Purchase and Preparation
What to know
This domain covers selecting, storing, and preparing food safely and efficiently. Know how to read a Nutrition Facts label: serving size first, then calories, percent daily value (5% is low, 20% is high), and the ingredient list (ingredients are listed in descending order by weight). Understand front-of-package claims and their limits-"good source" means 10–19% DV, "excellent source" means 20% or more.
Know purchasing principles: unit pricing, comparing fresh versus frozen versus canned, checking dates (sell-by, use-by, best-by), and avoiding damaged packaging. Storage knowledge includes refrigerator (below 40°F), freezer (0°F), and dry storage; FIFO rotation; and which foods belong where (potatoes and onions cool and dark, not refrigerated).
Preparation techniques matter: moist-heat versus dry-heat cooking, nutrient retention (steam or microwave vegetables, avoid overcooking, keep skins when possible), and minimizing fat absorption. Understand knife safety, cross-contamination prevention with separate cutting boards, and thawing in the refrigerator.
Traps
- Reading calories before serving size-portions are often multiple servings.
- Confusing "sell-by" with a safety date; it is a quality/rotation date.
- Believing frozen produce is nutritionally inferior; it is often equal or better because it is frozen at peak.
- Thawing on the counter-always thaw under refrigeration or in cold water.
Rule of thumb
Read the label top-down: serving size, calories, key nutrients, percent DV, ingredients. Use the 5/20 rule for percent DV.
Worked example: A snack label shows 200 calories per serving but the bag contains 2.5 servings. Eating the whole bag delivers 500 calories. Multiply before you judge.
Teaching Pedagogy
What to know
Pedagogy questions ask how to teach effectively, not just what to teach. Know the difference between pedagogy (teacher-centered, often for children) and andragogy (learner-centered, drawing on adult experience and self-direction). Understand Bloom's taxonomy-remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create-and how to write measurable objectives with a condition, behavior, and criterion.
Know instructional methods and when each fits: lecture for efficient knowledge transfer, demonstration for psychomotor skills, discussion for critical thinking, case study for application, and hands-on practice for skill mastery. Understand the value of multiple teaching modalities to reach different learning preferences, while avoiding the myth that matching a "learning style" improves outcomes.
Assessment literacy matters: formative assessment (during learning, guides instruction) versus summative assessment (end of learning, judges achievement). Understand readability, plain language, and cultural tailoring for health literacy.
Traps
- Writing objectives with vague verbs like "know" or "understand"-use observable verbs such as identify, demonstrate, or calculate.
- Confusing formative with summative assessment.
- Choosing lecture for a skill that requires practice.
- Assuming one teaching method fits every learner; variety and feedback matter more than style matching.
Rule of thumb
Write objectives as "By [condition], the learner will [observable behavior] with [criterion]." Then choose the method that lets the learner do that behavior.
Worked example: Objective: "Given a food label, the learner will identify the serving size and calculate calories per package with 100% accuracy." Choose a hands-on label-reading activity, not a lecture, because the objective requires application.
Learning and Behavior Change
What to know
Behavior change questions test your grasp of theory and its practical translation. Know the Transtheoretical Model (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance, and sometimes termination) and match interventions to stage-consciousness raising for precontemplation, planning for preparation, relapse prevention for maintenance. Understand the Health Belief Model (perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, self-efficacy), Social Cognitive Theory (self-efficacy, observational learning, reciprocal determinism), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control).
Know motivational interviewing basics: open questions, affirmations, reflective listening, summarizing, and rolling with resistance rather than arguing. Understand goal setting (SMART goals), self-monitoring, and the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Traps
- Mismatching intervention to stage-giving a detailed meal plan to someone in precontemplation.
- Confusing self-efficacy (confidence to perform a behavior) with self-esteem (global self-worth).
- Arguing with a client's resistance instead of reflecting it.
- Setting vague goals ("eat better") instead of specific, measurable ones.
Rule of thumb
Meet the client where they are. Ask: What stage is this person in, and what does that stage need? Awareness for precontemplation, commitment for preparation, skills and support for action, and relapse planning for maintenance.
Worked example: A client says, "I know I should eat more vegetables, but I'm not ready to change." This is contemplation. Rather than prescribing a meal plan, explore ambivalence, affirm autonomy, and offer a small next step such as tracking current intake.