Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z
Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z examines the relationship between food and health on a
historical, national and personal level. It analyzes how nutrition has affected
quality of life ,
health and
fitness in various countries at different times in history.
Additives are defined by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as "any substance, the...
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Adolescence is the transition period between childhood and adulthood, a time of life that begins at ...
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The science of is dedicated to learning about foods that the human body requires at different stage...
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The 2000 U.S. Census revealed that there were almost 35 million African Americans, or about 13 perce...
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Africa, the second largest continent in the world, is rich in geographic and cultural . It is a land...
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Aging Americans will make up an unprecedented proportion of the population as the 78 million baby bo...
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Alcohol is a central-nervous-system depressant that affects judgment, coordination, and inhibition. ...
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Food affect approximately 3 percent of children and 1 percent of adults in the United States. It is...
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Alternatives to conventional medical care are increasingly popular in the United States, and their g...
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The American Dietetic Association (ADA) was founded in 1917, and its stated mission is to "promote o...
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The American Public Health Association (APHA) is an association of individuals and organizations wor...
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The American School Food Service Association (ASFSA), founded in 1946, is dedicated to ensuring that...
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The American School Health Association (ASHA) was founded in 1927 by physicians who were members of ...
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are the building blocks of . The body has twenty different amino acids that act as these building b...
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affects more than 30 percent of the world's population, and it is one of the most important worldwi...
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is an characterized by an extreme reduction in food intake leading to potentially life-threatening...
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The term refers to comparative measurements of the body. Anthropometric measurements are used in nu...
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Americans spend several billion dollars a year on in an effort to improve their health. Science has...
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Why do many people desire ice cream and pie or some other rich dessert after eating a huge Thanksgiv...
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The term is used to describe several diseases, including those involving the blood vessels. In thi...
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Artificial sweeteners may assist in weight management, prevention of dental , and control of blood ...
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Asian Americans represent a large and rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population. According to t...
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With forty-seven countries, innumerable tribes, and thousands of distinct languages, Asia is home to...
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Macrovascular disease, or , is the cause of more than half of all mortality in developed countries a...
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Baby bottle tooth decay occurs in young children when their teeth or gums are exposed to infant form...
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The Western Health Reform Institute, which opened in 1866, was originally a residence belonging to B...
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The German word translates as "foods other than milk or formula." It refers to the first strained f...
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Thiamin, or vitamin B, is a vitamin that plays a role in production (through the synthesis of aden...
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Beta-carotene is the most active of the deeply colored pigments called . After consumption, beta-car...
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Bezoars are balls of undigested materials, , and undissolved medicines that resist the action of dig...
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(BED), also known as compulsive overeating, has been designated as a psychiatric disorder requiring...
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A nutrient's is the proportion of the nutrient that, when ingested, actually gets absorbed by the b...
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The term refers to the use of scientific techniques, including engineering, to improve or modify p...
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accumulation is referred to as body fat distribution. For individuals with (apple-shaped) distribu...
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The term refers to the view that a person has of his or her own body size and proportion. Body-imag...
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Body weight is used as an indicator of an individual's health. It is usually compared to tables that...
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Before 1900, most mothers breastfed their infants. Breastfeeding rates declined sharply worldwide af...
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nervosa is an characterized by frequent episodes of eating, which are followed by purging to prev...
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Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in the leaves, seeds, or fruit of over sixty plant...
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is one of the most important elements in the because it is a structural component of bones, teeth,...
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Technically, a is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram (kg) of water 1 ...
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is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. Around the worl...
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are one of three macronutrients that provide the body with ( and fats being the other two). The ch...
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The system comprises the heart, veins, , and capillaries, which carry blood back and forth from the...
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The science and profession of and dietetics is based on the application of foods and nutrition to p...
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Travel advertisements for the Caribbean Islands portray long stretches of sun-drenched beaches and s...
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are a group of red and yellow fat-soluble compounds that pigment different types of plants, such as...
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The diets of peoples in Mexico and Central America (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Bel...
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A health gap separates Central and Eastern Europe from the United States, Canada, Japan, and the Wes...
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There have always been children. Historically, chubby babies and toddlers were more likely to survi...
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When students first enter college, their diets often deteriorate and they often gain weight. There a...
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) administers several programs that distribute comm...
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The Comprehensive School Health Program (CSHP) is a national program in the United States that makes...
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Convenience foods are foods that have had preparation steps incorporated into their processing, or h...
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Maize, the American Indian word for corn, literally means "that which sustains life." After wheat an...
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Most people, at some time, have a strong desire for some particular food, such as ice cream or pizza...
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Despite notable progress in the overall health of Americans, there are continuing disparities in hea...
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is the excessive loss of water from the body. Water can be lost through urine, sweat, feces, respir...
