In order to help you to enjoy the power which comes with knowledge we've created this definitions area. It takes many terms we've used throughout the website and explains them. Enjoy!

Acacia gum is a natural product from the acacia tree. It is very high in soluble fibre and has proven prebiotic properties, ie. it promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut to make a positive impact on health.

Soluble fibre has been recognised as being able to lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood as well as assisting in stabilising blood sugar levels by slowing the release of glucose from food.

We all need fibre in our diet for digestive health and to get that sense of fullness after eating that helps to balance energy intake with energy needs. The advantages of including acacia gum in One Square Meal are not only that it assists with meeting our dietary requirements for fibre but it also has the added features of being a prebiotic soluble fibre

Aerobic means "in the presence of oxygen". Regular aerobic exercise improves and strengthens the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system so that they work more efficiently to deliver oxygen to cells and tissues. Aerobic exercise is any physical activity that is rhythmic in nature, uses large muscle groups and can be maintained for long periods of time. Examples include brisk walking, jogging, biking and swimming

An antioxidant is a substance that prevents oxygen from combining with other substances to form compounds that may be harmful to the body. Normal body functions, such as breathing or physical activity, produces compounds called free radicals. Antioxidants, like Vitamins C and E help keep cells and tissues healthy by counteracting the effects of free radicals.

This is needed for the growth and development of healthy bones and teeth.

Calories are just another measurement of energy. One calorie is equal to 4.18 kilojoules. Many people think that energy is good while calories are bad but really, one is just a measure of the other.

These are the main source of energy in the diet and the term Carbohydrates includes both complex carbohydrates such as starches and simple sugars such as glucose, lactose, fructose and sucrose.

When metabolised in the body both complex carbohydrates and simple sugars are broken down to glucose, which enters the blood stream to provide blood sugar for the body's immediate energy needs. Excess is stored in the muscles or liver as glycogen where it is easily converted back to glucose when required. Once these stores have been topped up, left over carbohydrates are used to increase metabolism and can also be converted to fat for storage. Excess energy intake from carbohydrate in the form of added sugar (especially high-sugar beverages and snacks) may contribute to overweight or obesity. One Square Meal contains no added sugar.

Citric acid is a weak organic acid that is found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, most notably, citrus fruits. In One Square Meal is enhances the berry flavour and adds balance to the taste profile.

Dietary fibre is a general term covering a wide variety of substances, which are resistant to digestion. These substances are important for the health of the digestive system, for lowering blood cholesterol and for modulation of blood glucose. There are two principal types of dietary fibre: soluble and insoluble. Most foods provide a mixture of both. One Square Meal contains 10 grams of dietary fibre in a serving, which is a third of the recommended daily intake for fibre. The ingredients contributing most of this fibre in One Square Meal are dried apricots, acacia gum (a prebiotic soluble fibre) and oats which have the highest portion of soluble fibre of any grain.

If oats are the king of cereals, dried apricots rule in the kingdom of dried fruit. They are rich in phytonutrients, a good source of dietary fibre and potassium, a very good source of vitamin A and they contain iron, niacin and lots of other vitamins and minerals as well as having a low glycaemic index.

A favourite for many, we added dried apricots to One Square Meal not only for nutritional reasons but also for colour, flavour and zing! We don't add preservatives to One Square Meal. The dried apricots we get from our supplier already have sulphur dioxide added which enables them to them keep their quality

Emulsifiers are used in food products to enable liquids such as oil and water (or water based liquids) to mix together. Lecithin is classed as an emulsifier but nutritionally it has so many important functions in the body that many people buy it as a supplement to add to their food.

Lecithin is a naturally occurring group of phospholipids that is found in nearly every living cell and is one of the many healthful components of soybeans. Lecithin and its primary component, choline, are believed to play many essential roles in the body including liver and cell function, fat transport, cardiovascular health, reproduction and child development, brain function, physical performance during endurance activities and cell-to-cell communications.

Energy is the fuel our body uses to live and function. We get this energy from food and beverages. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are the three main nutrients that provide energy. One gram of protein or carbohydrate yields 17 kilojoules (4 calories). Fat is a more energy rich nutrient yielding 37 kilojoules (almost 9 calories) per gram. Most foods are a combination of protein, carbohydrate, fat and fibre. The number of calories in a food is the sum of the calories provided by each nutrient. Reading the nutritional label tells us the total amount of energy present in a serving or per 100g mass of that food.

