XIV Glossary
Open Resources for Nursing (Open RN)
Body Mass Index (BMI): A measure of weight categories including underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese taking height and weight into consideration. (Chapter 14.3)
Calorie-dense foods: Foods with a substantial amount of calories and few nutrients. (Chapter 14.2)
Carbohydrates: Sugars and starches that provide an important energy source, providing 4 kcal/g of energy. (Chapter 14.2)
Chemical digestion: Breakdown of food with stomach acids, bile, and pancreatic enzymes for nutrient release. (Chapter 14.3)
Complete proteins: Proteins with enough amino acids in enough quantities to perform necessary functions such as growth and tissue maintenance. These must be ingested in the diet. (Chapter 14.2)
Complex carbohydrates: Larger molecules of polysaccharides that break down more slowly and release sugar into the bloodstream more slowly than simple carbohydrates. (Chapter 14.2)
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Set requirements or limit amounts of a certain nutrient, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. (Chapter 14.2)
Dysphagia: Difficulty swallowing. (Chapter 14.2)
Enteral nutrition: Liquid nutrition given through the gastrointestinal tract via a tube while bypassing chewing and swallowing. (Chapter 14.3)
Essential nutrients: Nutrients that must be ingested from dietary intake. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized by the body. (Chapter 14.2)
Fat-soluble vitamins: Vitamins that dissolve in fats and oils and are stored in fat tissue and can build up in the liver, resulting in toxicity. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. (Chapter 14.2)
Fats: Fatty acids and glycerol that are essential for tissue growth, insulation, energy source, energy storage, and hormone production. Fats provide 9 kcal/g of energy. (Chapter 14.2)
Glycemic index: A measure of how quickly glucose levels increase in the bloodstream after carbohydrates are consumed. (Chapter 14.2)
Incomplete proteins: Proteins that do not contain enough amino acids to sustain life. Incomplete proteins can be combined with other types of proteins to add to amino acids consumed to form complete protein combinations. (Chapter 14.2)
Lactation: Breast milk production. (Chapter 14.3)
Macrominerals: Minerals needed in larger amounts and measured in milligrams, grams, and milliequivalents. (Chapter 14.2)
Macronutrients: Nutrients needed in larger amounts due to energy needs. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. (Chapter 14.2)
Mastication: The chewing of food in the mouth. (Chapter 14.2)
Mechanical digestion: Breaking food down into small chunks through chewing prior to swallowing. (Chapter 14.2)
Nitrogen balance: The net loss or gain of nitrogen excreted compared to nitrogen taken into the body in the form of protein consumption; an indicator of protein status where a negative nitrogen balance equates to a protein deficit in the diet and a positive nitrogen balance equates to a