Key Words and Terms Explained

Summary from the book...
"Your Natural Diet: Alive Raw Foods"
by T. C. Fry & David Klein


ACID-FORMING: For our purposes, foods which, when metabolized, form acidic end-products. Acids must be neutralized because the body must maintain an alkaline disposition of blood and fluids. Phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur and silicon are the most prevalent acid-forming elements.

AESTHETIC: Relating to beauty or that which is consonant with human well-being. As we use it we mean our sense of beauty. That which is promotive of human well-being is usually beautiful, and that which is contrary to human well-being is usually ugly and repulsive.

ALKALINE-FORMING: Foods which, when metabolized, form bases or alkalis in the body. Alkalis are base elements that predominate in the body. We require an alkaline disposition of blood and fluids. Calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron are the most significant alkaline elements.

ALKALOSIS:  A Body condition wherein acidic minerals are not sufficient to maintain the normal homeostatic pH. A normal bodily pH is in the range of 7.35 to 7.45 (slightly alkaline). When the body becomes overly alkaline, usually due to an overload of inorganic alkalis which the body handles poorly, it experiences distress, some of it being akin to heartburn.

ASSIMILATION: The incorporation of nutrients into body substance or into substances the body needs in in its process and functions.

CARNIVORE: An eater of animals or carnage. Be it noted that carnivores not only eat the flesh of animals but blood, bone, gristle and offal as well. Eating flesh only is very unbalanced diet.

CONSONANT: Meaning "in accord with", or "in harmony with". As we use it, the terms mean in agreement with.

ENDOGENOUS:  Meaning internally originating or generated.

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS: These are the fatty acids occurring within oils and foods which are deemed necessary in the human diet because of human inability to synthesize them. They include linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and arachidonic acid. Evidence has surfaced that now says there may be only one essential fatty acid inasmuch as the body does seem to have the ability to synthesize arachidonic and linolenic acid. Simple fatty acids of all kinds are called monoglycerides.

EXOGENOUS: Something originating outside the organism. For our purposes too, the intestinal tract is outside the organism, being a tube that traverses the body from mouth to anus. Nevertheless, we regard this as internal. Because of this "exogenous" nature of an internal organ (the intestinal tract) this may lead to confusion at times.

FACULTIES: as we use it this means all the resources and equipment an organism possesses for its life activities and processes.

FAMINE: A paucity or shortage of needs or even their total absence. More particularly this applies to occasions of food scarcity or absence.

FRUGIVORE: Animals or humans who live on fruits. For our purposes anyone who lives predominantly or mostly on fruits. There are total fruitarians but they comprise only a fraction of the fruitarians.

FRUIT: That part of a seed package developed and grown specifically by a plant (stalk, vine or tree) to inuce consumption with the incidental benefit of the spreading of its seed. Fruit is the only form of plant life grown specifically as food.

GRAMINIVORE: Creatures that subsist on grains and/or cereals. Mostly these are birds. Technically, any creatures that live on grasses and their seeds are graminivorous. But these are generally referred to as herbivores if they consume grasses or other herbage.

HERBIVORE: Eaters of plants which, practically, means mostly grasses. though there are leaf eaters (e.g., giraffes), wood eaters and weed eaters.

INSECTIVORE: A mammalian eater of insects as primary source of sustenance. These are moles, armadillos, etc.

METABOLIC: Relating to body processes that change substances. There are tearing-down processes called catabolic and building-up processes called anabolic.

MINERAL SALTS: Mineral salts are formed by an organic combination of mineral with acid to form a stable compound.  This compound can then be metabolized and utilized by the body.

PALATE: Pertaining to the senses of taste. A food is said to be palatable if it appeals to our tastes.

PATHOGENIC: A combination of the Greek words patho- which means disease or suffering and gen which means to produce. Hence pathogenic means that which produces disease.

PERVERTED: Deviant from normal; unnatural, abnormal; wrong action; incorrect.

PHYSIOLOGICAL: Pertaining to the internal processes, functions and activities that attend living organisms. physiology as sush also involves a study of the components and faculties of organisms in connection with processes, functions and activities they´re involved in.

PRISTINE: Belonging to a beginning period. An original condition.

PROTEIN: Nitrogenous compounds as organized into amino acids which act as an alphabet from which the body creates over 100,000 words (proteins). These combinations serve as building materials, enzyme catalysts of metabolic activities, and factor in organisms, plant or animal. Every living cell of every living thing is endowed with proteins that have been specially synthesized to meet its special needs. All organisms reject, destroy and expel proteins not of its own synthesis.

RATIONALE: The setting forth of controlling principles or the principles that appertain to a situation. An explanation of why for, what for, how for, etc.

RESERVE: That which is stored in anticipation of future need.

SALIENT: That which is foremost, conspicuous or standing out as we use it.

STARVATION: As we use it, a stage when all fat reserves have been exhausted and the body begins consumption of muscular or proteinaceous tissues for the energies necessary to conduct brain, heart and other vital activities.

SYMBIOSIS: Dissimilar organisms that cooperate for the benefit of the body. the cooperation is usually instinctual. A good example is the services rendered flowers by bees and insects in incidentally effecting fertilization while sustaining themselves upon nectar created by the plant to attract their consumption.

SYMBIONT: A participant in symbiotic activities.

SYMBIOTIC: Meaning organisms and/or plants that cooperate with each other of perform services for each other for mutual benefit.

TANTALIZE: That which entices, enthralls or attracts. this means something that entrances us but is out of reach or unavailable. We use this term as that which arouses desire such that we´re attracted to it.

TOXIC: Poisonous; anti-vital; relating to a substance interferes with, impedes, impairs or destroys vital functions and processes due to chemical unions that derange stable processes; that which disturbs homeostasis; that which clogs, blocks or modifies body processes, and that which injures due to its presence or its modifications of the norm.

VEGETARIAN: The word derives from vegetus meaning lively, exciting or animated. The word is popularly used to mean an eater of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and non-animal fare generally. It does not mean, as commonly supposed, an eater of only vegetable fare. On the other hand, we must respect common understanding and usage by regarding the term vegetarian as meaning only a consumer of plant foods.

VITAMIN: Means "vital amine", or coenzyme necessary to metabolic processes. Most vitamins are composed of various amino acid combinations or proteins. Vitamins are under the control of the body in both their composition and employment.