Daily energy needs depend on a person's age, gender, height, weight, metabolic rate and level of physical activity. Its important that you monitor and understand your relative energy needs compared to your actual food intake in order to balance the books.

On average:
4 – 7 year olds require between 6000 – 8000 kJ/day
8 – 11 year olds require between 7000 – 9000 kJ/day
12 – 15 year olds require between 8000 – 12000 kJ/day
16 – 18 year olds require between 9000 – 14,000 kJ/day
Adult men require between 9000 – 14,000 kJ/day
Adult women require between 7000 – 11,000 kJ/day
(Source: Truswell et al 1990)

Again these are average figures and level of activity can make a big difference. For example a six year old boy with a vigorous activity level may require 9020 kJ/day while a 16 year old girl classed as 'very sedentary' may need only 8360 kJ/day.

The amount of energy we need changes throughout our lives and with our lifestyles. If you regularly eat less than your energy needs you will lose weight. When you eat more than you need, your body will convert the excess into body fat and store the energy for a time. Such fat may later be harnessed as energy for activity or remain as fat stores if an energy deficit is not achieved. When we achieve an energy balance we meet our body's energy requirements, while achieving and maintaining a desirable body composition.

At One Square Meal we encourage everyone to achieve more “balance by design” in their lives which, in part, means getting out there and being active and balancing the inputs (what we eat) and outputs (our level of activity and energy we burn). In amongst this we encourage you to maintain a varied diet using a diversity of foods.

Essential amino acids are those amino acids that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be provided in food.

The nine amino acids considered indispensable in the human diet are:

1  histidine
2  isoleucine
3  leucine
4  lysine
5  methionine (and cystine)
6  phenylalanine (and tyrosine)
7  threonine
8  tryptophan
9  valine

Since methionine is a precursor of cystine and phenylalanine is a precursor of tyrosine, these amino acids are often considered in pairs.

Fat is the term that covers both liquid oils and solid fats. It is an important nutrient needed by everybody, containing essential fatty acids, carrying fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D and E and playing vital structural and functional roles in the body. Fat carries a food’s flavour components which helps to satisfy your appetite.

Dietary fat is a concentrated energy source compared to carbohydrate and protein. We need some fat to meet the functional and nutritional needs we have for it and we should also aim to balance the amount of energy we get from fat with the amount we get from carbohydrate and protein. The recommendation is that 30% of your energy should be derived from fat so the RDI is 70 grams of fat per day (based on an average diet of 8700kJ). To achieve this balance between the energy derived from each of the macronutrients, and to meet dietary needs for fat, One Square Meal was designed to deliver exactly one third of the recommended daily intake for this nutrient.

• Saturated Fats
Most people know that for heart health we do not want to overdo our intake of saturated fats. However it is not well known that saturated fats have important structural and functional roles in the body and elimination of them completely from the diet can cause bad health. Clearly we need to aim for a balance between how much of our dietary fat is saturated and how much is unsaturated. The recommended daily intake for saturated fat is 24g (based on deriving 10% of energy from saturated fats) so One Square Meal is designed to contain one third of this amount.

• Trans Fats
Trans fatty acids (often shortened to trans fats) have been brought to the attention of the public because research has shown that of all the fats, trans fats have the most undesirable effect on blood cholesterol. They increase total blood cholesterol levels and the bad LDL cholesterol and decrease the good HDL cholesterol.

The main dietary source of trans fats that is of most concern is hydrogenated vegetables oils. These oils have been hydrogenated to convert them from liquid oils to solid fat but trans fats are produced in the process. Low levels of trans fats can occur naturally in meat and dairy products but this type does not appear to impact blood cholesterol levels in the way that the trans fats in hydrogenated oils do.For these reasons we have used vegetable oils free of trans fats (trans-free) in One Square Meal. It contains no hydrogenated vegetable oils and no trans fatty acids.

• Unsaturated Fats
Unsaturated fats, which contain monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, have important nutritional roles as well.

Some of the polyunsaturated fatty acids are classed as essential and are needed by the body for the part they play in many metabolic processes. These essential fatty acids cannot be synthesised by the body from other fatty acids and must be obtained from food.

Monounsaturated fatty acids are able to lower undesirable LDL cholesterol as well as raise the protective HDL variety so they have a role in heart health.

Apart from total fat and saturated fat, there are no RDI figures specified for other types of fat for use as reference values to state % Daily Intake figures on labels in New Zealand. For this reason we have shown by weight how much polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat there is in One Square Meal but have ‘n/a’ (not available) in the %DI column of the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) on the pack.

