GLOSSARY

Fortified Food Fortified food has one or more nutrients added for a specified nutritional purpose. Fortification does not automatically turn a food into a dietary supplement, and its added nutrients must be counted with other intake sources.

Fortification deliberately adds one or more nutrients to food to improve its nutritional value or reduce the risk of inadequate intake. Iodised salt and some vitamin D-fortified milks are examples. Population programmes and individual commercial products differ, and the nutrients, amounts and implementation standards vary between countries.

Food composition tables report measured or average components for a defined food. Product type, crop variety, cooking, and fortification can create differences. For a packaged product, its own label is usually more directly relevant than a value for a merely similar food.

Nutrient intake is estimated from the amount of food consumed and its composition, usually in grams, milligrams, or micrograms per day. Units and the reporting period matter. Food weight does not equal the quantity of a nutrient within it.

Some nutrients have a tolerable upper intake level, which is not a daily target. Depending on the nutrient, the limit may concern supplements, fortified sources, or total intake. Absence of an established upper limit does not demonstrate that unlimited amounts are safe.

A calcium-fortified plant beverage can contribute to daily intake. Its protein, calcium and vitamin D must nevertheless be checked separately on the actual product label.

A front-of-pack slogan, an athlete image or the word 'natural' is insufficient to assess a food. Read the ingredients, serving size, nutrition panel and actual amount consumed together. One added nutrient does not by itself establish low sugar or salt, or suitability of the whole product for every training goal.

Sports planning generally starts with varied foods and adequate intake. A supplement may help in a defined situation, such as an identified intake gap or assessed need, but cannot replace sufficient food and energy. An ingredient name alone does not establish effectiveness or necessity.

References: NIH ODS · AIS