If you have not signed up for the NASM FNS yet, you can do so here to save 20%.
If you are unsure which nutrition certification is right for you, I recommend that you take the quiz or check out my article on the top nutrition certifications. This is especially true because the FNS is slightly out of date.
Important definitions to memorize forย Chapter 1 of the NASM FNS
Amino Acids ~ Organic compounds that comprise the monomeric building blocks of a polypeptide (protein)
Calorie ~ย A generalย term for energy in food used synonymously with the term energy.ย typicallyย usedย rather thanย kilocalorieย on food labels, in diet books, and alternative sources of nutritionย info
Carbohydrates ~ Compounds, together with sugars, starches, and dietary fibers, that typically have the general chemical formula (CH2O)n, where n represents the amount of CH2O units within the molecule. Carbohydrates are a significant dietary source of energy for body functions
Control group ~ a collection of individuals used as a standard of comparison to the experimental group. The individuals within the control group have characteristics almost like those within the experimental group and are hand-picked randomly
Circulation ~ Movement of substances or blood through the vessels of the cardiovascular or lymphatic system
Correlations ~ Connections co-occurย moreย frequentlyย thanย can beย explainedย by chanceย or coincidence; however,ย while notย aย provenย cause
Exclusive PTP CPT Offers |
||
---|---|---|
Gold Standard Cert | Most Popular Cert | Best Study Materials |
A Good Option | A Good Option | Best CPT for you? |
Double-Blind Study ~ a research study founded so that neither the subjects nor the investigators recognize which study group is receiving the placebo and which is receiving the active substances
Energy ~ Theย capabilityย to doย work. The energy in food isย a form of chemical energyย thatย the body converts to mechanical, electrical, orย heat energy
Essential Nutrients ~ Substances that have got to be obtained in the diet because the body either cannot synthesize them or cannot make adequate amounts of them
Experimental group ~ a collection of individuals being studied to gauge the effect of an incident, substance, or technique
Flavor ~ The collective experience that describes both taste and smell
Hormones ~ Chemical messengers that are secreted into the blood by one tissue and act on cells in anotherย part ofย the body
Inorganic ~ Any substance thatย doesn’tย contain carbon, exceptย certainย simpleย carbon compoundsย likeย CO2ย andย monoxide. Common examplesย includeย table saltย (sodium chloride) andย bicarbonateย (sodium bicarbonate)
Kilocalories (Kcal) ~ Units used to measure energy. Food energy is measured in kilocalories (1,000 calories = one kilocalorie)
Legumes ~ A family of plants with seed pods, such as peas, beans, lentils, and soybeans; additionally known as pulses
Exclusive PTP CPT Offers |
||
---|---|---|
Gold Standard Cert | Most Popular Cert | Best Study Materials |
A Good Option | A Good Option | Best CPT for you? |
Lipids ~ a set of fat-soluble compounds that features triglycerides, sterols, and phospholipids
Macrominerals ~ Major minerals needed in the diet and present within the body in massive amounts compared with trace minerals
Macronutrients ~ Nutrients, like sugar, fat, or protein, that are required in comparatively massive amounts in the diet
Minerals ~ Inorganic compounds required for growth and for regulation of body processes
Neophobia ~ A dislike for anything new or strange
Nutrients ~ Any substances in food that the body will use to generate energy, synthesize tissues, or regulate functions
Nutrigenomics ~ The study of how nutrition interacts with specific genes to influence an individual’s health
Nutrition ~ The science of foods and their various nutrient parts (nutrients and other substances), as well as the relationships to health and illness (actions, interactions, and balances); processes inside the body (ingestion, digestion, absorption, transport, functions, and disposal of waste products); as well as the social, economic, cultural, and psychological implications of eating foods
Organic ~ In chemistry, any compound that contains carbon, except carbon oxides (e.g., carbon dioxide) and sulfides and metal carbonates (e.g.,ย potassiumย carbonate). The term organicย is alsoย used toย denote crops that areย fully grownย withoutย artificialย fertilizers or chemicals.
Phytochemicals ~ Substances in plantsย that willย possess health-protective effects,ย even thoughย they’reย not essentialย in all cases
Placebo ~ an inactive substance that is externally indistinguishable from the active substance whose effects are being studied
Placebo Effect ~ A physical or emotionalย modificationย not due to an administered substance’s properties. Theย modificationย reflects participants’ expectations.
Proteins ~ massive, complex compounds consisting of many amino acids connected in variable sequences and forming distinctive shapes
Trace Minerals ~ Trace minerals areย presentย within theย body andย are neededย in theย diet inย comparativelyย smallย amounts compared with major minerals.ย Additionallyย referred to as microminerals.
Triglycerides ~ Fats composed ofย 3ย fatty acylย chainsย joinedย to aย glycerolย molecule.
Vitamins ~ Organic compounds necessaryย for the body’s reproduction, growth, and maintenance. Vitamins areย neededย in minuscule amounts.
Tyler Read
PTPioneer Editorial Integrity
All content published on PTPioneer is checked and reviewed extensively by our staff of experienced personal trainers, nutrition coaches, and other Fitness Experts. This is to make sure that the content you are reading is fact-checked for accuracy, contains up-to-date information, and is relevant. We only add trustworthy citations that you can find at the bottom of each article. You can read more about our editorial integrity here.