Nutrition and Dietetics
Core concepts
Expect questions on nutrient function, digestion and absorption, energy balance, and the nutrition care process (assessment, diagnosis, intervention, monitoring/evaluation). Know the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and their absorption with dietary fat, the water-soluble vitamins and their roles as coenzymes, and the major minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, iodine). Understand macronutrient energy values (carbohydrate 4, protein 4, fat 9 kcal/g; alcohol 7). Be able to apply the Dietary Reference Intakes-RDA, AI, UL, EAR-and interpret MyPlate and dietary guidelines. Clinical basics: signs of deficiency (iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin D and calcium in bone health, folate in neural tube defects), diabetes carbohydrate counting, and renal diet restrictions (sodium, potassium, phosphorus, protein).
Traps
Stems often swap RDA with UL, or ask which reference value applies when evidence is insufficient (that is the AI). Another trap is confusing kcal values or assuming a supplement is harmless because it is "natural"-the UL exists precisely for toxicity risk. Watch for questions that describe a client on a renal diet and offer a high-potassium food as the "healthy" choice.
Worked example
A 30-year-old woman asks about folate. Rule of thumb: folate's public-health role is prevention of neural tube defects, so the recommendation targets women of childbearing age before conception-not pregnancy alone. Choose the answer that emphasizes preconception supplementation.
Rule of thumb
Identify the nutrient's function, then the population at risk, then the reference standard that applies.