Sometimes called vitamin B9, folate is important for maintaining the digestive and nervous systems and works with B12 in the formation of red blood cells and genetic material. It is necessary for decreased incidence of neural tube defects during pregnancy.

This is the term used to describe a single food or pre-packaged selection of foods that is sold as a replacement for one or more of the daily meals but not as a total diet replacement. One of the main guidelines for a healthy diet is to eat a wide variety of foods from all the main food groups. One Square Meal is a great food to have for a meal but it shouldn't be eaten for every meal.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is the body that ensures food safety by developing effective food standards for Australia and New Zealand. They develop these standards with advice from other government agencies, input from stakeholders and food regulatory policies endorsed by the Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council.

These are defined as foods, or food components that provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value. Many scientific studies have been conducted to show that functional foods may reduce chronic diseases and so they are of great interest to the health conscious. Oat bran, soy protein and rice bran oil are viewed as functional foods.

Glycerine occurs naturally in many plant cells, it is a common humectant used in foods and is also finding application in sports nutrition to increase hydration.

A humectant is any ingredient that holds onto moisture in a food to stop it drying out, a common problem with cereal based bars. We chose glycerine made from coconut for a humectant to help keep One Square Meal moist and delicious.

Iron is vital for the formation of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells and is required for growth, energy production, metabolism, and function of the liver and immune system.

To deliver high quality protein we chose Isolated Soy Protein for One Square Meal because it has the highest possible quality protein score. It is very digestible and not only provides all the essential amino acids your body must get from food, but these essential amino acids are present in the right balance to meet human needs. Soy protein is also a good source of micronutrients such as iron, phosphorus, copper and folate and bioactive phytonutrients such as the isoflavones genistein, daidzein and glycitein. As soy is often associated with genetic modification we ensure our soy protein is guaranteed to be made from non-GM soybeans.

The kilojoule is a measurement of energy. It can be used to quantify how much energy we can get from the food we consume or how much energy we spend when we exercise.

These are nutrients needed by the human body in large quantities for it to function normally. They include protein, carbohydrates and fats. These nutrients supply the energy (calories) and building blocks needed for growth, maintenance and activity. They are broken down in the body into their basic units: sugars from carbohydrates, fatty acids and glycerol from fats and amino acids from proteins.

This is necessary for strong bones, the release of energy from food, and the transmission of nerve impulses and muscular movements.

A sweet nutritious extract from the malted barley grain, this food ingredient is included primarily for flavour rather than sweetness.

Maltodextrin and maize starch are both made from non-GM maize and provide a low allergen way to boost the complex carbohydrate level in One Square Meal. Maltodextrin is an ingredient often used in sports nutrition products to provide sustained energy.

We wanted the best for One Square Meal so we chose New Zealand's premium honey variety, manuka honey. With its distinctive taste, manuka honey is naturally nutritious as well as sweetly delicious. It contains fructose, glucose and other natural sugars, in addition to many enzymes, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances important for the body.

Choosing manuka honey enabled us to avoid going down the route that many other bars take of using cane sugar or other nutritionally barren sweeteners. Manuka honey is all natural and is known as a 'kiwi wonder product'.

A micronutrient is a nutrient, such as a vitamin or mineral, that is essential in minute amounts for your body to function normally. Micronutrients are necessary for health, nutrition and for using the food you digest, but they do not directly provide energy. While One Square Meal contains numerous vitamins, minerals and trace elements, we have quantified the 17 main vitamins and minerals present and have ensured that there is at least a third (33.3%) of the RDI for each of them with only one exception which is sodium. (22.2%)

To make eating a balanced meal as appealing and delicious as possible, we've included colour and flavour essences in One Square Meal. We chose these from natural rather than synthetic sources.

Also known as vitamin B3, niacin belongs to the vitamin B complex and is necessary for the efficient functioning of the digestive and nervous systems. It also helps in metabolising foods.

By nutritionally balanced we mean that the ratio's of all the main nutrients in a food or meal are in balance and proportional to the levels of each that we need. The protein, complex carbohydrate, sugars, dietary fibre, fats and key vitamins and minerals are present in One Square Meal in perfect balance with one another and in proportion to the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of each of these nutrients. Every mouthful of a One Square Meal is nutritionally balanced. While other products aim to be high or low in one nutrient eg. high protein, low fat or low carb, with One Square meal we aimed for the optimum level for all the main nutrients to strive toward “the most nutritionally balanced single food ever made.”