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mellitus is a common disorder resulting from defects in action, insulin production, or both. Insu...
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Diarrhea, a condition that has a major impact on global health, is highly correlated with nutritiona...
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The term refers to a person's pattern of eating and drinking. Diet is influenced by many factors, i...
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A dietary assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of a person's food intake. It is one of four part...
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The Dietary Guidelines for Americans are the foundation of national policy for the United States. T...
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Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) are a set of reference values. They are used to help people select...
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The demand for dietary supplements in the United States catapulted what was once a cottage industry ...
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Americans have become more aware of what they eat, and how it might affect their health. Concerns ab...
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What foods an individual eats is affected by the ability to access foods. Economic status, geography...
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A dietetic technician, registered (DTR) is a professional who is knowledgeable about food, , and th...
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Dietetics is the study of food, food science, and nutrition, and of the interactions of food and in...
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The term refers to restrictive eating or nutritional remedies for conditions such as iron-deficienc...
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A dietitian is a professional nutritionist—an educated food and specialist who is qualified by tr...
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Digestion is the breakdown of food into smaller particles or individual . It is accomplished through...
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Natural disasters, as well as some human-caused disasters, lead to human suffering and create needs ...
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Eating disorders affect both the mind and the body. Although deviant eating patterns have been repor...
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An eating disturbance shares many similar characteristics with eating disorders, but is less severe ...
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The term (or ) refers to why and how people eat, which foods they eat, and with whom they eat, as w...
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The Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) is a network of humanitarian agencies and researchers that sup...
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Ergogenic aids are dietary supplements intended to enhance athletic performance. Athletes often look...
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Prior to the development of exchange lists in 1950, meal planning for persons in the United States w...
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More than 28 percent of Americans are completely (they engage in no physical activity), with an add...
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Individuals with an exercise addiction are characterized by their compulsive exercise behaviors, an ...
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The Expanded Food Nutrition and Education Program (EFNEP), established in 1968, is funded by the Uni...
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Americans are obsessed with dieting. They willingly try the latest appearing in popular magazines, ...
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is a term used to describe infants and young children who are not growing or are losing weight due ...
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Famine is the culmination of a long process, typically covering two or more crop seasons, in which i...
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Fast foods are relatively inexpensive foods that are prepared and served quickly. The industry had ...
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The term refers to voluntarily or involuntarily going without food. A person may fast voluntarily b...
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Since the late 1980s, fat-free and reduced-fat foods have become widely available. While not all new...
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Lipids are organic substances consisting mostly of carbons and hydrogen . They are hydrophobic, whic...
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The female athlete triad is a common nutritional disorder among female athletes caused by the drive ...
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Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a birth defect caused by a mother's alcohol intake during pregnancy....
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Fiber, which is found in all plant-based foods, is composed of a group of compounds that makes up th...
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Food aid has been a key to global agricultural development and trade policy since the end of World W...
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The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) is one of the largest specialized agencies of the Unite...
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The Food Guide Pyramid is a graphic representation of a food guide that was developed by the U.S. D...
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Millions of people worldwide suffer from hunger and . A major factor contributing to this internatio...
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The quality and safety of foods are a worldwide concern and have been a societal issue since the beg...
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One of the many luxuries Americans enjoy is access to the safest and most abundant food supply in th...
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is the addition of to foods to enhance their nutritional value. , on the other hand, is the additi...
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The term refers to the observation that although the French eat similar amounts of high-fat foods, ...
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are foods that provide health benefits beyond basic due to certain physiologically active componen...
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In 1959, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a list of seven hundred food substa...
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modification employs recombinant (rDNA) technology to alter the of , plants, and animals. Genetic...
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Hunger and occur throughout the world, though the knowledge and resources exist to eliminate them. ...
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The glycemic index (GI) is a ranking of foods individuals with use to manage their disease. This r...
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The term grazing is used to describe the eating of small, frequent meals, or mini-meals, throughout ...
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The "Mediterranean " gained much recognition and worldwide interest in the 1990s as a model for heal...
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Growth charts are used by pediatricians, dietitians, nurses, and parents to assess the growth of inf...
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Human growth hormone (HGH) stimulates the growth of bones and affects the of , , and . It is secret...
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Health is a measure of quality of life that is difficult to define and measure. In the 1940s, the Wo...
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As part of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (NLEA), the Food and Drug Administration...
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Health communication is the discipline that studies and develops appropriate communication strategie...
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Health education is the discipline dedicated to designing, implementing, and evaluating health progr...
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Achieving optimal health is not the sole responsibility of the individual. Health promotion enables ...
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plays a vital role in the prevention of diseases such as , , and . The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) ...
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In the mid-1970s, the United States government began to focus on national health issues, particularl...
