| A | B |
|---|
| Amino acid | building block or protein |
| Carbohydrate | nutrient that usually is the body’s main source of energy |
| Chemical digestion | occurs when enzymes and other chemicals break down large food molecules into smaller ones |
| Chyme | liquid product of digestion |
| Digestion | mechanical and chemical breakdown of food into small molecules that cells can absorb and use |
| Enzyme | a type of protein that regulates nearly all chemical reactions in cells; a type of protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body without being changed or used up itself |
| Fat | nutrient that stores energy, cushions organs, and helps the body absorb vitamins |
| Food group | groups of food – such as bread, cereal, rice, and pasta – containing the same type of nutrients |
| Mechanical digestion | breakdown of food through chewing, mixing, and churning |
| Mineral | inorganic nutrient that regulates many chemical reactions in the body |
| Nutrient | substances in foods – proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water – that provide energy and materials for cell development, growth, and repair |
| Peristalsis | waves of muscular contractions that move food through the digestive tract |
| Protein | large molecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur and is made up o amino acids; used by the body for growth and repair of body cells |
| Villi | fingerlike projections covering the wall of the small intestine that increase the surface area for food absorption |
| Vitamin | water-soluble or fat-soluble organic nutrient need in small quantities for growth, for preventing some diseases, and for regulating body functions |
