Glossary

Macronutrients

Carbohydrate — One of three macronutrients. The body's primary energy source. Found in grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and sugars. Complex carbs (whole grains, vegetables) digest slowly; refined carbs (white bread, sugar) digest quickly.

Fat (dietary) — One of three macronutrients. Provides energy, absorbs vitamins, and supports brain function. Includes unsaturated (healthy), saturated (moderate), and trans fats (avoid).

Fiber — A type of carbohydrate that the body can't digest. Feeds beneficial gut bacteria, promotes satiety, regulates blood sugar, and supports digestive health. Found in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Macronutrients — Nutrients needed in large amounts: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. They provide calories (energy).

Protein — One of three macronutrients. Builds and repairs tissues, creates enzymes and hormones, supports immune function. Found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and soy.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients — Vitamins and minerals needed in smaller amounts but essential for bodily functions. Includes vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K, and minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc.

Phytonutrients — Beneficial compounds found in plants that aren't essential vitamins or minerals but support health. Includes flavonoids, carotenoids, and polyphenols. Responsible for the colors in fruits and vegetables.

Energy and Metabolism

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) — The number of calories your body burns at complete rest to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulation, and cell production.

Calorie — A unit of energy. Technically a kilocalorie (kcal). The energy your body extracts from food and uses for all functions.

Caloric deficit — Consuming fewer calories than your body burns, resulting in the body using stored energy (fat) to make up the difference.

Caloric surplus — Consuming more calories than your body burns, resulting in excess energy being stored.

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) — The total number of calories you burn in a day, including BMR plus activity. Your maintenance calorie level.

Thermic effect of food — The energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and process nutrients. Protein has the highest thermic effect (~20-30%), followed by carbs (~5-10%) and fat (~0-3%).

Dietary Terms

Added sugars — Sugars added to food during processing, as opposed to sugars naturally present in whole foods like fruit or milk.

Glycemic index (GI) — A scale ranking carbohydrate foods by how quickly they raise blood sugar. Low GI foods (most whole foods) raise blood sugar gradually. High GI foods (refined carbs, sugar) cause rapid spikes.

Omega-3 fatty acids — Essential fatty acids found in fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseed. Anti-inflammatory and important for brain and heart health.

Saturated fat — Fat that's solid at room temperature, found in animal products and tropical oils. Associated with increased LDL cholesterol when consumed in excess.

Trans fat — Artificially created fat (partially hydrogenated oils) strongly linked to heart disease. Largely banned but still found in some processed foods.

Ultra-processed food — Food products made primarily from industrial ingredients and additives, with little to no whole food content. Associated with overeating and poor health outcomes.

Unsaturated fat — Fat that's liquid at room temperature. Includes monounsaturated (olive oil, avocado) and polyunsaturated (fish oil, nuts). Generally health-promoting.

Dietary Approaches

Intermittent fasting — An eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. Not about what you eat but when.

Ketogenic (keto) — A very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet that shifts the body's primary fuel source from glucose to fat (ketones).

Mediterranean diet — An eating pattern emphasizing olive oil, fish, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes. The most well-studied and widely recommended dietary pattern.

Paleo — A diet based on foods presumed to have been available to Paleolithic humans: meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, while excluding grains, legumes, dairy, and processed foods.

Plant-based — A dietary approach emphasizing foods from plant sources while reducing or eliminating animal products.

Eating Behavior

Emotional eating — Using food to manage emotions rather than physical hunger. Common triggers include stress, boredom, sadness, and anxiety.

Mindful eating — Paying deliberate attention to the experience of eating — taste, texture, hunger, and satisfaction — rather than eating on autopilot.

Satiety — The feeling of fullness and satisfaction after eating. Protein and fiber promote greater satiety than refined carbohydrates or fat.

Food Labeling

Daily Value (DV) — Reference amounts of nutrients based on a 2,000-calorie diet, displayed as percentages on nutrition labels.

Serving size — The standard portion used on a nutrition label. All listed values (calories, nutrients) are per serving, not per package.

Whole grain — A grain that contains all three parts of the kernel (bran, germ, endosperm). Retains fiber, vitamins, and minerals removed during refining.