Registered Dietitian (China) key terms

A ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods by how much they raise blood glucose over two hours after eating, compared with a reference food such as glucose or white bread. Low-GI foods are absorbed more slowly.

A measure combining a food's glycemic index with its actual carbohydrate content per serving. It better reflects real blood glucose impact than GI alone because portion size and carbohydrate amount are included.

Nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin from plants. Soluble fiber forms gels that slow glucose absorption and lower cholesterol; insoluble fiber adds bulk, speeds transit, and helps prevent constipation.

Fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate produced when gut bacteria ferment dietary fiber. They nourish colon cells, influence satiety and inflammation, and support intestinal barrier function.

The community of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms living in the digestive tract. It ferments fiber, synthesizes some vitamins, interacts with the immune system, and can be altered by diet and antibiotics.

The energy the body uses at complete rest to maintain breathing, circulation, cell function, and temperature. It is usually the largest component of total energy expenditure and is measured under strict resting conditions.

The sum of all calories burned daily: basal metabolism, physical activity, thermic effect of food, and, in children, growth. It determines energy needs and is estimated with equations or measured by indirect calorimetry.

The energy spent digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing nutrients, roughly 5-10% of intake. Protein has the highest cost, fat the lowest. It is one component of total daily energy expenditure.

A method estimating energy expenditure by measuring oxygen consumed and carbon dioxide produced. The respiratory quotient indicates whether carbohydrate, fat, or mixed fuel is being oxidized, guiding nutrition support in critically ill patients.

The ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed during metabolism. It is about 1.0 for pure carbohydrate, 0.7 for fat, and near 0.8 for mixed diet, helping assess fuel use and overfeeding.

The proportion of a nutrient eaten that is absorbed and available for body use. It depends on food form, inhibitors such as phytates, enhancers such as vitamin C, and individual absorption capacity.

A phosphorus storage compound in grains, legumes, and seeds that binds minerals such as iron, zinc, and calcium, reducing their absorption. Soaking, sprouting, fermenting, or adding vitamin C can lessen this effect.

The way one nutrient affects another's absorption, transport, or use. Examples include vitamin C enhancing non-heme iron uptake, calcium and iron competing, and vitamin D supporting calcium absorption.

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points: a preventive food safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards, sets control limits at key steps, monitors them, and documents corrective actions.

A step in food production where a control measure can prevent, eliminate, or reduce a significant hazard to an acceptable level, such as a cooking temperature or a chilling step monitored under HACCP.

Transfer of harmful microorganisms or chemicals from one food, surface, or utensil to another. Using separate cutting boards and washing hands and equipment prevent it, especially with raw meat and ready-to-eat foods.

Illness caused by eating food contaminated with pathogens, toxins, or chemicals. Common agents include Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus toxin, and norovirus. Prevention relies on temperature control and hygiene.

Live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit, such as certain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains. Evidence varies by strain and condition; they are not regulated as drugs.

Weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. It screens for underweight, overweight, and obesity at population level but does not distinguish fat from muscle or show fat distribution.

A measure of abdominal fat taken at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the iliac crest. High values indicate central obesity and increased cardiometabolic risk even when BMI is normal.

A method estimating body composition by passing a small current through the body and measuring resistance. Fat resists current more than lean tissue. Results are affected by hydration, recent exercise, and food intake.

An interview asking a person to list everything eaten and drunk in the past 24 hours, including amounts and preparation. It is quick and has low burden but depends on memory and may not represent usual intake.

A survey listing many foods and asking how often each is eaten over a period such as a month or year. It captures usual diet and is suited to large studies, but portion size and memory limit accuracy.

A prospective log in which a person weighs or estimates and records all foods and drinks consumed over one or more days. It reduces recall error but may change eating behavior and requires literacy and commitment.

A family of nutrient reference values including estimated average requirement, recommended dietary allowance, adequate intake, and tolerable upper intake level. They guide planning and assessing diets for healthy populations.

The daily nutrient intake estimated to meet the requirement of half of healthy people in a life-stage group. It is used to assess group adequacy and as the basis for calculating the recommended dietary allowance.

The highest average daily nutrient intake likely to pose no risk of adverse effects for almost all people in a group. Intakes above the UL increase risk of toxicity, as with vitamin A or selenium.

Nutrition assessment and individualized treatment by a qualified dietitian for a medical condition, such as diabetes or kidney disease. It includes counseling, a tailored plan, and follow-up to improve clinical outcomes.

Structured education helping people with diabetes build skills to manage glucose, food, activity, and medication. Dietitians often lead the nutrition portion, teaching carbohydrate awareness and problem-solving.

A multidisciplinary group, typically physician, dietitian, nurse, and pharmacist, that assesses and manages enteral and parenteral nutrition for patients who cannot meet needs orally, reducing complications and costs.

Delivery of liquid formula directly into the stomach or intestine through a tube when oral intake is inadequate but the gut works. It preserves gut function and carries lower infection risk than intravenous feeding.

Providing nutrients intravenously, bypassing the digestive tract, when the gut cannot be used or oral and enteral feeding fail. It requires careful monitoring for infection, glucose control, and electrolyte imbalance.

Ongoing, systematic collection and analysis of nutrition-related data, such as growth, anemia, and food intake, to monitor trends and guide public health action and program targeting.

Adding essential nutrients to commonly eaten foods to correct or prevent widespread deficiency. Examples include iodized salt, iron-fortified flour, and vitamin A-fortified oil; it is a population-level, low-cost strategy.

Planned activities that help people gain knowledge, skills, and motivation to choose healthy diets. Effective programs use behavior-change theory, are culturally tailored, and are evaluated for outcomes, not only knowledge gain.

Giving foods and liquids alongside breast milk from about 6 months, when milk alone no longer meets energy and nutrient needs. It should be timely, safe, and nutrient-dense, with continued breastfeeding to age 2.

Feeding an infant only breast milk, with no other food or drink except drops of vitamins, minerals, or medicine, for the first six months. It lowers infection risk and supports growth and development.

Regularly measuring a child's weight, length or height, and head circumference and plotting them on growth charts to detect faltering growth, overweight, or undernutrition and trigger early action.

Designing a cycle of meals that meets nutritional standards, budget, equipment, staff skill, and client preferences. It balances food groups, controls cost, and reduces waste in institutional food service.

A written formula stating exact ingredient quantities, yield, portion size, equipment, and method for a dish, so quality and cost stay consistent across batches and staff. It supports nutrient analysis and purchasing.

Managing purchasing, storage, production, and portioning to keep food cost within budget. Key tools include standardized recipes, inventory tracking, yield testing, and comparing actual with ideal cost percentages.

The boundaries of what a professional may legally and competently do, set by law, credential, and training. Dietitians advise on nutrition within these limits and refer beyond them.

A formal set of principles guiding professional conduct, such as beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, confidentiality, and avoiding conflicts of interest. It helps dietitians resolve dilemmas and maintain public trust.

A collaborative counseling style that strengthens a person's own motivation and confidence for change by exploring their values and ambivalence, rather than advising or persuading directly.

Systematically judging a study's validity, results, and relevance by checking design, bias, confounding, and effect size. It lets practitioners decide whether evidence is strong enough to change practice.

A study assigning participants randomly to an intervention or control group. Randomization balances known and unknown confounders, making it the strongest design for testing cause and effect, though blinding and dropout need scrutiny.

Combining the best available research with professional expertise and patient values and preferences. It requires appraising evidence, applying it to the individual, and monitoring outcomes rather than following habit or authority.