Glossary
Simple health glossary
Calories, protein, BMI, TDEE: plain meanings of hard words, in one place.
- Calorie (kcal) āĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ˛āĻ°āĻŋ
- A unit of energy. Your body gets energy from the food you eat.
- Protein āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¨
- A nutrient that helps build and repair muscle and tissue. Found in eggs, dal, fish, meat and milk.
- Carbohydrate (carbs) āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻŦā§āĻšāĻžāĻāĻĄā§āĻ°ā§āĻ (āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻŦ)
- The body's main energy source. Found in rice, roti, potato and fruit.
- Fat āĻĢā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ
- Gives energy and helps absorb some vitamins. 9 kcal per gram, the most of any nutrient.
- Fibre āĻāĻāĻļ (āĻĢāĻžāĻāĻŦāĻžāĻ°)
- Helps digestion and keeps you full. Found in greens, dal, fruit and whole wheat.
- Vitamin āĻāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻŽāĻŋāĻ¨
- Nutrients needed in small amounts that the body cannot make enough of.
- Mineral āĻāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ (āĻŽāĻŋāĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ˛)
- Substances such as iron, calcium and zinc that support bones, blood and body functions.
- Macros (macronutrients) āĻŽā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻ°ā§
- Carbs, protein and fat together.
- Micronutrients āĻŽāĻžāĻāĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¨āĻŋāĻāĻā§āĻ°āĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ
- Vitamins and minerals, needed in small amounts.
- BMI (Body Mass Index) BMI
- A rough number from weight and height. It does not separate muscle from fat, so it is only a guide.
- BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) BMR
- Calories your body burns at complete rest.
- TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) TDEE
- An estimate of total calories you burn in a day including activity.
- Calorie deficit āĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ˛āĻ°āĻŋ āĻāĻžāĻāĻ¤āĻŋ
- Eating fewer calories than you burn. The basis of weight loss.
- Metabolism āĻŽā§āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻŽ
- All the chemical processes that turn food into energy.
- MET MET
- A measure of exercise intensity. 1 at rest, about 4-5 for brisk walking.
- Glycemic index (GI) āĻā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻŋāĻ āĻāĻ¨āĻĄā§āĻā§āĻ¸ (GI)
- A scale of how quickly a food raises blood sugar.
- Added sugar āĻ ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻĄā§āĻĄ āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻžāĻ°
- Sugar added to food, as in tea, sharbat and sweets. Natural sugar in fruit and milk is not counted.
- Free sugars āĻĢā§āĻ°āĻŋ āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻžāĻ°
- WHO term for added sugars, honey, syrups and sugars in juice. Advised to stay under 10% of daily energy for adults.
- Sodium āĻ¸ā§āĻĄāĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻŽ
- A component of salt. Too much raises the risk of high blood pressure.
- Cholesterol āĻā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°āĻ˛
- A fatty substance in blood. A doctor advises if levels are a problem.
- Saturated fat āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒā§āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻĢā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ
- Found in ghee, butter, fatty red meat and coconut oil. Usually advised in limited amounts.
- Omega-3 āĻāĻŽā§āĻāĻž-ā§Š
- A healthy type of fat found in oily fish, walnuts and flaxseed.
- Antioxidant āĻ ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻ¸āĻŋāĻĄā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ
- Compounds in colourful fruit and vegetables that help limit cell damage.
- Probiotic āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻāĻŋāĻ
- Helpful bacteria found in foods such as yoghurt and buttermilk.
- Electrolytes āĻāĻ˛ā§āĻā§āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ˛āĻžāĻāĻ
- Sodium, potassium and others that help balance water in the body.
- ORS (oral rehydration solution) āĻāĻāĻ°āĻāĻ¸
- A special solution to restore water and salts during diarrhoea or vomiting.
- Dehydration āĻĒāĻžāĻ¨āĻŋāĻļā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻ¤āĻž
- When the body lacks enough water. Dark urine and a dry mouth can be signs.
