Plain-English nutrition,
explained.

Cortisol

Cortisol is the body's main stress hormone — released by the adrenals during stress, illness, exercise.

Added Sugar

Also: Free Sugar

Added sugar is sugar added to foods during processing or cooking — distinct from naturally-occurring sugar in fruit or milk.

Carbohydrate

Also: Carbs

Carbohydrates are sugars and starches your body converts to glucose for energy — found in roti, rice, fruit, bread, sugar.

Fat (Dietary)

Dietary fat is the most calorie-dense macronutrient (9 cal/g) — essential for hormones, brain health, and absorption of vitamins.

Fibre

Fibre is the indigestible part of plant foods — slows digestion, feeds gut bacteria, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol.

Inositol

Inositol is a vitamin-like compound (myo-inositol and d-chiro-inositol) with strong evidence for PCOS management.

Macronutrient

Also: Macros

Macronutrients are the three nutrients your body needs in large amounts: protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

Protein

Protein is the macronutrient that builds muscle, repairs tissue, and produces hormones — found in chicken, eggs, daal, paneer.

Fatty Liver

Also: NAFLD, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver is excess fat stored in liver cells — present in 1 in 4 Pakistani adults, often without symptoms.

Gestational Diabetes

Also: GDM

Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops during pregnancy in women without prior diabetes.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is when your cells stop responding properly to insulin, forcing your pancreas to make more.

PCOS

Also: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Polycystic Ovary Disease, PCOD

PCOS is a hormonal condition affecting roughly 1 in 5 women, marked by irregular periods, high androgens, and often insulin resistance.

Pre-diabetes

Pre-diabetes is when blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet diabetic — fasting 100–125 mg/dL or HbA1c 5.7–6.4%.

BMI

Also: Body Mass Index

BMI is weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared — a rough population-level health screen.

BMR

Also: Basal Metabolic Rate

BMR is the calories your body burns at complete rest just to keep your organs functioning.

Body Composition

Body composition is the breakdown of your body into fat mass, lean mass (muscle, bone, organs), and water.

Calorie

Also: Kcal

A calorie is a unit of energy — the amount needed to raise 1 kg of water by 1 °C.

Fasting Glucose

Fasting glucose is your blood sugar after 8+ hours without food, usually measured first thing in the morning.

HbA1c

Also: Glycated haemoglobin, A1C

HbA1c is a blood test that shows your average blood sugar level over the past 2–3 months.

Lean Body Mass

Also: LBM

Lean body mass is everything in your body that isn't fat — muscle, bone, organs, water.

Post-Prandial Glucose

Also: Post-meal glucose, PPG

Post-prandial glucose is your blood sugar level 2 hours after eating.

South Asian BMI Cutoffs

South Asians have lower BMI cutoffs for overweight (23+) and obese (27.5+) than the standard Western 25/30.

TDEE

Also: Total Daily Energy Expenditure

TDEE is the total calories you burn in a day, including basal metabolism, activity, and digestion.

Visceral Fat

Visceral fat is fat stored around your internal organs (liver, intestines, pancreas) — the most dangerous kind.

Chana (Chickpea)

Also: Chickpea, Garbanzo

Chana is the chickpea — eaten as whole pulse, split daal (chana daal), or flour (besan).

Daal (Lentils)

Also: Lentils, Pulses

Daal is the Pakistani staple of cooked split lentils — a rich source of protein, fibre, and iron.

Methi (Fenugreek)

Also: Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum

Methi (fenugreek) is a herb whose leaves and seeds are clinically shown to lower blood sugar.

Glycemic Index

Also: GI

Glycemic Index ranks how fast a food raises blood sugar — from 0 (no effect) to 100 (pure glucose).

Intermittent Fasting

Also: IF, Time-Restricted Eating

Intermittent fasting is eating within a restricted time window (e.g., 8 hours), fasting the rest.

Resistant Starch

Resistant starch is a starch that resists digestion in the small intestine, acting more like fibre.