One Square Meal has international patents pending for this nutritional innovation .There are two key streams to the patent application; a.) One Square Meal is a unique product concept and a world first and b.) how One Square Meal is made - we are exploring unique aspects of how we have designed the product, which is radically different to mainstream bound cereal bar process.

Health professionals have set recommended amounts of all the macronutrients that we need in our diet each day. The %DI figures in the nutritional information panel on the One Square Meal pack show you the percentage of these recommended amounts for each nutrient that is present in one serving, where a serving is One Square Meal (two OSM bars). One Square Meal delivers 33.3%, (one third) of the recommended daily intake for protein, carbohydrate, dietary fibre and fats. We think delivering a third of all these makes One Square Meal the ultimate food when it comes to nutritional balance and living up to its name.

So that it is easy for consumers to compare one food product with another, all percentage daily intake values on food labels in New Zealand must be based on an average diet of 8700kJ. That way you are comparing 'apples with apples'. This figure is based on the average energy consumption per day for adults and children over 4 years of age in Australia and New Zealand. The actual daily intake requirements of an individual can vary a bit depending on energy needs, which in turn depend on your age, gender and level of activity. See the definition of energy needs for more details.

Phosphorus is required for maintaining body functions, the production of energy, and, with calcium and magnesium, the maintenance of healthy teeth and bones.

Phytonutrients are bioactive substances from plants that are receiving nutritional attention because of their health-promoting properties. The best known ones are carotenoids, flavonoids and isoflavones. The ingredients in One Square Meal notable for their phytonutrient content are raisins, dried apricots, rolled oats and soy protein.

Protein is used by the body for growth, maintenance, repair of tissue and formation of new tissues. Proteins are made up of smaller units called amino acids. There are twenty standard amino acids most of which can be made in the body but nine are essential amino acids which must be supplied from the food we eat. One Square Meal contains high quality soy protein, which contains all the essential amino acids at levels appropriate to meet the requirements of the human body.

Raisins contain vitamins and minerals as well as natural sugars for energy. They have been the object of phytonutrient research primarily for their unique phenol content, as phenols found in fruit have been shown to have antioxidant activity and to help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells in the body. These delicious dried grapes are also one of the top sources of boron, a trace mineral important for health and of special interest in relation to the bone health of women.

Because macronutrients like protein, carbohydrate and fat use %DI and micronutrients like vitamins and minerals use RDI, at One Square Meal we use the term 'Recommended Daily Intake' when talking about both macro and micro nutrients. Most consumers recognise this term as the amount of each nutrient that nutrition experts recommend we have in our daily diet.

This is the term used to express the amount of a micronutrient, ie. a vitamin or mineral, that health professionals recommend we have in our diet each day. The nutrition information panel (NIP) on the One Square Meal pack gives the proportion of this RDI that is delivered by one serving, where one serving is One Square Meal (two OSM bars). We have listed 17 of the key vitamins and minerals that are present in One Square Meal and ensured that there is at least a third of the RDI of all of them with only one exception which is sodium, so that this Square Meal is balanced in terms of these micronutrients as well.

When researching to find the most healthy, nutritious oil to use in One Square meal we evaluated lots of options before we found rice bran oil. This amazing ingredient is a rich source of micronutrients and natural antioxidants including vitamin E and oryzanol. Antioxidants are important for fighting free radicals (the substances responsible for causing rancidity in fats and cell damage in the human body), and those in rice bran oil have also been shown to inhibit cholesterol synthesis and absorption.

Rice bran oil also has the ideal balance of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids (meeting the New Zealand Nutrition Taskforce recommendations). It is non-hydrogenated and is free of trans fatty acids.

Because of its fatty acid profile and levels of natural antioxidants, it has been shown that rice bran oil can reduce blood cholesterol levels. Being balanced nutritionally with its extra potential health advantages, rice bran oil was an obvious choice for One Square Meal.

Rice flour is a low allergen alternative to wheat flour and it is also a good source of Manganese. We include it in One Square Meal so that the complex carbohydrate is sourced from a mixture of grains.

The Scots have known it for centuries – rolled oats are the king of grain cereals. They are composed mainly of carbohydrates but have higher levels of the other macronutrients, protein and fat, compared to the rest of the cereals.

As a whole grain product, rolled oats retain their essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements. They provide useful amounts of the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and B6 and the minerals, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, phosphorus and manganese, plus some vitamin E, folic acid and potassium.

Oats are a good source of soluble fibre (notably beta-glucans), they contain natural antioxidants and phytonutrients and have a low glycaemic index.

