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TERMS TO KNOW

Lesson 1: My Pyramid

Anemia — when a person has too few red blood cells or hemoglobin (the part of the red blood cell that carries the oxygen)

Blood pressure — the amount of pressure that blood puts on arteries as it leaves your heart

Carbohydrate — a source of energy found in foods like breads, dairy products, fruits and some vegetables

Cartilage — a connective tissue found in your body around your bones, ears and nose

Cholesterol — a substance similar to fat found in foods coming from animals that can cause heart disease if eaten too often

Digestive system — the parts of your body that break down food, absorb the nutrients and release waste

Enzymes — proteins that can create and increase changes within the body (like digestion — the breakdown of food)

Hormones — a substance made in the body that controls processes like growth and development

Hydrogenation — a process that makes liquid fats into solid fats so that they can make food last longer. This process also makes unsaturated fatty acids into saturated fatty acids, which makes them dangerous for your heart and health.

Immune system — the part of your body that fights disease and sickness to keep you healthy

Kidney stones — tiny buildups of minerals in your kidneys that can be very painful

Nervous system — the part of your body that senses pain, heat/cold and let’s your brain know what’s going on around you

Nutrients — the parts of food that nourish your body for growth and development like protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water

Red blood cells — carry oxygen in your blood from your lungs to your muscles

Sodium — an element in salt tissues — a group of cells in your body that serve a specific purpose (like muscles or organs)

Tissue – a group of cells in your body that serve a specific purpose (like muscles or organs)

Trans fats — fats that have undergone hydrogenation

Type 2 diabetes — Your body still makes insulin (the hormone that helps your cells absorb carbohydrates from food), but either doesn’t make enough or can’t absorb enough of it

Lesson 2: Portion Distortion

Starch — white-colored carbohydrates found in grain products like rice and wheat and vegetables like potatoes, corn

Lesson 3: Label-Conscious

Allergies — when your body has a negative reaction (like difficulty breathing, swollen body parts, or a rash) in reaction to something you eat or touch

Allergens — anything that causes an allergic reaction like wheezing, rashes or swollen body parts

Calorie — a unit of measure of energy in food

Lesson 4: Drive-Thru Dilemmas

Deprivation/Deprive — to not allow yourself to eat something

Moderation — not eating too much or too little of any food group

Lesson 5: Your BMI

Accurate — a correct measurement

Aerobic exercise — any movement that increases your heart rate and breathing

Anxiety — feeling nervous, worried or scared

Asthma — coughing, wheezing or difficulty breathing when the airways to your lungs become smaller and less air can go through

Cancer — a disease where groups of harmful cells begin to grow and multiply to attack your body

Depression — feeling sad all the time

Gender — whether the person is male (boy) or female (girl)

Gauge — to estimate or predict

Moderate/Casual aerobic activity — activities that increase your heart rate and breathing

Obese — extremely overweight

Posture — the way you carry your body

Prescribed — medication that you are told and given permission to take by a doctor

Vigorous/Intense aerobic activity — activities that increase your heart rate and breathing a lot

Lesson 6: Living with Diabetes

Blood vessels — the arteries, veins or capillaries in which blood flows through the body

Calorie-dense — having a large number of calories and low amount of nutrients

Carbohydrate — a source of energy found in foods like breads, dairy products, fruits and some vegetables

Diagnosis — to be told that you have a disease by a doctor

Dosage — the amount of medicine you are taking

Extremities — the ends of your body like hands and feet

Fast-acting glucose product — glucose (sugar) products that raise your blood sugar quickly when suffering from hypoglycemia (low blood-sugar)

Gum disease — disease that affect the gums of your mouth (like Gingivitis or Periodontitis)

Heart attack — when a clogged artery prevents oxygen from getting to your heart causing permanent damage

High blood glucose/sugar also known as hyperglycemia — when too much sugar/glucose is in your blood. When this happens for many years, it can cause kidney, heart, and nerve damage as well as eye problems and vision loss.

Limitations — activities that you cannot do because they may be dangerous to your health

Losing consciousness — fainting or passing out

Nutrient-dense — having a large amount of nutrients and a low number of calories

Stroke — when the brain is damaged due to lack of blood flow (and oxygen) which can result in paralysis or even death

Toxins — substances that can cause harm to your body