Enriched/fortified foods
foods to which nutrients have been added. If the starting material is whole, basic food (ex. Milk or whole grain), the result may be highly nutritious. If the starting material is a concentrated form of sugar or fat, the result may be less nutritious. Ex.
Functional foods
term that reflects an attempt to define as a group the foods known to possess nutrients or non-nutrients that might lead to protection against diseases. However, all nutritious foods can support health in some way. Ex. Carrots (eyesight).
Processed Foods
: foods subjected to any process, such as milling, alteration of textures, addition of additives, cooking, or others. Depending on the starting material and the process, a processed food may or may not be nutritious.
Six classes of nutrients
water, carbohydrate, fat (lipids), protein, vitamins, minerals
Essential Nutrients
the nutrients the body cannot make for itself (or cannot make fast enough) from other raw materials; nutrients that must be obtained from food to prevent deficiencies.
Nutrient density
foods that offer the most nutrients per calorie
Energy-yeilding nutrients
the nutrients the body can use for energy. They may also supply building blocks for body structures.
Organic/Inorganic Nutrients
: Organic compounds include only those made by living things and do not include carbon dioxide and a few carbon salts. Organic foods are understood to mean foods grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. In chemistry all foods are made mostly of
Calorie
units of energy; kilocalorie used to measure energy in foods; the amount of heat energy necessary to raise the temperature of one L/kg of water one degree Celsius
Blind experiment
the subjects do not know who among the members receives the treatment and who receives the placebo. In a double blind study neither the subjects nor the researchers know to which group members belong until the end of the experiment
Case Studies
studies of individuals. In clinical settings, researchers can observe treatments and their apparent effects. To prove that a treatment has produced an effect requires simultaneous observation of an untreated similar subject (a case control)
Control Group
a group of individuals who are similar in all possible respects to the group being treated in an experiment but who receive a sham treatment instead of the real one (control subjects, experimental group)
Correlation
the simultaneous change of two factors; direct/positive correlation, inverse/negative correlation; a correlation between two factors suggests that one may cause the other, but correlation ? causation
Epidemiological Studies
studies of populations; often used in nutrition to search for correlations between dietary habits and disease incidence; a first step in seeking nutrition-related causes of diseases
Experimental group
: the people or animals participating in an experiment who receive the treatment under investigation
Hypothesis
a tentative solution to the problem or answer to the question
Intervention Study (controlled clinical trial)
studies of populations in which observation is accompanied by experimental manipulation of some
Placebo
a sham treatment often used in scientific studies; an inert harmless medication. The placebo effect is the healing effect that the act of treatment, rather than the treatment itself, often has
Laboratory Study
study that is performed under tightly controlled conditions and are designed to pinpoint causes and effects. Such studies often use animals as subjects