CDR RD key terms

Energy expended by the body at complete rest to maintain vital functions such as breathing, circulation, and cell production, measured under standardized conditions; it is usually the largest part of total energy expenditure.

Energy used to digest, absorb, transport, and metabolize nutrients after eating; it typically accounts for roughly 5 to 10 percent of total daily energy intake.

A ranking of carbohydrate-containing foods by how much they raise blood glucose in the two hours after eating, compared with a reference food such as glucose.

The difference between nitrogen taken in, mainly from dietary protein, and nitrogen lost in urine, feces, and sweat; positive during growth, negative with inadequate intake or catabolic stress.

The proportion of a nutrient in a food that is absorbed and available to the body for use or storage; influenced by food form, processing, and substances that inhibit or enhance absorption.

The essential amino acid present in a food in the smallest amount relative to human needs; it limits protein synthesis and therefore determines that food's protein quality.

Two or more plant foods eaten together whose amino acid patterns offset each other's shortfalls, so that together they supply adequate amounts of all essential amino acids.

The average daily nutrient intake estimated to meet the requirement of half of the healthy people in a given life-stage and sex group; used to assess group intake and to set the RDA.

The highest average daily nutrient intake likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects to almost all people in a group; it is a ceiling, not a recommended target.

The range of intake for an energy-yielding nutrient, expressed as a percentage of total calories, linked to reduced chronic disease risk while supplying adequate nutrients; for adults, carbohydrate is 45 to 65 percent.

Nondigestible food components, such as inulin and certain fibers, that are selectively fermented by beneficial bacteria in the colon and promote their growth or activity.

Naturally occurring plant compounds such as carotenoids and flavonoids that are not essential nutrients but may influence health and the risk of chronic disease.

A structured, comprehensive search for all studies on a focused question, with critical appraisal and often statistical pooling, to summarize the best available evidence.

A standardized four-step approach - nutrition assessment, nutrition diagnosis, nutrition intervention, and monitoring and evaluation - that dietitians use to deliver consistent, individualized care.

A structured nutrition diagnosis written as Problem related to Etiology as evidenced by Signs and symptoms, linking the identified nutrition problem to its cause and supporting data.

A dietary assessment in which a person reports everything eaten and drunk in the previous 24 hours; quick to administer but dependent on memory and not necessarily typical of usual intake.

A dietary assessment listing many foods and asking how often each was eaten over a set period, such as the past year; strong for ranking usual intake, weaker for portion detail.

A method that estimates resting energy expenditure from measured oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, usually with a metabolic cart; preferred when predictive equations may be inaccurate.

A predictive equation that estimates resting energy expenditure from weight, height, age, and sex; widely used for adults when indirect calorimetry is not available.

A potentially fatal shift of fluids and electrolytes, especially a sharp drop in phosphate, after nutrition is restarted in a malnourished person; prevented by starting slowly and monitoring electrolytes.

Delivery of nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract through a tube, such as nasogastric or gastrostomy, used when oral eating is inadequate but the gut still functions.

Providing nutrients intravenously, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, for people who cannot eat or absorb enough enterally; requires sterile technique and close metabolic monitoring.

Difficulty swallowing that can cause choking, aspiration, poor intake, and weight loss; managed with modified food textures, thickened liquids, and swallowing therapy.

The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative framework, which assigns numbered levels to food textures and drink thicknesses so dysphagia diets are described and prepared consistently across settings.

A collaborative, person-centered counseling style using open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries to help clients voice and strengthen their own reasons for change.

A behavior-change model describing movement through precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance; interventions are matched to the person's current stage of readiness.

A staffing measure equal to one full-time employee's scheduled hours, commonly 40 per week; part-time hours and overtime are converted to fractions to total the staffing needed.

A productivity ratio calculated by dividing meals served by paid labor hours; higher values mean labor is used more efficiently, although quality and service must also be judged.

The volume of sales at which total revenue exactly equals total costs, so profit is zero; sales above this point generate profit for the operation.

The difference between what was budgeted and what was actually earned or spent; managers investigate large variances to explain the cause and correct performance.

The percentage of employees who leave an organization and are replaced during a period; high turnover raises recruitment, training, and orientation costs.

A formal, periodic review of an employee's work against set standards, used to give feedback, plan development, and support pay or promotion decisions.

A preventive food safety system that identifies biological, chemical, and physical hazards and sets controls at the points in production where hazards must be prevented, eliminated, or reduced.

A step in food production where a control measure can be applied and is essential to prevent, eliminate, or reduce a food safety hazard to an acceptable level.

An inventory practice in which the oldest stock is used first, reducing spoilage and waste and helping keep food quality and safety within date limits.

A recipe with specified ingredients, quantities, procedures, equipment, yield, and portion size so that the same product turns out consistently each time it is made.

The quantity of food bought before any trimming, peeling, or cooking; comparing it with edible portion reveals trim loss and helps calculate the true cost per portion.

The amount of food that remains after bones, fat, peel, and other waste are removed; it is the amount available to serve and the basis for portion costing.

The transfer of harmful microorganisms from one food, surface, utensil, or hand to another, often occurring when raw animal foods contact ready-to-eat foods.