Common terms used throughout this site:

Autointoxication - process by which harmful microbes in the intestine cause disease. (3)

Bacteria - Over 500 species of bacteria may be present in the human gut in concentrations of 100 billion to 1 trillion microbes per gram adding up to 95% of the total number of cells in a human.
Bioavailability of Nutrients - the efficiency of absorption and utilization or retention of the nutrients that are present in food. (7)

Calcium – an essential mineral well known for its key function for developing and maintaining the rigidity of bones. A diet low in calcium increases the risk of bones becoming weak or brittle – a condition known as osteoporosis. Sources of calcium are milk and milk products (10). And also seeds such as sesame and sunflower, nuts, quiona, dark green leafy greens, seaweed and dried figs. (11)

Carbohydrates - various types of sugar, starch, and dietary fibers. (3)

Coeliac / Celiac Disease - considered to be a genetic autoimmune disease caused by a permanent intestinal intolerance (allergy) to dietary gluten that causes damage to the villi the small intestine lining. become inflamed, shortened and flattened. This greatly reduces the guts ability to absorb nutrients from food eaten, which leads to malnutrition and diseases associated with it.

Copper - a trace minerals is present in many enzymes and in copper-containing proteins found in the blood, brain, and liver. (10) Copper deficiency is associated with the failure to use iron in the formation of haemoglobin. (10)

Digestion - the process of reducing large food molecules into simpler compounds and, thereby, making it possible for them to be absorbed from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. The splitting food molecules. (3)

Enzymes - chemical compounds, made by cells, which are responsible for chemical reactions carried on by those cells. (3)

Fermentation - Derived from the Latin verb fervere, to boil, thus describing the appearance of the action of yeast on extracts of fruit or malted grain. The boiling appearance is due to the production of carbon dioxide bubbles caused by the anaerobic catabolism of the sugars present in the extract. p1. (5) The chemical breakdown of carbohydrates (sugar, starch, and fiber) by intestinal microbes resulting in the production of hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide gas, and various other products such as lactic acid, acetic acid and alcohol. (3)

Gluten - dietary gluten, a protein found in wheat, and similar proteins in rye, barley and possibly oats.

Intestinal Flora - the various bacteria, yeast, and other microscopic forms of life in the intestinal contents. (3)

Iodine – an essential mineral, Iodine is needed to synthesize hormones of the thyroid gland. A deficiency leads to goiter (swelling of the thyroid gland in the lower neck). It is estimated that worldwide more than 150 million people suffer from iodine eficiency diseases.(10)

Magnesium – an essential mineral, Magnesium is essential for human metabolism and is important for maintaining the electrical potential in nerve and muscle cells. In malnourished people this deficiency can lead to tremors and convulsions. (10) Chief sources of Magnesium are almonds (you can soak overnight in water for easier digestion), sunflower seeds, fresh green vegetables, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, grapes. (11)

Malnutrition – lack of nutrients in the diet or lack of absorption of nutrients due to digestive disorders. This leads to many deficiencies including vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Lack of absorbed nutrients can lead to severe illness resembling malnutrition.

Microvilli - fingerlike projections normally present on individual intestinal absorptive cells; normally, digestive enzymes are embedded within microvilli but, in many conditions, microvilli disappear along with their digestive enzymes. (3)

Minerals - mineral nutrients are required in the structural composition of hard and soft body tissues; they also participate in such processes as the action of enzymes, the contraction of muscles, nerve reactions, and the clotting of blood. Mineral nutrients can not be made by the body and so all must be supplied in the diet. (10)

Mucosa - the lining of the intestinal tract which is formed by the intestinal cells and which comes in contact with the contents of the intestinal tract. (3)

Nutrients - Nutrients are classified into five major groups: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These groups comprise between 45 and 50 substances that scientists have established, mostly through experiments with animals, as essential for maintaining normal growth and health. Besides water and oxygen, they include about eight amino acids from proteins, four fat-soluble and ten water-soluble vitamins, about ten minerals, and three electrolytes (the ions required by cells to regulate the electrical charge and flow of water molecules across cell membranes). Although carbohydrates are needed for the body's energy, they are not considered absolutely essential because protein can be converted for this purpose. (10)