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The heart, which is about the size of a human fist, is the body's largest, strongest, and most impor...
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The United States Census Bureau defines as those who indicate their origin to be Mexican, Puerto Ri...
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HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) was identified in 1983 by the French scientist Luc Montagier and ...
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Homelessness is a global problem. According to a 1996 United Nations report, 500 million people worl...
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Hunger is the drive to find and eat food. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hunger ...
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Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, is the result of either too little or of the body's inefficient...
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is the force with which blood pushes against the walls as it travels through the body. Like air in...
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Hypoglycemia, or abnormally low blood sugar, is caused by the impaired response (or failure) of the ...
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Food-borne illness, often called , is caused by or certain chemicals present in ingested food. , , ...
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The is made up of cells, tissues, organs, and processes that identify a substance as abnormal or fo...
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Inborn errors of are inherited disorders in which the body cannot the components of food (, , and
...
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The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths (during the first twelve months of life) pe...
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The first year of life is a period of very rapid growth. An infant's birth weight doubles after abou...
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is a produced by specialized cells in the pancreas. Secreted into the bloodstream at each meal, in...
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Irradiation, or "electronic ," exposes food to a radiant source of energy, such as or electron beam...
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are , which are naturally occurring compounds found in plants that potentially have strong activit...
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The term , meaning "the disease of the displaced child" in the language of Ga, was first defined in ...
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is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the primary sugar in milk. This inabilit...
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One model utilized to counter public health budget cuts is the use of lay health advisors (LHAs). Po...
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Lead is an indestructible that can accumulate and linger in the body. Although the problem of lead ...
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are the edible seeds of plants. They provide a good source of , thiamine, folic acid, vitamin E, an...
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The term is used to describe the average life span of an individual. Life expectancy can vary consi...
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disease (CVD) is a major cause of death in the world and is mainly due to (hardening of the ). Abn...
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An infant born with a weight of less than five pounds (2,500 grams) at birth is classified as a low ...
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George Ohsawa (1893–1966) coined the term to describe a philosophy towards life, health, and heal...
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The of the human body reflect the nutritional intake necessary to maintain optimal body function an...
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is one component of (PEM), the other being . It is a severe form of malnutrition caused by inadequ...
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The American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the process of planning and executing the c...
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Mastitis is a common infection among breastfeeding women. The infection causes the breast to become ...
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The maternal mortality rate reflects the number of maternal deaths in a population due to both direc...
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Meals On Wheels is a federal food assistance program aimed at improving the diets and nutritional st...
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A meat analog is a manufactured food product that looks and tastes like meat. Vegetarians and other ...
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Medical therapy (MNT) is the development and provision of a nutritional treatment or therapy based ...
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While many diseases and health care issues affect both men and women, certain diseases and condition...
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Young girls start menstruating between the ages of eleven and thirteen, when their reproductive syst...
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refers to the physical and chemical processes that occur inside the cells of the body and that main...
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are inorganic elements that originate in the earth and cannot be made in the body. They play import...
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Research on the connection between a person's mood and the food he or she eats has reveled what many...
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private agency that advises the federal government on scientif...
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In the year 1999, 64 percent of the U.S. population was or , while the of among children and adol...
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The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) are charged with the vital mission of uncovering new kn...
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When Christopher Columbus dropped anchor on the shores of San Salvador in the Caribbean Sea, he beli...
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The term (NGO) gained widespread use beginning in 1945, when it was used in the United Nations Char...
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The countries of northern Europe include the United Kingdom of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wal...
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density is a measure of the nutrients a food provides compared to the it provides. Foods low in ca...
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Medications have become an integral part of life for many people. Medicine serves to help people whe...
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An important aspect of is the daily intake of . Nutrients consist of various chemical substances in...
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Nutrition is the science that studies the interactions between living organisms and food. Human nutr...
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education is a critical component of most major health promotion and disease prevention programs. R...
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In the United States, as in most developed countries, a number of services and programs exist to hel...
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A assessment is an in-depth evaluation of both objective and subjective data related to an individu...
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occur when a person's intake consistently falls below the recommended requirement. Nutritional def...
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Nutritionists are individuals who have studied the science of . Many nutritionists have a master's o...
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, defined as a of 30 or greater, is an epidemic in the United States and other industrialized natio...
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are organic compounds composed of carbon chains of varying lengths, with an acid group on one end a...
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Oral tissues, such as the gingiva (gums), teeth, and muscles of mastication (chewing muscles), are l...
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Oral rehydration therapy (ORT) involves the replacement of fluids and lost during an episode of dia...
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In response to a need to standardize the use of such terms as and the U.S. Congress passed the Org...
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Food-borne organisms are , , and that can cause illnesses which are either infectious or toxic in n...
