170 cards
Nutrition is the science of how food and its components affect the body, encompassing ingestion, digestion, absorption, and utilization of nutrients for growth, maintenance, and repair. At its core are macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats), needed in large amounts to provide energy and structural materials...
Carbohydrates are the body's primary energy source at 4 kcal/g, divided into simple sugars that digest quickly for fast energy and complex starches that release glucose more gradually for sustained activity. The glycemic index (GI) ranks how quickly a food raises blood sugar, with low GI (55 or below) like oats prefera...
Vitamins are organic compounds that regulate metabolism, support immunity, and act as antioxidants. The fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored in adipose tissue and liver, so excess intake raises toxicity risk; hypervitaminosis A causes liver damage and birth defects, while excess D leads to hypercalcemia and k...
Daily energy expenditure rests on three components: basal metabolic rate (BMR), which accounts for 60-75% and represents calories burned at rest for vital functions, calculated by the Harris-Benedict equation factoring age, sex, weight, and height; diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) or the thermic effect of food, represe...
A balanced diet provides adequate nutrients from all food groups in proper proportions, with MyPlate guidance recommending half the plate from fruits and vegetables, plus whole grains and lean proteins. Among well-studied patterns, the Mediterranean diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, olive oil, and...
The gut microbiome, comprising trillions of microbes, profoundly influences digestion, immunity, and even mood. Prebiotics, including selectively fermented substrates like inulin, FOS, GOS, and resistant starch, feed beneficial bacteria, while probiotics introduce live strains such as Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, an...