Nutrition - encompasses the provision of calories/energy, protein, essential amino acids/peptides, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals via foods. (6)

Organic - organic agriculture is about farming without the addition of artificial chemicals whilst proactively managing the biologically-based farming system to prevent pest and disease problems whilst achieving optimum yields. Artificial chemicals are chemically processed or manufactured inputs and not allowed under the national standard. Rock phosphate is acceptable on an organic farm for example, but superphosphate is not. Only natural chemicals allowed within the national standards for organic production can be used on organic farms. These chemicals are generally naturally-occurring and are friendly to soil organic levels and soil biological activity. (12)

Peristalsis - involuntary waves of muscular contraction and relaxation which propel the contents of the intestine forward. (3)

Phosphorus – an essential mineral, combines with calcium in the bones and teeth. It plays an important role in energy metabolism of the cells, affecting carbohydrates, lipids (fatty acids in the blood that also include cholesterol and triglycerides), and proteins. (10)

Probiotic - A live microbial feed which beneficially affects the host animal by improving its intestinal microbial balance. (2) Meaning 'for or pro life' (as opposed to antibiotic). The term probiotic is generally accepted as meaning products that supplement lactic acid bacteria to the diet. Probiotics top up the beneficial bacteria to improve conditions within the gut. These are substances such as acidophilus and bifidus that restore beneficial bacteria that are normally present in the intestines. Stress, poor diet, antibiotics, and oral contraceptives can throw off the normal balance of bacteria and fungi. This imbalance may manifest as a yeast infection, or in symptoms such as diarrhoea or gastrointestinal disturbances. (12)

Protein – The primary function of protein is to build body tissue and synthesize enzymes, some hormones, such as insulin, that regulate physiological activity, and other complex substances that govern body processes. Animal and plant proteins are broken down by digestive enzymes called proteases into nitrogen-containing amino acids. These amino acids can be absorbed through the intestine into the blood and recombined into the particular tissue needed. Of the 20 amino acids that make up protein, 8 are considered essential - that is, because the body cannot make them, they must be supplied ready-made in foods

Putrefaction - the chemical breakdown of proteins by intestinal microbes resulting in the formation of ammonia and other substances. (3)

Refined Carbohydrate - a carbohydrate such as cornstarch or white sugar which has been separated from substances with which it is normally associated in the natural or whole state. Refined carbohydrates usually have their calories left intact but have lost most, if not all, of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals found in the whole foods from which they have been extracted. (3)

Sodium – the mineral Sodium is present in small and usually sufficient quantities in most natural foods, is found in liberal amounts in salted prepared and cooked foods. It is present in extracellular fluid (the fluid between cells or cell layers), which sodium helps regulate. Too much sodium causes edema, an over-accumulation of extracellular fluid (water retention). Evidence now exists that excessive dietary salt contributes to high blood pressure. (10)

Villi - thousands of tiny, finger-like projections that line the small intestine. The villi cells function is to break down and absorb nutrients from food eaten. The finger-like protrusions dramatically increases the surface area of the small intestine allowing nutrients to be absorbed.

Vitamins – substances present in small amounts in natural foodstuffs (or supplements) which are essential for cellular function and the lack of which in the diet results in disease. The cells, with minor exceptions, cannot make vitamins. (3) Vitamins are classified into two groups, the fat-soluble and the water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins include vitamins A, D, E, and K. The water-soluble vitamins, vitamin C and the B-vitamin complex, cannot be stored and therefore need to be consumed daily to replenish the body's needs. (10)

