CHPLN key terms

The principle that nutritional needs vary with genetics, age, health status, medications, culture, and environment, so no single diet suits everyone and recommendations must be tailored to the person.

A dietary framework emphasizing minimally processed foods close to their natural state, such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and unprocessed animal or plant proteins.

The amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and beneficial compounds a food supplies relative to its energy content; nutrient-dense foods deliver more nutrition per calorie.

Energy from foods and drinks that provide little or no vitamins, minerals, fiber, or protein, typically from added sugars, refined starches, and solid fats.

The overall combination, variety, and frequency of foods and beverages consumed over time, assessed as a whole rather than as isolated nutrients or single foods.

Energy-yielding nutrients required in large amounts: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Alcohol also supplies energy but is not considered an essential macronutrient.

The building blocks of protein. Nine are essential and must come from food; others are conditionally essential when demand exceeds the body's ability to synthesize them.

A protein source supplying all nine essential amino acids in adequate amounts, typically animal foods and soy, though combining complementary plant foods can also meet requirements.

A measure of a protein's essential amino acid composition and digestibility, expressed through scoring systems such as PDCAAS and DIAAS that rate how well a food meets human needs.

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

A measure combining a food's glycemic index with its available carbohydrate content per serving, giving a more practical estimate of blood glucose impact than index alone.

Nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin from plants. Soluble fiber forms gels that slow glucose absorption and bind bile acids; insoluble fiber adds bulk and speeds transit.

Linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), which the body cannot synthesize and must obtain from food; they support membranes, inflammation regulation, and brain function.

Vitamins and minerals required in small amounts that enable energy metabolism, enzyme activity, immune defense, bone structure, and antioxidant protection without supplying calories.

The proportion of a nutrient consumed that is absorbed and available for physiological use, influenced by food form, competing compounds, gut health, and preparation methods.

Naturally occurring plant compounds such as phytates, lectins, and oxalates that can reduce mineral absorption or protein digestion; many are reduced by soaking, sprouting, or cooking.

The average daily intake level sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all healthy people in a given life-stage and sex group, set above the estimated average requirement.

The collective community of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaea living on and within the body, concentrated in the colon, where it influences digestion, immunity, and metabolism.

A disruption of the normal gut microbial community, marked by loss of diversity or overgrowth of harmful organisms, associated with digestive, immune, and metabolic symptoms.

Nondigestible substrates, such as inulin and resistant starch, that selectively feed beneficial gut microbes and are fermented into short-chain fatty acids in the colon.

Live microorganisms that, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit to the host; effects are strain-specific and depend on dose and viability.

Metabolites such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate produced when gut bacteria ferment fiber; they nourish colon cells, support barrier integrity, and modulate inflammation.

An informal term for increased intestinal permeability, where tight junctions between intestinal cells loosen and allow larger molecules to cross into circulation, potentially triggering inflammation.

The layered defense of mucus, epithelial cells joined by tight junctions, immune tissue, and microbial residents that regulates what passes from the gut lumen into the bloodstream.

A reduced responsiveness of muscle, fat, and liver cells to insulin, prompting higher insulin output to control blood glucose and often preceding type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

A cluster of findings including central obesity, elevated blood pressure, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and elevated fasting glucose that together raise cardiovascular and diabetes risk.

A calculated index of insulin resistance derived from fasting glucose and fasting insulin values; higher scores suggest reduced insulin sensitivity and warrant clinical follow-up.

A blood measurement of insulin after an overnight fast; elevated values can signal insulin resistance before fasting glucose rises above the reference range.

A pituitary hormone that signals the thyroid to produce thyroid hormones; elevated levels usually suggest underactive thyroid function and low levels suggest overactivity.

A glucocorticoid hormone released by the adrenal cortex in a daily rhythm and in response to stress; it raises blood glucose and influences immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular function.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal communication loop that governs cortisol release and the stress response, and which can be dysregulated by chronic psychological or physiological stress.

A structured evaluation using dietary intake, anthropometrics, biochemical markers, clinical signs, and history to identify nutrient gaps and guide individualized recommendations.

A dietary assessment method in which a client reports everything eaten in the previous day; quick to administer but limited by memory and day-to-day intake variation.

A dietary assessment tool asking how often specific foods are consumed over weeks or months, useful for capturing habitual intake patterns rather than single-day snapshots.

A measurable biological indicator, such as a blood nutrient level or enzyme activity, used to assess nutritional status, disease risk, or response to dietary intervention.

The percentage of EPA and DHA in red blood cell membranes, used as a biomarker of long-term omega-3 status and associated with cardiovascular risk.

A planned eating pattern modified in composition, texture, or timing to manage a diagnosed condition, such as low-FODMAP for irritable bowel syndrome or low-sodium for hypertension.

A structured trial that removes suspected trigger foods, observes symptom change, then reintroduces items systematically to identify intolerances; requires careful planning to prevent nutrient gaps.

A non-immunoglobulin-E reaction to food, such as lactose intolerance or amine sensitivity, producing symptoms that are often dose-dependent and slower in onset than true allergy.

An eating pattern emphasizing vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, fish, and moderate dairy, with limited processed foods and red meat, linked to cardiometabolic benefit.

A standardized reference describing a medicinal plant's parts used, active constituents, traditional and evidence-based indications, typical doses, contraindications, and safety data.

A botanical preparation adjusted so a named marker compound or group reaches a consistent percentage, improving reproducibility of dose and effect across batches.

A change in drug absorption, metabolism, or effect caused by a botanical, often through cytochrome P450 enzymes, transporters, or additive pharmacological action.

A plant category claimed to help the body resist and recover from stress with minimal side effects; examples include ashwagandha and rhodiola, though evidence quality varies.

A collaborative, person-centered counseling style that explores and strengthens a client's own reasons for change, using open questions, affirmation, reflection, and summarizing.

A behavior-change model describing progression through precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and possible relapse, with interventions matched to the current stage.

A goal-setting framework requiring objectives to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, which improves follow-through in nutrition and lifestyle coaching.

Techniques such as meditation, breathwork, yoga, and progressive relaxation that use mental focus to influence physiological stress responses, sleep, and health behaviors.

The legally defined boundaries of what a practitioner may do, based on training, licensure, and jurisdiction, including which assessments and recommendations are permitted.

The assessment and therapeutic diet treatment of a disease provided by a licensed dietitian; typically outside the legal scope of a holistic nutrition practitioner without that credential.

A client's voluntary agreement to services after receiving clear information about methods, expected benefits, risks, alternatives, fees, and confidentiality, documented before care begins.

Directing a client to a qualified professional, such as a physician or dietitian, when needs exceed the practitioner's training, scope, or the limits of available evidence.