients explore and resolve ambivalence about behavior change, drawing out their own reasons rather than persuading or directing them.

A behavior-change framework describing stages of precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance, with interventions matched to the person's current stage of readiness.

The degree to which a person can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions and follow through on them.

A communication technique in which the client explains in their own words what they were taught, letting the practitioner confirm understanding and correct misunderstandings before ending the session.

The ability to recognize and respect cultural differences and to adapt communication and nutrition care to a client's values, beliefs, language, and food practices.

The ongoing, systematic review of nutrition indicators and outcomes to determine whether an intervention is meeting its goals and whether the plan should continue, be adjusted, or be discontinued.

A measurable marker chosen to assess nutrition status or the effect of an intervention, such as weight change, nutrient intake, or a laboratory value.

Making care decisions by integrating the best available research evidence, professional expertise, and the client's values, preferences, and circumstances.

A structured method of locating, critically appraising, and synthesizing all studies that address a focused question, sometimes combining results statistically in a meta-analysis.

A study in which participants are randomly assigned to an intervention or control group, reducing selection bias and supporting stronger causal conclusions than observational designs.

A structured format for turning a clinical uncertainty into a searchable question by specifying the Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome of interest.

The range of roles, activities, and responsibilities a practitioner is legally and professionally permitted to perform, based on licensure, education, training, and demonstrated competence.

Voluntary agreement to a service or to research participation after receiving understandable information about its purpose, risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to withdraw.

A situation in which a personal, financial, or professional interest could compromise, or appear to compromise, professional judgment or objectivity in practice, research, or teaching.