August 26, 2008

The ABC of Food & Nutrition

Alcohol: Lot of calories (Add ice to cut down on calories). Drink less.

Bulimia Nervosa: An eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating followed by compensatory behavior like purging.

Calorie: The basic unit of measuring energy content of a particular food. One calories is very tiny amount hence food calories are generally expressed as kilocalorie (Kcal)

Diet Colas: These are low calories due to the use of artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Endorphins: Feel good chemicals produced by brain during strenuous exercise or excitement. Foods which are high in fat and sugar can also be trigger endorphin production.

Fortified Food: Food which has been enchanced with nutrient /s to help prevent/treat a disease, like iron fortified breakfast cereals.

Gluten Intolerance: A condition where body can not tolerate glutten, a protein found in wheat, rye and some other cereals. There is no cure for the condition and the solution is to avoid gluten based food items.

High Protein Diets: A popular way to loose weight. They do give results but are harmful for kidney and liver as consumption of excess protein increases the workload on these organs.

Jams: Developed in ancient time as mean of preserving fruits. A good energy source. Over consumption can cause weight gain.

Kohlrabi: Also know as knol knol. It has high content of Vit, potassium, fibre, and cancer preventing antioxidants.

Lemons and limes: Good source of Vitamin C.

Mineral Water: Originating from a natural underground spring and should contain atleast 500 mg of minerals per litre.

Nuts: Peanuts, cashew nuts, walnuts etc are rich in Vitamin E, calcium, zinc, and some B vitamins. Drawback includes high fat and calorie content.

Organic Foods: Differ from normal foods only in a way they are grown i.e. in a pesticide free environment. Research shows that organic foods may not necessarily be nutritionally better than regular foods.

Parboiled Rice: Rice which has been subjected to boiling before milling.

Quercetin: A powerful antioxidant found in apple peel, cherries and grapes, known for its cancer and heart diseases preventing abilities.

Raisins: Its take around 2 Kg of fresh grapes to produce 500 gm of raisins. They are concentrated source of calories.


Salt Substitutes: These have potassium entirely or partly replacing sodium. Not recommended for people suffering from kidney ailments.

Thyroid Gland: Two disorder of this gland affecting weight are hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

Ulcers: One of the main ways to control the problem is to avoid foods which trigger pain. Common trigger include coffee, alcohol, chocolate, pepper etc.

Vitamins: The word was coined by a polish doctor in 1912 and means Vital Amines, where amines are nitrogen compounds.

Women’s Nutrients: Calcium, iron and folate which have to be included in a women’s daily diet.

Xylitol: Sweeter used in chewing gums. Chewing a gum sweeten with it for 5 minutes after meal is said to prevent cavities.

Yoghurt: Good source of probiotics which are good bacteria known to promote
healthy intestines and boost the immune system.

Zone diet: A fad diet which advocates consumption of calories from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Not considered safe.

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