nutrition

nutrition — noun

1. the substances present in food that your body needs to grow, stay healthy, and h

1.nounB1
Definition

the substances present in food that your body needs to grow, stay healthy, and have enough energy for daily activities

Example

The nutrition label on the cereal box shows how much sugar each serving contains.

collocation: nutrition label

Fresh vegetables offer more nutrition than processed snacks that are high in salt.

offer / provide nutrition

Common collocations
  • good nutrition
  • poor nutrition
  • proper nutrition
  • nutrition label
  • nutrition content
  • nutrition facts
  • nutrition supplement
Synonyms
  • nourishment

    more concrete and biological; often refers to the physical act of being fed

  • food

    more general and everyday; can refer to anything edible regardless of health value

  • sustenance

    formal; emphasises survival and basic life support rather than health quality

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

nutrition + noun

adjective + nutrition

Usage Note

Unlike 'nutrient' (a countable noun referring to individual substances such as vitamins), 'nutrition' is uncountable and refers to the overall quality or makeup of what you eat.

Common Mistakes

You need more nutritions in your daily diet.
You need better nutrition in your daily diet.
'nutrition' is uncountable and has no plural form.
The nutrition of this fruit is vitamin C.
The nutrient in this fruit is vitamin C.
Use 'nutrient' for specific individual substances.

2. how living organisms consume food and convert it into energy and body tissue, or

2.nounB2
Definition

how living organisms consume food and convert it into energy and body tissue, or the branch of science that studies how diet affects health and growth

Example

The university offers a master's degree in nutrition for students interested in food science.

collocation: degree in nutrition

Good nutrition depends on what you eat and how your body uses those vitamins.

good nutrition (referring to the process, not specific foods)

Common collocations
  • human nutrition
  • clinical nutrition
  • sports nutrition
  • nutrition research
  • department of nutrition
  • course in nutrition
  • animal nutrition
Synonyms
  • dietetics

    more clinical and specific; refers to the professional practice of designing diets for health

  • food science

    broader; includes food chemistry and production, not just health effects

Grammar Patterns

the study / field / science of nutrition

adjective + nutrition (e.g. human nutrition, clinical nutrition)

Usage Note

Frequently appears in academic and professional contexts. The phrase 'good nutrition' can refer to either sense 1 (nutritious food substances) or sense 2 (healthy eating as a process). A 'nutritionist' or 'dietitian' practises in sense 2; a 'nutrient' belongs to sense 1.

Common Mistakes

She studied nutritions at university.
She studied nutrition at university.
Even when referring to the academic field, 'nutrition' remains uncountable.
Nutrition is about how to cook food.
Nutrition is about how the body uses food for growth and health.
Cooking is part of food preparation, not nutrition itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Nutrition' focuses specifically on the health value of what you eat — the balance of vitamins, minerals, and other substances your body needs. 'Nourishment' is more biological and concrete, emphasising the act of being fed and the physical material that sustains life; it often appears in medical or caregiving contexts ('the patient received intravenous nourishment'). 'Food' is the broadest, everyday term for anything edible, regardless of its health impact — junk food is still food. 'Sustenance' is formal and carries a sense of bare survival: what you need just to stay alive, without any expectation of quality. For example, 'rice provides basic sustenance for millions of people, but better nutrition would include vegetables and protein.'

nourishmentfood ↗sustenance

Common collocations

Nouns

  • nutrition label
  • nutrition facts
  • nutrition expert
  • nutrition science

Phrases

  • good nutrition
  • poor nutrition
  • proper nutrition
  • balanced nutrition

Prepositions

  • in nutrition
  • of nutrition

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

From Latin 'nutritio' meaning 'a nourishing, a nursing,' derived from 'nutrire' (to suckle, to feed). The word entered English in the 15th century. The modern scientific sense — referring to the biological process and its study — developed in the mid-19th century as researchers began to understand how the body uses food components such as proteins and vitamins.