Culinary Arts Research Starter: Food Science & Nutrition

Diagram used in nutrition education that fits food groups into a triangle and notes that, for a healthful diet, those at the base should be eaten more frequently than those at the top.

Chemical compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with the basic formula Cm(H2O)n, and related compounds with the same basic structure but modified functional groups

Fats are essential constituents of food for many animals, with a calorific value twice that of carbohydrates.

From Dictionary of Food: International Food and Cooking Terms from A to Z
Proteins in food are broken down into amino acids in the gut, these are absorbed into the blood and reassembled as required or burnt to provide energy.

Group of organic substances that are required in the diet of humans and animals for normal growth, maintenance of life, and normal reproduction.

Acute poisoning resulting from ingestion of food containing toxins produced by the bacillus Clostridium botulinum.

Inflammation of the intestine characterized by the frequent passage of feces, usually with blood and mucus.

Common bacterium that normally inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and animals, but can cause infection in other parts of the body, especially the urinary tract.

Food poisoning, acute illness following the eating of foods contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins, natural poisons, or harmful chemical substances.

Tissue damage resulting from exposure to more than trace amounts of the element mercury or its compounds.

Parasite, plant or animal that at some stage of its existence obtains its nourishment from another living organism called the host.

Any of a very varied group of bacteria, genus Salmonella, that colonize the intestines of humans and some animals.

Salmonellosis, any of a group of infectious diseases caused by intestinal bacteria of the genus Salmonella, including typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, blood poisoning, and food poisoning (gastroenteritis).

Tapeworm, name for the parasitic flatworms forming the class Cestoda.

Process of hermetically sealing cooked food for future use. It is a preservation method, in which prepared food is put in glass jars or metal cans that are hermetically sealed to keep out air and then heated to a specific temperature for a specified time to destroy disease-causing microorganisms and prevent spoilage.

Process by which the living cell is able to obtain energy through the breakdown of glucose and other simple sugar molecules without requiring oxygen. Fermentation is achieved by somewhat different chemical sequences in different species of organisms.

In food, any natural or artificial chemical added to prolong the shelf life of processed foods (salt or nitrates), alter the colour, texture, or flavour of food, or improve its food value (vitamins or minerals).

The application of science to the commercial processing of foodstuffs. Food is processed to make it more palatable or digestible, for which the traditional methods include boiling, frying, flour-milling, bread-, yogurt-, and cheese-making, and brewing; to prevent the growth of bacteria, moulds, yeasts, and other micro-organisms; or to preserve it from spoilage caused by the action of enzymes within the food that change its chemical composition, resulting in changes in flavour, odour, colour, and texture.

Genetically modified (GM) foods are increasingly controversial as they become more widespread. They have met a barrage of criticism and protest, and public confidence in them is low. New legislation on labelling has been introduced, partly in response to the controversy.

The potential public health benefits of genetic engineering are considerable, but so too are the potential harms.

Mechanical grinding of wheat or other grains to produce flour. Milling separates the fine, mealy parts of grain from the fibrous bran covering

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets
The Atkins diet, also known as the Atkins Nutritional Approach, is a high-protein, high-fat, very lowcarbohydrate regimen. It emphasizes meat, cheese, eggs, and oils while severely limiting foods such as bread, pasta, fruit, and sugar. It is a form of ketogenic diet.

From The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets
Fad diets are diets that promise quick weight loss results. These diets are generally not sustainable due to unrealistic expectations, and may even be harmful.

Diagram used in nutrition education that fits food groups into a triangle and notes that, for a healthful diet, those at the base should be eaten more frequently than those at the top.

From Benders' Dictionary of Nutrition and Food Technology
The ketogenic diet is a carefully calculated diet, high in fat, low in protein, and virtually carbohydrate-free, that is used for the treatment of difficult-to-control pediatric seizures.

In The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets
Based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, MyPlate is intended to help Americans become more aware of what they eat and their nutrient requirements, and to assist them in making better food choices.

Vegetarianism, in its broadest definition, is a dietary pattern where meat, fish, and poultry are excluded.

From Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase and Fable
An organization, in full Weight Watchers International Inc., founded in the United States in 1961 to promote dieting as a means of slimming.