Karnataka II PUC Home Science (KSEAB) key terms

A diet supplying all essential nutrients in the proportions and amounts the body needs for health, growth and activity, drawn from a variety of food groups rather than a single source.

Five broad categories used in Indian nutrition planning: cereals and millets, pulses and legumes, milk and meat products, fruits and vegetables, and fats and sugars. Grouping foods helps plan varied, balanced meals.

A table grouping foods of similar energy and nutrient content so that one item can be swapped for another in measured portions, allowing variety while keeping a diet plan's nutrient value unchanged.

The nine amino acids the human body cannot synthesise in adequate amounts and must obtain from food; their presence in suitable proportions determines a protein's quality.

Two or more protein foods eaten together whose limiting amino acids offset each other, such as cereal with pulse, giving a mixture of higher biological value than either food alone.

How well a protein food supplies essential amino acids in amounts and proportions matching human needs; judged by measures such as biological value, net protein utilisation or protein efficiency ratio.

Illness caused by an inadequate intake or absorption of one or more nutrients over time, for example anaemia from iron lack or beriberi from thiamine lack.

Deliberately adding one or more micronutrients to a commonly eaten food during processing so that a population's intake rises, such as iodine in salt or iron in wheat flour.

Enlargement of the thyroid gland, commonly caused by insufficient iodine in the diet; prevented by using iodised salt and eating iodine-rich foods such as sea fish.

The energy a person spends at complete rest, awake, in a comfortable warm environment and after fasting, to maintain breathing, circulation, cell activity and body temperature.

A multiplier expressing how much a person's total daily energy expenditure exceeds resting expenditure, classified as sedentary, moderate or heavy activity for planning energy needs.

The average dietary energy intake needed to maintain body size, composition and a necessary level of physical activity consistent with good health for a person of given age and sex.

The indigestible carbohydrate components of plant foods, including cellulose and gums, that add bulk, aid bowel movement and help control blood cholesterol and glucose.

The measured amount of a food served or eaten at one time, expressed in household measures or grams; controlling it is central to planning energy-appropriate diets.

Treating food to slow spoilage by microorganisms and enzymes, using methods such as drying, salting, canning, refrigeration, freezing, pickling or adding preservatives, so it stays safe and usable longer.

Deterioration of food in colour, flavour, texture or safety caused by microbial growth, enzyme action, oxidation or physical damage, making it unfit or unsafe to eat.

Adding, removing or substituting a substance in food so its quality or nature is reduced or misrepresented, such as mixing starch into milk powder or colouring old pulses.

Practices that keep food free from harmful contamination at every stage of handling, preparation and storage, including clean hands, safe water, covered storage and pest control.

Deciding in advance what foods to serve at each meal, in what quantities and combinations, to meet nutritional needs, suit the family's budget and use seasonal, available foods.

Gradually introducing semi-solid and solid foods alongside breast milk from about six months of age, so the infant's growing nutrient needs are met while breastfeeding continues.

Extra foods given to infants and young children in addition to breast milk, starting with soft mashed cereals, pulses and vegetables, increasing variety and texture as the child grows.

A graph plotting a child's weight or height against age, compared with reference values, so parents and health workers can detect faltering growth or malnutrition early.

The stages a family passes through, from newly married couple to child-rearing, launching children and later years, each stage bringing different housing, income and care needs.

Planning and using a family's resources, such as time, money, energy and skills, to reach its goals with least waste and greatest satisfaction for members.

Reorganising a task to reduce effort, time and fatigue by removing unnecessary steps, combining operations, improving layout and using convenient tools, especially in household work.

Planning and controlling how hours and minutes are spent, by listing tasks, setting priorities, grouping similar jobs and scheduling them realistically to reduce stress and wasted effort.

A written plan that estimates expected income and allocates it to fixed, flexible and discretionary expenses over a period, helping a family live within its means.

The part of income deliberately set aside and not spent on current consumption, kept for emergencies, future goals or investment, ideally through safe and accessible channels.

The protections the law gives buyers, such as the right to safety, information, choice, being heard and redressal for defective goods or poor services.

Laws, agencies and consumer action that guard buyers against unfair trade practices, false advertising, adulteration and defective goods, and provide ways to complain and obtain compensation.

A quasi-judicial forum set up under consumer protection law where a buyer can file a complaint against a seller or service provider and seek replacement, refund or compensation.

A fine, thread-like substance long enough and strong enough to be spun into yarn; classified as natural (cotton, silk, wool) or man-made (rayon, polyester).

A continuous strand made by twisting together fibres or filaments, whose twist and thickness affect the strength, smoothness and appearance of the fabric woven or knitted from it.

The way yarns are arranged to make cloth, mainly by weaving two sets of yarns at right angles, by knitting interlocking loops, or by bonding fibres into non-woven sheets.

Giving colour to fibre, yarn or fabric by treating it with a dye that binds to the material, chosen to suit the fibre type and to give even, fast colour.

Symbols or instructions attached to a garment stating how it should be washed, dried and ironed, helping the user clean it without shrinking, fading or damaging the fabric.

Immediate, temporary care given to an injured or suddenly ill person before professional help arrives, aimed at preserving life, preventing worsening and promoting recovery.

An illness caused by a pathogen that can pass from one person, animal or object to another, directly or through air, water, food, vectors or contact.

Protecting a person from a disease by giving a vaccine so the body develops its own defence, either before exposure or soon after, as in the national immunisation schedule.