FOOD VOCABULARY

Body mass index (bmi): a calculation that estimates body fat based on a person’s height and weight.

Sentence: a person with a body mass index of more than 30 is considered to be obese.

Calorie: a unit used in measuring the amount of energy food provides when eaten and digested

Sentence: a diet to lose weight relies on calorie restriction in order to obtain results.

Contaminated: to make something less pure or make it poisonous:

Sentence: the water was contaminated with chemicals

Junk food: food that is high in calories but low in nutritional content.

Sentence: if you eat junk food constantly, you will become ill and unhealthy.

Malnutrition: physical weakness and bad health caused by having too little food or unhealthy food.

Sentence: forty per cent of the population is suffering from malnutrition.

Nutritious: containing many of the substances needed for life and growth

Sentence: feeding your family with healthy, nutritious food is not easy when money is tight.

Obesity: the fact of being extremely fat, in a way that is dangerous for health:

Sentence: his obesity puts him at risk for major health problems.

Pescatarian: one whose diet includes fish but no other meat

Sentence: she promotes a pescatarian diet high in organic fruits and vegetables.

Saturated fat: a type of fat found in meat, eggs, milk, cheese, etc. That is thought to be bad for your health.

Sentence: too much saturated fat in your diet can lead to heart disease and other health problems.

Trans fat: a type of fat that is produced by hydrogenation (when vegetable oil is made into solid fat) and is used in margarine, fried foods, etc.

Sentence: restaurants like to use trans-fats when frying food because they are cheaper and have a long shelf life

Vegetarian: a person who does not eat meat for health or for religious or moral reasons:

Sentence: i ordered a vegetarian meal on the flight

Preservative: a substance used to prevent food or wood from decaying

Sentence: salt has been used for centuries as a preservative