Fitness Terms: Nutrition

 Healthy means that the body is in good physical condition, meaning it has good strength, high energy levels, and is free from illness or damage.

Nourishing is to provide something with the substances to grow, live, and be healthy.

Nutrition is the process of getting nourishment, food and nutrients to stay healthy, grow, and replace tissues. A nutrient provides this nourishment.

Macronutrients are any nutrients required in large amounts, which are protein, carbs, fat and minerals (zinc, iron, magnesium, phosphorous).

Diet is usually a food or drink, or a special course of restricted intake of food for losing weight or medical maintenance.

Sugar is a sweet tasting carbohydrate that comes from plants, foods, grains and other sources. 

Glucose is a sugar, and it is an important energy source. Carbohydrates are broken down to glucose, the main source of fuel for all cells. 

You lose weight in the matter of how long it takes your body to break down glocose,etc.

Fructose is a sugar found in honey, fruits, roots, and vegetables. 

Sucrose is called table sugar, and consists of glucose and fructose. 

Glycogen acts as a storage system for a carbohydrate, and this is how the body stores glucose.

Blood sugar is the amount of glucose in the blood which is carried and delivered to cells to the energy can be used or stored. 

Simple carbohydrates taste sweet and the body can break quickly to glucose, which are fructose, lactose (milk) and sucrose.

Complex carbohydrates is a bunch of simple carbohydrates linked together, taking the body high effort to break into glucose, found in whole grains, beans, and vegetables.

Starch is a complex carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables and added to other foods to thicken them, but sometimes it is really easy to break starch down. 

A hormone is a chemical that gets transported by the blood/fluids to cells to cause some actions/have special effect.

Insulin is made by the pancreas, and causes muscles/organs/fat to get nutrients from food which is to be used or stored as body fat. 

An index lists information that allows for comparisons.

Glycemic index measures the effects of a carbohydrate on one's sugarlevel. Complex carbohydrates are slow on the index, whereas simple carbohydrates are high. Below 55 is low and above 70 is high. Glucose is 100. 

Grains are seeds of grasses used in many types of food.

Wheat is a plant producing grain.

White bread is made from wheat flour, but has grains removed so it bakes easier/last longer, but it turns the bread into a simple carbohydrate and kills nutrients.

Whole grains are foods without the grain nutrient removed.

Fiber is a carbohydrate found in fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains.

Fatty acids make up fat cells, which some are needed to build cells in the body. These are called essential fatty acids, which are alpha-linolenic acid and linolenic acid.