Vocabulary for Health & Lifestyle
Addictive – Substances and activities that create either a physical or mental dependency
Administer medicine – To give medicine to a patient
Alleviate – To relieve pain or symptoms
Chronic – A long-lasting and difficult to eradicate illness
Deteriorate – To become worse
Diagnose – To identify the nature of a medical condition
Disease – A disorder of structure or function in a human, which produces symptoms.
Disorder – An illness or condition that affects mental or physical function
Epidemic – A large outbreak of a disease or virus
Exercise – Physical activity to assist the body in staying fit and healthy
Fatty foods – Foods that are high in fat and lead to health problems
Healthy diet – Consuming food that is beneficial for the body
Impair – To weaken or damage
Infection – The invasion and growth of germs in the body
Injury – Physical harm or damage
Keeping fit – Doing exercise to stay healthy
Active lifestyle – A life that involves lots of exercise and activity
Mental health – Emotional and psychological well-being
Nutrients – Vitamins and minerals found in foods and plants
Obesity – A condition that results in abnormal or excessive fat accumulation
Premature death – Death occurring before the average age of death
Preventative medicine/treatment – Designed to prevent health problems rather than resolve them
Public health services – Services provided by governments, usually free of charge
Rampant – Happening a lot or becoming worse
Rehabilitation – Restoring someone to health after addiction or sickness
Sedentary – inactive and without physical exercise
Sugary foods – Foods that are high in sugar, such as chocolate and carbonated drinks
Unhealthy diet – Consumption of fatty and sugary food and drinks, likely to lead to health problems
Vocabulary for Medical Conditions, Symptoms & Diseases
Ache – A continuous or prolonged pain in the body
Bacterial infection – A proliferation of harmful bacteria in the body. They enter the body from food, water, or through cuts and wounds.
Blocked nose – Difficulty in breathing through the nose
Blood pressure – The rate at which the heart pumps blood throughout the body
Catch a cold – To contract the common cold
Diabetes – A disease which impairs the body’s ability to produce insulin
Fatal – Resulting in death
Flu – An infectious illness similar to the common cold but more severe
General Practitioner (G.P) – A local doctor who deals with minor health complaints or refers patients to a hospital
Headache – Pain in the head area
Hereditary – Passed down from generation to generation
Prescription – An instruction written by a medical worker to provide a patient with medication
Pulled muscle – An overstretching or tearing of a muscle tendon
Runny nose – A symptom of the cold where mucus is discharged from the nose
Sore throat – Pain or irritation in the throat area
Viral infection – The presence of a harmful virus in the body, for example, COVID and HIV
Idioms for Health & Recovery
A bitter pill to swallow – An unpleasant fact or disappointment that is difficult to accept
A new lease of life – A chance to continue living or the feeling of being livelier and more energetic
Alive and kicking – Very active and usually in a healthy state
As white as a ghost – To have a pale appearance due to sickness, fear, or shock
Back on one’s feet – To have recovered from an illness
Black and blue – To have lots of bruises or cuts on the body
Under the weather – To feel ill
Go under the knife – To undergo surgery
Kick a habit – To stop a particular habit such as smoking, drinking, or eating unhealthy food
On one’s last legs – Close to death, or when something becomes useless or redundant
On the mend – In the process of recovery from an illness
Out of shape – To be in a bad physical condition
Sick as a dog – To feel extremely ill
Stay in shape – Keep a good level of fitness / physical condition
Vocabulary list and definitions
balanced diet: eating a sensible mix of different foods
conscientious about my health: watching and caring about your heath
flavoursome and appealing: good to eat and looking attractive
convenient take away: food which you can eat at home
healthier eating habits: eating less sugar or salt
productive at work: achieving more, better results
processed meat: meat in which there are additives or chemicals
function successfully: to work, perform in a great way
tempted by diets: interested in other ways of eating
adopted a vegan diet: a vegan does not eat meat, or dairy foods
broad minded: open to other ideas
Sceptical: not believing something
over production of meat: factories or agricultural methods which are focused on this
Public service education message: advice from the government
Positive reinforcement: rewarding people for doing the right thing