My Nutritionary: The A to Z Jargon Buster

By Catherine Saxelby

Do you know your MCTs from your LCTs? How about sterols from stanols? Or omega-3 vs omega-6? If you find yourself confused by food labels and ads for healthy eating, Catherine Saxelby’s comprehensive guide My Nutritionary will help you cut through the jargon and put the power of her nutrition know-how in your hands.

We live in a world with constantly changing nutrition advice – eat more of this, avoid that – but increasingly this information uses scientific terminology that few of us are familiar with. When everyone from diet gurus to wellness bloggers to celebrity chefs and even your doctor has suggestions for healthy eating, translating the latest nutrition jargon into useful terms can be overwhelming.

What’s the difference between glucose and dextrose? Or probiotics and prebiotics? Why do we need calcium? What additive is number 330? How safe is acesulfame K? And what the heck are trans fatty acids?

In My Nutritionary, Catherine answers these questions and more in plain English, helping you navigate through the jargon and hype so you know what you’re eating. If you want to know exactly what you’re putting in your shopping trolley – or on the dinner table, this is the guide for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Foodwatch Pty Ltd
• Release date: Oct 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9780987552150

Catherine Saxelby

Catherine Saxelby B Sc, Grad Dip Nutr Dietetics, APD, AN is Sydney-based culinary nutritionist and award-winning author of 12 books. She has contributed to many magazines such as Healthy Food Guide, Prevention and New Idea, and has appeared on TV programs including Good Morning Australia and Today. She runs an informational website at www.foodwatch.com.au where she shares her discoveries about nutrition, diets and additives. Connect with Catherine on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

Book preview

About My Nutritionary

Do you know your MCTs from your LCTs? How about sterols from stanols? Or omega-3 vs omega-6? If you find yourself confused by food labels and ads for healthy eating, Catherine Saxelby’s comprehensive guide My Nutritionary will help you cut through the jargon and put the power of her nutrition know-how in your hands.

We live in a world with constantly changing nutrition advice – eat more of this, avoid that – but increasingly this information uses scientific terminology that few of us are familiar with. When everyone from diet gurus to wellness bloggers to celebrity chefs and even your doctor has suggestions for healthy eating, translating the latest nutrition jargon into useful terms can be overwhelming.

What’s the difference between glucose and dextrose? Or probiotics and prebiotics? Why do we need calcium? What additive is number 330? How safe is acesulfame K? And what the heck are trans fatty acids?

In My Nutritionary, Catherine answers these questions and more in plain English, helping you navigate through the jargon and hype so you know what you’re eating. If you want to know exactly what you’re putting in your shopping trolley – or on the dinner table, this is the guide for you.

Contents

About My Nutritionary

Dedication

Epigraph

Hello and welcome from Catherine

​How to get the most from this book

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

M

L

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Z

Appendix 1

Grouping

Appendix 2

​Additives classified by their code number

Appendix 3

Measures and conversions

References

Connect and keep up

Web update

Free extras

About Catherine Saxelby

Connect with Catherine online

Check out the other books by Catherine Saxelby

eBooks

General

Cookbooks

Copyright

This book is for our daughter Georgia so it may answer the many questions she often asks me. This one is for you, darling.

‘The investigation of the meaning of words is the beginning of education.’

Antisthenes (445–365 BCE)

Hello and welcome from Catherine

Thanks for buying this eBook.

As a nutritionist, I am frequently asked all kinds of questions relating to what is in our food and how it affects us. These days, we are bombarded with information about how to eat right, stay slim, live longer, look younger and remain vital. Articles about health and nutrition seem to be everywhere we look – books, magazines, television, radio, the Internet … You can’t escape them on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter either. What’s more, this information is often conflicting. Who knows what to believe!

When I speak to people about nutrition, they want me to cut through this confusion and hype. They’re after clear and simple explanations for all the technical terms that appear on food items, and straight answers to queries such as these:

How is starch ‘modified’?

What's the difference between glucose and dextrose?

How can you tell if a ‘thickener’ is made from wheat?

What additive is code number 621?

Why is a microbiome useful?

How does fasting help you lose weight?

What’s all the fuss about kombucha? Or kale?

If you have ever checked out a food label, or read about losing weight, coping with a food allergy or boosting your immune system, it’s likely you will have asked at least one of these questions.

My aim in writing this book is to explain – clearly and simply – all these nutritional terms. It first began life as a brief glossary in my best-selling book, Nutrition for Life. Later, I expanded it to become a post on my website (where it remains very popular). In fact, I too still use it for double-checking a term when I’m in a hurry! So I started thinking that if I find it so handy, others might too.

