Nutritionary Balanced Diet A balanced diet is a diet providing the appropriate amounts of nutrients and water to support normal growth, development and maintenance of the body's cells, tissues and organs.  BMI Body Mass Index (BMI) is a statistical measurement which compares a person's weight and height and is commonly used to classify weight as "healthy" or "unhealthy". BMR Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the amount of calories  burned at rest. Calcium Is a mineral found in dairy products, in beans and dark green vegetables, essential for growth and maintenance of bones and teeth. Associated to vitamin D, calcium helps in preventing osteoporosis It is also important for muscle contraction, hormones and enzyme secretion, and for sending messages through the nervous system.  Calorie Calorie is  the unit of heat expenditure. The SI (International System of Units) unit of measurement is the Joule. In nutrition, the Calorie is commonly used to measure the energy provided by the proteins, carbohydrates, fat, and alcohols consumed. Carbohydrates Are nutrients used as the main energy source of the cells and the brain. Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the human body. They can be simples or complex (chains or simple sugars). 1 g of carbohydrate = 4 calories Cholesterol Lipidic and waxy component of cell membranes, function of which is to provide permeability and fluidity to the membranes. Coronary Heart Disease Failure of the coronary artery to supply blood to the heart muscle. One cause can be the buildup of cholesterol in the artery, narrowing the path of blood flow. Consequences can be chest pain and/or heart attack.  Diabetes Disease where the body is not able to produce or properly use insulin, the hormone helping glucose to enter in the cells. Symptoms are frequent urination, extreme thirst and hunger, weight loss, fatigue. Diet Amount of food and drinks consumed by one person. For medical, religious or other reasons, a diet can exclude certain types of food. Digestion The process where the body breaks down food into its smaller parts, which are called nutrients that are used as energy, substrates for tissue growth and maintenance of certain biological functions. Energy Energy is released from nutrients and used for vital body functions. Calorie is  the unit of heat expenditure. 1g of carbohydrates = 4 calories 1g of fat = 9 calories 1g of protein = 4 calories 1g of alcohol = 7 calories Enriched Also called "restoration", enrichment indicates the addition of nutrients to  food or drinks to replace nutrients that may have been lost through processing, as an example: enriched flour. Fat Fats are a type of nutrient providing 9 calories per gram. They are a combination of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Fats have important functions such as helping in the absorption of liposoluble vitamins (A,D,E & K). However, their consumption must be limited in order to avoid obesity and/or  heart diseases. Fiber Fiber are carbohydrates that are not digested, and appear to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. Hypocaloric diet Diet low in calories Iron Essential component of proteins involved in oxygen transport.  Lipids Group including any fat-soluble naturally occuring molecules. Triglycerides (including fats) are a subcategory of this group.  Metabolism Biochemical reactions occuring in the body to maintain life. Nutrients Components provided by the ingestion of food and used as energy, substrates for tissue growth and maintenance or for certain biological functions. Examples of nutrients are Carbohydrates, Fats, Proteins, Fibers, Vitamins, Minerals, Water. Nutrition Ingestion of the necessary nutrients to support life. Obesity Obesity is commonly characterized by a Body Mass Index of >30. Obesity is considered as a disease when the amount of fat stored in the body is too great. Obesity increases the probability of diseases such as type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, cancer, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, hypertension. Overweight Overweight is defined as having more body fat (adipose tissue) than is optimally healthy. Obesity is commonly characterized by a Body Mass Index of 25.0 to 29.9. Proteins Proteins are essentials nutrients used for  growth and maintenance of the body. A healthy diet should include animal and vegetable sources of proteins. Refined As opposed to whole grains, refined grains are grains for which the bran and germ was removed. Refined grain are of a lesser nutritional interest than whole grains. Saturated Fat Saturated fat is a type of fatty acids  characteristics of which are to be solid at room temperature, and whose fatty acid chains cannot incorporate additional hydrogen atoms. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol more than other forms of fat. Saturated fat should represent less than 10 percent of total calories in a healthy diet. The fats from meat, poultry (especially the skin), whole milk, butter, cream are the main sources of saturated fats; as well as bakery products that are rich in butter. Starches Starches are complex carbohydrates  that are broken down progressively into simple sugars before being metabolized. Sugars Sugars are simple carbohydrates used by our body as energy. Sugars present in fruit and dairy have a better nutritional interest than added sugars (simple sugars added during food processing: corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar…) Triglyceride A triglyceride is compound consisting of three fatty acids plus glycerol. It is the main constituent of vegetable oil and animal fat. Unsaturated Fat Unsaturated fat are characterized by one or more double bonds in the fatty acid chain. A fatty acid with one double bond is called "monounsaturated". Fatty acids having more than one double bond are called "polyunsaturated". They mainly come from vegetable sources and fish. Unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats but their consumption must also be limited as the total fat consumption should not exceed 30% of calories. Vegan A diet that excludes the consumption of meat, poultry and seafood and animal products such as eggs, dairy, honey. Vegetarian A diet that excludes the consumption of meat, poultry and seafood. Vitamins Vitamins are organic compounds which are required in small amounts by the organisms and must be obtained from the diet.  Examples of essential vitamins: vitamins-B group, and vitamins A, C, D, E and K. Whole Grain Unrefined cereal, including the germ, endosperm and bran, are sources of fiber and minerals. EX: brown rice, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, barley, bulghur.