- Intermittent fasting āĻāĻ¨ā§āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻŽāĻŋāĻā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ āĻĢāĻžāĻ¸ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ
- Eating only within set hours. Not suitable for everyone.
- Meal prep āĻŽāĻŋāĻ˛ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻĒ
- Cooking or preparing food ahead so the week is easier.
- Portion size āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻļāĻ¨ āĻ¸āĻžāĻāĻ
- How much food you serve yourself at one time.
- Serving āĻ¸āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ
- The set amount used on a label. It may differ from your portion.
- Processed food āĻĒā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻāĻāĻžāĻ¤ āĻāĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
- Food changed by manufacture or cooking. Ultra-processed foods are often high in sugar, salt and fat.
- Fortified āĻĢā§āĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻĢāĻžāĻ¯āĻŧā§āĻĄ
- Food with added vitamins or minerals, such as iodised salt.
- Supplement āĻ¸āĻžāĻĒā§āĻ˛āĻŋāĻŽā§āĻ¨ā§āĻ
- Vitamins or minerals in pill form. Best not started without medical advice.
- Stretching āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ
- Exercises that lengthen muscles and improve flexibility.
- Cardio āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĄāĻŋāĻ
- Exercise that works the heart and lungs, such as walking, running and cycling.
- Strength training āĻ¸ā§āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻāĻĨ āĻā§āĻ°ā§āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ
- Exercise that builds muscle, such as squats and push-ups.
- Plank āĻĒā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻā§āĻ
- A core exercise holding the body straight on elbows and toes.
- Warm-up āĻāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻŽ-āĻāĻĒ
- Light movement before exercise to prepare the body.
- Cool-down āĻā§āĻ˛-āĻĄāĻžāĻāĻ¨
- Slow walking and stretching after exercise.
- Circadian rhythm āĻ¸āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻāĻžāĻĄāĻŋāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻ¨ āĻ°āĻŋāĻĻāĻŽ
- The body's 24-hour clock that guides sleep and wakefulness.
- Sleep hygiene āĻā§āĻŽā§āĻ° āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻ¸ā§āĻĨā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻŋāĻ§āĻŋ
- Habits for better sleep: regular times, a dark room, less screen use and so on.
- Caffeine āĻā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻĢā§āĻāĻ¨
- A stimulant in tea, coffee and cola. Up to about 400 mg a day is generally considered safe for healthy adults.
- Acidity āĻ ā§āĻ¯āĻžāĻ¸āĻŋāĻĄāĻŋāĻāĻŋ
- Burning in the chest or upper belly and sour burps. See a doctor if it keeps happening.
- Diabetes āĻĄāĻžāĻ¯āĻŧāĻžāĻŦā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¸
- A condition where blood sugar stays higher than normal. Needs medical supervision.
- High blood pressure āĻāĻā§āĻ āĻ°āĻā§āĻ¤āĻāĻžāĻĒ
- Blood pressure above the normal range. Less salt, activity and medical care help.
- BMI categories (WHO) BMI-āĻ° āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻž (WHO)
- General adult groups: under 18.5 underweight, 18.5-24.9 normal, 25 and above overweight. Some countries use different cut-offs for Asians.
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About this tool
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What you get
Plain meanings for hard health and nutrition words.
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How it works
Search or browse. Each explanation is short and simple.
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Keep in mind
- This is educational, not a diagnosis.
- Ask your doctor to explain your results or reports.
đŦWhat the science says
- On food labels "calories" usually means kilocalories (kcal).
- WHO's definition of free sugars includes honey, syrups and fruit-juice sugars, not just table sugar.
đ§ĒMyth versus fact
Myth Natural sugar such as honey or jaggery is always fine.
Fact They count as free sugars too. Keep amounts limited.
đSources and further reading
WHO â Sugars intake guidelineNIH â MedlinePlusDietary Guidelines for Americans
Names are given so you can check for yourself. Figures are general and approximate and can change by country and year. This is education, not medical advice.