Glossary
Words Definition
Adaptogen (definition): a natural substance that allows the body to counter adverse physical, chemical, or biological stressors by raising resistance toward such stress, thus allowing the organism to “adapt” to the stressful circumstances. Adaptogens are a natural herb product that increases the body's resistance to stresses such as trauma, anxiety and bodily fatigue. Some adaptogens have been shown to help weight loss and even cancer in government sponsored studies that were secretly done in Russia since 1940.
Carbohydrates (definition): carbohydrates are foods like breads, rice, potatoes, yams, starches, different flours of grains (corn, wheat, barley, etc.), pasta, vegetables, fruits, and sugars. By definition, carbohydrates are sugar molecules like glucose, fructose and lactose among others. The human body uses glucose (blood sugar, carbohydrates) as a source of energy for the cells. They are called “carbohydrates” because they contain the elements carbon and hydrogen, together with oxygen.
Cholesterol (definition): a natural substance that humans and animals produce. Cholesterol is the main construction material of many different hormones like estrogen (female hormone) and testosterone (male hormone). Nearly all cells in the body contain cholesterol except bone cells. There is a cholesterol called “good cholesterol” (HDL, high density lipoprotein) and one called “bad cholesterol” (LDL, low density lipoprotein).
Cortisol (definition): This hormone is produced in the adrenal glands, which are found in the area above the kidneys. It is produced in response to stress and its effect includes actions like increased blood glucose levels (that’s why it makes us fat), destroying various muscles by turning them into amino acids that the body can use to produce energy (the destruction of the muscles causes flabby skin), lowering the action of the immune system (creating a higher probability of bacterial infections, viruses, fungi, or parasites) and reducing any inflammation in the body. It is called “the stress hormone”.
Enzyme (definition): Enzymes are proteins that participate in changes and transformations of other substances. For example, there is an enzyme that transforms and turns cholesterol into the hormone estrogen. There are different enzymes that are used to digest fats, proteins and carbohydrates. There are enzymes in the body whose main function is to disable toxic substances that penetrate the body. Some enzymes break the bonds that exist between food atoms and this frees the energy that the food contains. There are enzymes involved in all of the body’s processes.
Goitrogens (definition): natural or chemical substances that have been shown to suppress the functions of the thyroid gland. Anything that negatively affects the function of the thyroid gland also lowers the metabolism. Some natural goitrogens are found in soy. One of the substances that lowers the thyroid’s production of hormones is the fluoride found in toothpaste.
Hyperthyroidism (definition): a condition in which the thyroid gland produces an excess of the thyroid hormones. This causes weight loss, palpitations, high blood pressure, insomnia, panic attacks, difficulty concentrating and constant tiredness and nervousness, among other things.
Hypoglycemia (definition): the word “hypoglycemia” means “low blood sugar”. The prefix “hypo” means “low” and “glycemia” comes from “glucose”. Contrary to diabetics who have too high glucose levels, people with hypoglycemia at times have glucose levels that are too low. Having low glucose levels causes shaking, dizziness, sweating and mental disorientation. It is thought that practically all diabetics were hypoglycemic before becoming diabetics.
Hypothyroidism (definition): a condition in which the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of the hormones that control the metabolism and body temperature. This condition is characterized by symptoms like depression, hair loss, coldness in extremities, constipation, dry skin, difficulty slimming down, constant tiredness, digestive problems and continual infections. It is a condition that isn’t always detected in laboratory tests and can exist sub- clinically (without being detected by a lab test).
Insulin (definition): a very important hormone that is produced in the pancreas and allows glucose to be transported to the cells to be used as a source of energy for the body. It is the hormone that allows fat to build up in the body when there is an excess of glucose that isn’t used by the cells. Diabetics have problems related to this hormone and in some cases have to inject themselves with it if their pancreas has already suffered damage and doesn’t produce enough of it.
Metabolism (definition): the sum of all of the processes and chemical changes that your body uses to convert food and nutrients into energy to survive. Movement is the word that best defines metabolism. The metabolism has to do with all of the movements in the human body. The origin of the word is from the Greek “meta” which means “change” or “movement”.
Osteoporosis (definition): condition in which bone loss occurs in the body. This condition mainly affects women that are going through menopause. Pore-like lesions start forming in the bones, which contribute to the bone loss and increase the risk of bone fractures from simple falls or bumps.
Polyunsaturated oils (definition): oils and fats are made up of molecules of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. When all of the carbon atoms of oil are joined with hydrogen atoms it is then called a saturated fat (pig fat, coconut oil, etc.). If there are carbon atoms that aren’t joined to hydrogen atoms, then the oil is polyunsaturated oil (corn oil, vegetable oil, etc.). The oils that are not saturated (covered) by hydrogen and that have carbon atoms that can be accessed by oxygen atoms react to the oxygen in the environment and can oxidize and decompose. The polyunsaturated oils are those oils that contain a large amount of carbon atoms that are free from hydrogen atoms and therefore can react to the oxygen in the environment and oxidize and decompose if they aren’t refrigerated.
Proteins (definition): proteins are foods like meat, cheese and eggs. Proteins are made up of amino acids. Several amino acids together build a protein. Many hormones, like insulin, are proteins. Digestive enzymes are also proteins that are made up of amino acids. The word “protein” originates from the Greek word “protas”, which means “of utmost importance”.
Root vegetables (definition): foods like tapioca, turnips, potatoes, beets, sweet potatoes, yams and others that grow underground and that are made up of mainly starches. Starches are sugar molecules that very easily turn into glucose.
Starches (definition): Starches are molecules made up of simple sugars which the body very easily turns into glucose (blood sugar). Rice, yams, potatoes and turnips are all starches.
Triglycerides (definition): triglycerides are fats. All fats and oils are triglycerides. They are called triglycerides because the molecules that make up all fats and oils always contain 3 (tri) extension lines made up of fatty acids hooked to a backbone of glycerin. That’s where the word triglyceride comes from. What determines if it is olive oil, corn oil, a human blood fat or another type of oil depends on the type of fatty acid that makes up the extension.
Whey protein (definition): various types of proteins are extracted from milk, like casein and whey. Whey has been proven to be the type of protein that speeds up the metabolism the most; therefore, consuming it has a protecting effect, because it powers the body’s immune system. There isn’t any other protein that is more appropriate to lose weight or improve the metabolism than whey protein.