Vitamin A - is essential for normal growth and for the health of epithelial cells, which form membranes that line body cavities. A deficiency of vitamin A leads to skin changes and night blindness, or failure of the eye to adapt to the dark because of this deficiency's effect on the retina. Vitamin A can be obtained from foods of animal origin such as milk, eggs, liver and salmon. Carotene, present in green, red and yellow vegetables and fruit, can be converted to Vitamin A in the body. (10), (11)

Vitamin B Complex - The most important B-complex vitamins are thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), nicotinic acid or niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), pantothenic acid (B5), lecithin, choline, inositol, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), folic acid, and cyanocobalamin (B12). These vitamins serve a wide range of important metabolic functions including the metabolization of carbohydrates and protein and energy production. Deficiencies in B vitamins can often be the underlying cause of poor adrenal gland function and results in energy slumps. (10) They are found mainly in grains, seeds, green leafy vegetables, seaweeds, yeast and liver.

Vitamin C - or ascorbic acid, is important in the synthesis and maintenance of connective tissue. It prevents scurvy, which attacks the gums, skin, and mucous membranes. It is mainly found in citrus fruits and rose hips (10). But also found in raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, cabbage, parsley, yams, seaweeds (also known as sea vegetables). (11)

Vitamin D - Vitamin D acts much like a hormone and regulates calcium and phosphorus absorption and metabolism. A deficiency leads to rickets in children or osteomalacia (a bone condition characterized by fractures, weakness, and weight loss) in adults. Some vitamin D is obtained from foods such as eggs, fish, liver, butter, margarine, and milk, some of which might have been fortified with vitamin D. The body is able to make vitamin D from exposure of the skin to sunlight. (10)

Vitamin E - Vitamin E is an essential nutrient for many vertebrate animals, but its role in the human body has not been established. Vitamin E is found in seed oils and wheat germ. (10) It has been popularly advocated for a great variety of afflictions including a reduction in physical symptoms of PMT.(11)

Vitamin K - is necessary for the coagulation of blood. It assists in forming the enzyme prothrombin, which is needed to produce fibrin for blood clots. Vitamin K is produced by bacteria in the intestine, but is also provided by leafy green vegetables such as spinach and kale, and egg yolk. (10)

Zinc – a trace mineral is important in forming enzymes, the metabolism of fatty acids and for the production of serotonin. A deficiency of zinc is believed to impair growth and, in severe cases, to cause dwarfism. (10) Signs of a deficiency can be cracks on the skin and behind the ears and white spots on the nails. In times of stress the need for zinc increases. Pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds are high in Zinc. (11)

References
1.Douglas, Loudon, M. 1911. The Bacillus of Long Life. WC; Edinburgh: T.C. & E.C. Jack.
2. Fuller, R. 1989. Probiotics in man and animals. J. Appl. Bacteriol. 66:365-378.
3. Gottschall, Elaine. 1994. Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. Kirkton Press Ltd., Ontario, Canada.
4. Spedding, C.R.W. 1989. The Human Food Chain. London; New York: Elsevier Applied Science.
5. Stanbury, P.F., Whitaker, A., Hall, S.J. 1995. Principles of Fermentation Technology. Oxford, U.K.; Tarrytown, N.Y., U.S.A.: Pergamon, 2nd ed.
6. Steinkraus, Keith, H. 1996. Indigenous Fermented Foods. Marcel Dekker, Inc.
7. Subcommittee on Nutrition and Diarrheal Diseases Control, Subcommittee on Diet, Physical Activity, and Pregnancy Outcome, Committee on International Nutrition Programs, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. 1992. Nutrition Issues in Developing Countries. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
8. Zeffertt, Wendy. 1999. Cultured Foods. Hyland House Publishing Pty.
9. Goggins, et al. "Celiac Disease and Other Nutrient Related Injuries to the Gastrointestinal Tract" The American Journal of Gastroenterology. Vol 89, No. 8, pages S2-S13, 1994.
10 "Nutrition, Human," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 98 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
11 McKeith, Dr Gillian. 2004. You Are What You Eat. Penguin Books.
12 www.grainfieldsaustralia.com.au