Nutrients required for normal body functioning that either cannot be synthesized by the body at all, or cannot be synthesized in amounts adequate for good health and thus must be obtained from a dietary source
Improper nutrition or an insufficient diet. Malnutrition is the condition that occurs when your body does not get enough nutrients
Essential Amino Acids
Amino acids are organic compounds that combine to form proteins. Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body. As a result, they must come from food.
The nine essential amino acids are: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine
Essential Fatty Acids
Only two fatty acids are known to be essential for humans: alpha-linolenic acid and linoleic acid. Cannot be manufactured in the body. Helps cellular function.
The process of breaking down food by mechanical and enzymatic action in the stomach and intestines into substances that can be used by the body
The body absorbs the necessary nutrients to maintains the body's homeostasis and provide energy for the body's activities
The conversion of nutrient into the fluid or solid substance of the body by the processes of digestion and absorption
Type of digestion in which food is digested inside specialized cells that pass nutrients to other cells by diffusion
Complete digestive tract consisting of a tube extending between 2 openings: mouth and anus, food moves in one direction and can be organized into special regions
Involuntary waves of muscle contraction that keep food moving along in one direction through the digestive system
Circular muscle that surrounds a tube such as the urethra and constricts the tube when it contracts
An enzyme secreted by the salivary glands that begins the breakdown of complex sugars and starches
The inactive form of pepsin that is first secreted by specialized (chief) cells located in gastric pits of the stomach