Health Claims - claims which connect food - or ingredients in
food - in the overall diet with a lowered risk of certain chronic medical problems. Severely monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), only health claims verified by scientific corroborative data are authorized on food labels. Since this information on food labels is not mandatory, a number of food products that match the established standards don`t publish a health claim on the food labels they provide.
Biodegradable - applies to any material that can be broken down into its constituent elements natural bacterial action - e.g., dissimilation (yielding energy for use by an organism or organisms), digestion (resulting in the formation of mineral and simpler organic compounds), and denitrification (the process of degrading nitrogenous compounds and releasing nitrogen). The breakdown of materials (chemicals) by biological micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi.
DV (Daily Value) - a term on food labels. DV`s are reference values created by the FDA to explain the amount of a nutrient used as the standard for labeling purposes. DV`s include two sets of recommendations - Daily Reference Values (DRVs) and Reference Daily Intakes (RDI`s).
Alveoli - tiny air sacs in the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged.
Catechins - a type of flavonoid found in tea (particularly green tea), which provides the health benefits of negating the adverse effects of free radicals and possibly reducing the risk of cancer.
Calorie Balance - the numeric value that computes the difference between the number of calories a person eats (calorie intake) and the number of calories that are burned (calorie expenditure). If the calories consumed equal the calories spent, people maintain their weight. Eating a larger number of calories than are used up causes weight gain. Burning more calories than are eaten causes losing weight.
Xenical - a diet drug that works on the gastrointestinal tract by blocking about a third of the fat eaten from being digested. (Also see `orlistat`.)
Listeria - any species belonging to the class called `Listeria`. Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium (that retains a violet stain when rinsed), present in more than thirty-seven mammalian species, and in seventeen classes of birds and perhaps certain kinds of fish and shellfish. The bacterium can live without soil, and can withstand heat, zero-degree temperatures, and dehydration. This bacterial species has been linked with foods like raw milk, cheese that is cured or ripened by biological curing agents (molds or yeast), ice-cream, unprocessed vegetables, poultry (both raw and cooked), uncooked meat, and fish (raw and smoked). In contrast to other pathogenic bacteria, such as salmonella, which can cause food-borne illnesses, listeria is able to survive and grow at temperatures as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius).
Asymptomatic - presenting no signs or symptoms of disease.
Alternative Agriculture - a range of technological and management options adopted by agricultural establishments striving to decrease expenses, protect health and environmental quality, and encourage the use of organic processes and biological interactions to achieve those objectives. These proposed systems cannot be unvaryingly applied across all agricultural goods or even across every section of the U.S.A. Practices such as these characteristically demand additional factual data, skilled labor, and time and management skills for each unit of production than standard farming.
Candida - an yeast-like fungal infection usually affecting female genitalia.
Metabolism - the physical and chemical processes by which substances are produced or transformed into energy or products by the living cells of the body. It includes the process of converting food and water into nutrients for the body`s use, and the use of those nutrients by those cells (to sustain life, grow, etc.). It is actually the entire set of all physical and chemical changes (biological processes) the body uses to build its molecular structures from nutrients (anabolism) and the breakdown of these nutrients to produce life-sustaining energy (catabolism). Disturbance of metabolism could result in an increase in weight. However, the majority of people exceed their ideal body weight because they ingest more calories than they expend, not because of disturbed metabolism.
Beta Cells - the insulin producing cells of the pancreas.
Nitrogen - a nonmetallic chemical element that makes up almost 80% of the atmosphere by volume, being a colorless, odorless, almost non-reactive diatomic gas present in several raw materials, as well as in all proteins. It is used in a wide variety of significant industrial products, such as fertilizers, TNT, nitric acid, and ammonia.
Renal Threshold - the blood glucose level above which glucose spills into the urine.
Bulimia Nervosa - a medical disorder characterized by compulsive binging on food (eating large amounts very quickly), accompanied by a feeling of being utterly out of control during the food encounter, and allowing body weight and shape to have an overpowering effect on one`s sense of self-esteem. There are two forms of the condition: purging and non-purging. In the first type, the individual regularly voids the body of the foods consumed by forcing him/herself to throw up the food eaten, or frequently misusing laxatives, diuretics, or even enemas. Alternatively, in the second type, the subject avoids putting on weight through rigorous dieting, going on periodic fasts, or excessive physical exercise. This binge eating before self-inflicted vomiting, and a sense of guilt, depression, and self-condemnation, is often also related to with another eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. Many times there is no appreciable weight loss and the disease may not be recognized as such until the person asks for help.
Sugar Alcohols - agents used to give foods a sweet flavor. Those frequently used instead of sugars include sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol. Many fruits and vegetables contain sugar alcohols naturally. They are also used in making some varieties of sugarless gum, jellies, jams, and hard candy. Apart from adding a sweet flavor, sugar alcohols also add texture, help foods stay moist, prevent browning when food is heated and provide a refreshingly cool `menthol-like` effect to the flavor of food. They provide 4 calories per gram, but are assimilated at a slow pace and only partially, and therefore need very little insulin (or none at all) during the metabolic process. Sugar alcohols do not lead to tooth decay because they are not broken down by microorganisms that contribute to cavities.
Cystitis - infection (usually bacterial) in the urinary bladder.
Anemia - a medical condition in which a deficiency in the size or number of red blood cells or the volume of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying pigment in red blood cells) they contain hampers the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the blood and the tissue cells. Most anemias are caused by a dietary deficiency in the nutrients that are necessary for the body`s normal production of red blood cells, primarily iron (a mineral essential to the formation of hemoglobin), vitamin B-12 (which plays an important role in energy metabolism), and folic acid (a B-complex vitamin). Other anemias are due to a variety of physical conditions, for example hemorrhage (significant and uncontrolled loss of blood), genetic abnormalities, long-term illnesses that can be controlled but not cured or negative effects of prescribed drugs.
Monounsaturated Fat - fat composed mostly of monounsaturated fatty acids (currently viewed as being `healthier` than other dietary fats). Fats present in foods are combinations of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. Monounsaturated fat is found in canola and peanut oil, olive oil and olives, seeds, avocados, and nuts. Consumption of food that includes higher levels of monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fats may help lower cholesterol and lower coronary heart disease health risks. Nevertheless, this fat has the identical caloric count as polyunsaturated and saturated fats, and could cause weight gain if not consumed in moderation.
Cyclamate - a low calorie artificial sweetener that is 30 times sweeter than sucrose, contains 0 calories, is heat stable, and works synergistically when combined with other sweetening agents. It is authorized as a tabletop sweetener in Canada and over fifty nations in Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa. Since 1970, however, cyclamate use has been banned in the U.S. based on a study, which implied that cyclamate could have a link with the development of cancer of the bladder in rats. Although seventy-five subsequent test studies have been unable to demonstrate that cyclamate is carcinogenic, the sweetener has yet to be re-authorized for use within the United States.
Plateau - achieving a level or duration of stability. People who have been following a diet can plateau at the time they have lost enough weight that their present, lower metabolic needs are equivalent to their caloric intake.
Monosaccharides - also referred to as simple sugars, they consist of only one sugar molecule and therefore cannot be broken down any further by hydrolysis (interaction with water). They form the foundation of more complex sugars.