Salt is one of the flavour components of food and while we shouldn't overdo our salt intake it is a useful source of sodium and chloride in our diet.

Sodium is an electrolyte essential for the maintenance of fluid balance, nerve transmissions, and muscle contractions in the body. Chloride, too, is essential for good health. It preserves acid-base balance in the body, aids potassium absorption, supplies the essence of digestive stomach acid, and enhances the ability of the blood to carry carbon dioxide from respiring tissues to the lungs.

Salt is present in One Square Meal at a low level to contribute to its flavour profile and to provide dietary sodium and chloride. The sodium from salt and other ingredients present in One Square Meal contribute 22.2% RDI for sodium. Being less than a third, this supports the health goal that many people have of reducing their overall sodium intake.

Sodium is a mineral (also called an electrolyte, along with potassium) that is essential to the maintenance of fluid balance, nerve transmissions and muscle contractions in the body. In the standardised format of the nutrition information panel (NIP), sodium is normally grouped with the macronutrients so for ease of reference we have left it in this position. The RDI for sodium is 2300mg, however, for health benefits, many New Zealanders are trying to reduce their overall sodium intake. While we have designed One Square Meal to have a third ) of the RDI for most of the key nutrients, we have included sodium at only 22.2% which supports this health goal.

The term sugars is used to describe small carbohydrate molecules and includes lactose, fructose, glucose and sucrose among others. Sugars occur naturally in food, eg. lactose is the main naturally occurring sugar in milk and fructose is the main one in fruit.

Sugar, by contrast, is used to describe the most common of the sugars, purified sucrose. Other terms used for this are refined sugar, cane sugar and added sugar. Sucrose is extracted from sugar cane and also sugar beet. Two other refined sugars that are added to many foods are fructose and glucose. These are often added in a syrup form, eg. glucose syrup or high fructose corn syrup. This refined sugar is sometimes referred to as providing nothing but 'empty' calories because it provides energy but does not provide other essential nutrients. It is easy to exceed you energy requirements when eating food or drink with added sugar. Foods with naturally occurring sugars such as milk, fruit and vegetables by contrast also provide other essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fibre.

Many cereal type bars use cane sugar and glucose syrup as binders to stick the grains of cereal and other ingredients together. When developing One Square Meal we wanted to avoid adding refined sugar so we used manuka honey and dried fruit as natural sources of sweetness. To keep a healthy balance between the amount of complex carbohydrates and the amount of simple sugars in One Square Meal we designed the total amount of all sugars in One Square Meal to be one third of the RDI for sugars.

Vitamins & minerals are vital for human function. We have chosen our ingredients to supply healthy doses of most of these key micronutrients. For those vitamins & minerals that we couldn't tailor exactly to one third of the RDA we have topped them up to ensure you get just the right amount. We were delighted to find the One Square Meal base recipe was so naturally high in vitamins and minerals that we didn't have to top them up to the extent we originally thought we would. In fact its so naturally high in iron that we couldn't get this down to 33.3% RDI.

• Vitamin A
This is a fat-soluble vitamin that is necessary for healthy skin and the ability to see in poor light conditions.

• Vitamin B1
Also know as thiamine, vitamin B1 is necessary for healing and maintaining the nervous system and for the metabolism of carbohydrates.

• Vitamin B2
Also called riboflavin, vitamin B2 is required for metabolizing foods, manufacturing and repairing tissues and maintaining healthy mucous membranes.

• Vitamin B6
Also know as pyridoxine, vitamin B6 is necessary for metabolising the amino acids in protein, for the formation of antibodies and red blood cells and for maintaining a healthy digestive and nervous system.

• Vitamin B12
This is necessary for maintaining the nervous system, red blood formation, cell division during growth and the development of genetic material.

• Vitamin C
Also called ascorbic acid, vitamin C is required for healthy skin, teeth, gums and blood vessels. It assists in the absorption of iron and in healing wounds and broken bones.

• Vitamin D
This is a fat-soluble vitamin which is required for the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

• Vitamin E
This vitamin acts as an antioxidant, it helps to protect body tissues and is important for the prevention of anemia.

Our wheatflakes are whole wheat grains that have been rolled and toasted. They provide carbs, dietary fibre and protein as well as antioxidants, lignans and other phytonutrients. Whole grain wheat contains useful amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamins B6 and B12, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium and other vitamins, minerals and trace elements. They add crunch to One Square Meal as well as the natural goodness of a whole grain cereal.

This helps to develop a healthy immune system and is necessary for growth and development, including that of the reproductive system.