Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The basal metabolic rate is the minimum rate at which the body uses energy at complete rest. It is the minimum amount of energy needed to keep the body alive and is the largest component of an average person's daily energy expenditure. The BMR is usually expressed simply as kilocalories per day or in units of energy per unit surface area (or per kilogram body mass) per unit time.  BMR is measured under very restrictive circumstances when a person is awake, but at complete rest.  A more common and closely related measurement, used under less strict conditions, is resting metabolic rate (RMR).

Body Fat
Body fat is the amount of fat in a human body. It is usually expressed as a percentage of total body weight. An average adult male has about 15-17% body fat: and an average female has about 25% body fat.

Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index is a standardized ratio of weight to height, and is often used as a general indicator of health.  Your BMI can be calculated by dividing your weight (in kilograms) by the square of your height (in meters).  A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal for most adults.  Higher BMI's may indicate that an individual is overweight or obese.

BMI Scale

Carbohydrate.....................................................................
A broad category of sugars, starches, fibers and starchy vegetables that the body eventually converts to glucose, the body's primary source of energy. There are two classes of carbohydrates-simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are the sugars, which include glucose and fructose from fruits and vegetables, sucrose from beet or cane sugar and lactose from milk. Simple carbohydrates are absorbed by the body very quickly. Complex carbohydrates include starches and fiber and are most commonly found in whole grains and legumes. Complex carbohydrates, which are generally large chains of glucose molecules, take longer to digest and provide more nutrients than simple carbohydrates.

Protein
Protein is one of the basic components of food and makes all life possible. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. All of the antibodies and enzymes, and many of the hormones in the body are proteins. They provide for the transport of nutrients, oxygen and waste throughout the body. They provide the structure and contracting capability of muscles. They also provide collagen to connective tissues of the body and to the tissues of the skin, hair and nails.

Saturated Fat
Saturated fat has the maximum possible number of hydrogen atoms attached to every carbon atom. Saturated fatty acids are mostly found in animal products such as whole milk, cream, ice cream, whole-milk cheeses, butter, lard and meats and certain plant oils such as palm, palm kernel and coconut oils.  They  are usually solid at room temperature and tend to raise levels of LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood. Alternatives to saturated fats include monounsaturated fats such as olive oil and polyunsaturated fats such as canola oil and corn oil.

Trans Fat
Trans fats are unsaturated, but they can raise total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lower HDL ("good") cholesterol.  Trans fats result from adding hydrogen to vegetable oils used in commercial baked goods and for cooking in most restaurants and fast-food chains.  Cookies, crackers and other commercial baked goods made with partially hydrogenated vegetable oils may be high in trans fat.   French fries, donuts and other commercial fried foods are major sources of trans fat in the diet.

Unsaturated Fat........GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...
Unsaturated fat has one or more double bonds between carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. Such fat molecules are monounsaturated if each contains one double bond, and polyunsaturated if each contain more than one.  Hydrogenation converts unsaturated fats to saturated fats, while dehydrogenation accomplishes the reverse.  Unsaturated fats tend to melt at lower temperatures than saturated fats, which tend to be solid at room temperature.  Monounsaturated fats come from certain plant oils such as olive, canola and peanut oils, avocados.  Polyunsaturated fats come from certain plant oils such as safflower, sesame, soy, corn and sunflower-seed oils, nuts and seeds.