This book is the result. I have made it as comprehensive as a guide can be. It is designed in a simple A to Z format to put the facts and figures right at your fingertips, whenever you need them. This book is for everyone, whether you’re a student or you have a professional interest in nutrition as a dietitian, food technologist, home economist, chef or food marketing executive – or you simply want to know more.

Whatever your background, I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you that nutrition changes. It evolves, it twists and turns, it often swings back to an earlier position. This is hardly unusual for a new discipline blended from biochemistry, physiology, medicine, food technology and the culinary arts. And as new terms and discoveries keep popping up, there are shifts in thinking on many issues. So to help you stay up to date, you can find it revised as new information becomes available online at www.foodwatch.com.au.

And, if you come across a term that’s not in this guide or on the website, please send your question to me at [e-mail]. I’d love to hear from you.

​So, why do we need nutritional terms?

Like all sciences, nutrition has its own 'language': its own way of accurately describing or classifying what's in food and the effect it has on the body.

There are terms to classify important constituents in food, like vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fatty acids. There are also terms describing more recent nutritional discoveries, such as antioxidants, phytochemicals, polyphenols, resistant starch and probiotics.

Then there are ways of eating – diets and regimes for improving health or solving a health problem.

Finally, there are food processes, such as canning, freezing, pasteurisation, homogenisation and irradiation, and the accompanying additives that stabilise, moisturise, thicken, acidify, intensify, enhance, colour and preserve.

Many people today suffer from food allergies or intolerances and find it hard to obtain information on what's in food and what they should – and shouldn't – worry about. Of course, not all additives are a problem. So if you know what's OK and what to avoid, it gives you a much greater choice for your daily diet. That is why I have included food additives (over 300 of them), listed both by code number in the Appendix 2 and by name, along with a helpful summary of which ones are the most likely to cause problems.

All these nutritional terms are listed here. With over 600 entries from arachidonic acid to zinc, this book will help you make sense of what’s in the food you eat. I hope you find it helpful and easy to use.

Without more ado, let’s start at the beginning of the alphabet …

Regards

Catherine

How to get the most from this book

First the good news. You don’t have to read this cover to cover.

This book is a ‘nutritionary’ – use it like a dictionary to look up additives, jargon and acronyms (like SDTs, RDI or BMI), vitamins, minerals, unusual ingredients (like inulin or fructo-oligosaccharides) and other strange-sounding terms, as when you stumble across them.

All the entries are listed in easy alphabetical order in the main A to Z section.

If you want to understand how all the nutrients are grouped (for example, if you want to find out a list of all the vitamins or fatty acids or minerals), then turn to Appendix 1 and you’ll find the classifications used by nutritionists.

If you are looking for a particular food additive but all you have is its code number from a food label, then you'll find it in Appendix 2 where all the code numbers are listed (this is handy to have with you when you're shopping).

A

AA

See Arachidonic acid.

acacia

See Gum arabic.

Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR)

A range of maconutrient intakes that is associated with reduced risk of chronic disease while providing sufficient essential nutrients. If intakes are outside the AMDR, there is an increased risk of chronic diseases and/or insufficient essential nutrients.

acesulfame K (acesulfame potassium)  

An intense sweetener that supplies no kilojoules (Calories) and remains stable after heating, unlike saccharin and aspartame. Long-term safety has been established. It does not contribute to dental caries. Often used in combination with other sweeteners for a sweetness equal to sugar. Identified by the additive code number 950.

acetic acid, glacial

A food acid. Identified by the additive code number 260.

Rating: Safe (green)

acetic and fatty acid esters of glycerol

An emulsifier. Identified by the additive code number 472a.

Rating: Safe (green)

acetylated distarch adipate

A starch that has been modified so it acts as a thickener. Used in frozen foods to provide good freeze–thaw stability. Identified by the additive code number 1422.

Rating: Safe (green)

acetylated distarch phosphate

A food starch that has been modified so it acts as a thickener. Identified by the additive code number 1414.

Rating: Safe (green)

acid treated starch

A starch that has undergone an acid treatment. Used to thicken foods such as sauces and soups. On food labels, it is often listed as a thickener or modified starch. It’s usually made from wheat or maize but may also come from potato or tapioca. Identified by the additive code number 1401.

Rating: Safe (green)

acidity regulator

Any compound that holds the acidity level or acid–alkali balance at a constant level, such as the glucono delta-lactone (575) in energy drinks.

Rating: Safe (green)

acidophilus