Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Nutrition and Dietetics flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Definition of nutrition

The science that interprets the interaction of nutrients and other substances in food in relation to maintenance, growth, reproduction, health and disease of an organism.

Atwater energy factors

Metabolisable energy values used in diet calculations: carbohydrate 4 kcal/g, protein 4 kcal/g, fat 9 kcal/g, alcohol 7 kcal/g and dietary fibre about 2 kcal/g.

Five food groups

Cereals and millets; pulses and legumes; milk and meat products; fruits and vegetables; fats and sugars. Each group contributes a characteristic set of nutrients to the diet.

Cereal-pulse combination

Cereals are limiting in lysine and pulses in methionine; eaten together they complement each other and raise the biological value of the protein mixture.

Food guide pyramid

A triangular teaching tool with cereals at the broad base and fats and sugars at the narrow apex, showing that bulky staple foods should be eaten most and energy-dense fats least.

Balanced diet

A diet that supplies energy and all essential nutrients in correct proportions, together with adequate fibre and water, and is palatable, affordable and culturally acceptable.

Glycaemic index

The rise in blood glucose produced by a fixed amount of available carbohydrate in a food, expressed as a percentage of the rise produced by a reference food.

Essential amino acids

Amino acids the body cannot synthesise in adequate amounts and must obtain from food: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

Trans fatty acids

Unsaturated fatty acids with a trans double bond, formed during partial hydrogenation of oils. They raise LDL cholesterol, lower HDL cholesterol and increase cardiovascular risk.

Biological value of protein

The proportion of absorbed nitrogen that is retained by the body. Egg and milk proteins have high biological value; most cereal proteins have low biological value.

Night blindness

Inability to see in dim light, an early and reversible sign of vitamin A deficiency caused by reduced rhodopsin formation in the retinal rods.

Pellagra

Niacin (vitamin B3) deficiency disease characterised by the three Ds: dermatitis on sun-exposed skin, diarrhoea and dementia, often with a fourth D, death.

Haem versus non-haem iron

Haem iron from meat, fish and poultry is absorbed efficiently; non-haem iron from plants is poorly absorbed and needs vitamin C or an animal protein to enhance absorption.

Respiratory quotient

Ratio of carbon dioxide produced to oxygen consumed during metabolism. It is about 1.0 for carbohydrate, 0.7 for fat and 0.85 for a mixed diet.

Thermic effect of food

The energy cost of digesting, absorbing, transporting and storing nutrients, roughly 10% of total energy expenditure and highest for protein-rich meals.

Basal metabolic rate

Energy expended at complete rest, awake, 12-14 hours after eating, in a thermoneutral environment. It forms about 60-70% of total daily energy expenditure.

Recommended dietary allowance

The average daily intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97-98%) healthy individuals in a particular life-stage and sex group.

Physical activity level

A multiplier of basal metabolic rate used to estimate total energy expenditure: about 1.4 for sedentary, 1.7 for moderately active and 2.0-2.4 for heavy work.

Body mass index

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Asian cut-offs classify underweight below 18.5, normal 18.5-22.9, overweight 23-24.9 and obese 25 or more.

Mid-upper-arm circumference

A rapid anthropometric screening measure for acute malnutrition in children aged 1-5 years; a value below 11.5 cm indicates severe acute malnutrition.

Kwashiorkor

Protein-energy malnutrition with oedema, moon face, enlarged fatty liver, skin changes and low serum albumin, usually in children aged 1-3 years after weaning.

24-hour dietary recall

A dietary assessment method in which the respondent lists all foods and drinks consumed in the previous 24 hours, with amounts estimated using household measures.

Food exchange list

Groups of foods of similar energy and macronutrient content; one portion from a group can replace another in the same group without changing the diet's nutrient value.

Clear liquid diet

A diet of transparent fluids such as clear broth, strained juice, tea and oral rehydration solution, used before surgery or in acute illness; it is low in energy and protein.

Dietary approaches to hypertension

Restrict sodium to 1.5-2.3 g/day, increase potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, choose low-fat dairy and whole grains, reduce alcohol and achieve weight control.

Oral rehydration solution

A glucose-electrolyte drink used in diarrhoea. The standard WHO litre contains 2.6 g sodium chloride, 2.9 g potassium chloride, 13.5 g glucose and 3.5 g trisodium citrate.

Pasteurisation

Heat treatment of food, commonly 63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or 72 degrees Celsius for 15 seconds, which kills vegetative pathogens but not bacterial spores.

Water activity

The availability of water in a food for microbial growth. Reducing water activity by drying, salting or adding sugar inhibits bacteria, moulds and yeasts.

Food adulteration

The addition of inferior, harmful or unauthorised substances to food, such as metanil yellow in turmeric, starch in milk or sawdust in chilli powder, to increase profit.

Integrated Child Development Services

India's programme providing supplementary nutrition, growth monitoring, immunisation, health check-up and pre-school education to children under six, pregnant and lactating women.

Iodised salt

Salt fortified with potassium iodate or iodide to prevent iodine deficiency disorders; it should retain at least 15 ppm iodine at the consumer level when correctly stored.

Consumption unit

A scale value used to express household food intake per adult equivalent: sedentary adult man 1.0, adult woman 0.9, child 1-3 years 0.6 and adolescent boy 1.2.