Hlth 198: Chapter 8 Vocab

The science of food and how the body uses it in health and disease

Substances the body must get from foods because it cannot manufacture them at all or fast enough to meet its needs. These nutrients include proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and water

An essential nutrient required by the body in relatively large amounts

An essential nutrient required by the body in minute amounts

The process of breaking down foods in the gastrointestinal tract into compounds the body can absorb

A measure of energy content in food; 1 kilocalorie represents the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 liter of water 1 degree Celsius, commonly referred to as calorie

An essential nutrient; a compound made of amino acids that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen

The building blocks of proteins

Vegetables such as peas and beans that are high in fiber and are also important sources of protein

A process by which hydrogens are added to unsaturated fats, increasing the degree of saturation and turning liquid oils into solid fats. Hydrogenation produces a mixture of saturated fatty acids and standard and trans forms of unsaturated fatty acids

A type of unsaturated fatty acid produced during the process of hydrogenation; trans fats have an atypical shape that affects their chemical activity

A waxy substance found in the blood and cells and needed for synthesis of cell membranes, vitamin D, and hormones

Blood fat that transports cholesterol to organs and tissues; excess amounts result in the accumulation of fatty deposits on artery walls

Blood fat that helps transport cholesterol out of the arteries, thereby protecting against heart disease

Polyunsaturated fatty acids commonly found in fish oils that are beneficial to cardiovascular health