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is a disease in which insufficient mineralization leads to a softening of the bones. Usually, this ...
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Osteopenia is defined as the stage of low bone density that precedes . At this stage, bone density i...
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, which is characterized by a decrease in the mass of otherwise normal bone is the most common bone...
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The term is used to describe an excess amount of total body weight including all tissues (fat, bone...
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The Pacific Islands contain 789 habitable islands and are divided into the three geographic areas: P...
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The Pacific Ocean—the world's largest ocean—extends about 20,000 kilometers from Singapore to Pa...
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, a process discovered by Louis Pasteur (while trying to inactivate spoilage organisms in beer and w...
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Pesticide use is widespread in agriculture throughout the world, raising serious questions about the...
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(fee-nyl-key-ton-uria), or PKU, is an inherited disease that results in severe developmental delay...
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are naturally occurring chemicals in plants that provide flavor, color, texture, and smell. Phytoch...
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Pica is defined as a compulsion to consume nonfood substances. Persons with pica crave items such as...
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Plant-based diets are comprised of meals made predominately from a variety of vegetables, fruits, gr...
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Food is very much a part of popular culture, and the beliefs, practices, and trends in a culture aff...
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during the preconception period, as well as throughout a pregnancy, has a major impact on pregnancy...
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Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is characterized by emotional and physical symptoms that can be troublin...
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At approximately age one, children enter the latent period of growth. During this period, until the ...
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Probiotics are live, that may interact with and vaginal . Clinical studies indicate that certain p...
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are compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, , and , which are arranged as strands of . They play an...
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Quackery is a type of health fraud that promotes products and services that have questionable and un...
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The (RDAs) are intake levels that meet the needs of most healthy Americans. They were originally d...
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Every year, thousands of individuals are displaced from their homes and homelands because of wars, p...
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It is quite clear that nutritional intake is associated with common health conditions such as , (),...
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At the beginning of the twenty-first century, increased levels of terrorist activities and a higher ...
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Since the beginning of time, dietary practices have been incorporated into the religious practices o...
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Rice is the most important cereal crop for human consumption. It is the staple food for over 3 billi...
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was once considered an extremely common disorder of childhood. The term itself is derived from the ...
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Satiety is a feeling of fullness and satisfaction after eating. It is the opposite of hunger or appe...
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Scandinavia is a peninsula in northern Europe that is occupied by Norway and Sweden. Denmark is also...
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There are 48 million school children who are served by school food services in the United States eve...
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The category of school-aged children includes children three to four years old who are preschoolers;...
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Small for gestational age, also known as intrauterine growth retardation, is defined as an infant or...
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Smoking is an important and preventable cause of death and illness. However, as more money has been ...
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The Society for Nutrition Education (SNE) is an organization of nutrition professionals whose aim is...
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South America is the fourth largest continent on the planet, making up 12 percent of the earth's sur...
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Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and southern France make up the region known as southern Europe. Sou...
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A member of the legume family, the soybean is rich in omega-3 , , folic acid, , magnesium, potassium...
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has played a critical role throughout the history of exploration, and space exploration is no excep...
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Aside from training, is the most important influence on sports performance. To reach one's highest ...
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A is a process that aims to create a more direct link between the producers (farmers) of food and ...
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The Green Revolution (GR) refers to the use of high-yield variety (HYV) seeds, which were invented b...
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Toxemia is the presence of abnormal substances in the blood, but the term is also used in reference ...
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A person is considered underweight if his or her (BMI) falls below a certain threshold (body mass i...
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The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was created in 1946. It was rena...
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A (pronounced VEE-gun) is a vegetarian who does not eat any animal products, including eggs and dai...
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A vegetarian eating plan, also known as plant-based eating, is based on a diet of grains, fruits, ve...
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Because they dissolve in , A, D, E, and K are called vitamins. They are absorbed from the small , ...
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are essential organic substances that are needed in small amounts in the for the normal function, ...
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Waist-to-hip ratio is defined as the measurement of waist circumference divided by hip circumference...
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Water is a colorless and odorless liquid made up of containing two of hydrogen and one atom of . W...
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With over 50 percent of the population of the United States and other industrialized countries being...
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is a condition, meaning it is unlikely to be cured, so interventions are needed to help people ch...
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is a state of being in good health, both physically and mentally, and of being free of (and not at ...
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The term refers to foods that have not been processed or refined, including whole grains, beans, nu...
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The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is funded and admi...
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Women have special nutritional needs due to hormonal changes that occur with menstruation, pregnancy...
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The World Health Organization (WHO), headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is an international group...
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Xerophthalmia is a severe drying of the eye surface caused by a malfunction of the tear glands. Also...
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Yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling, is the repeated losing and regaining of weight. This phenomenon is...
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