CLT Nutrition Counseling & Meal Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When building a LEAP Phase 1 meal plan, which criterion should take priority when selecting proteins?
- Highest MRT reactivity score
- Lowest MRT reactivity score (green category) (Correct answer)
- Organic certification
- Highest protein content per serving
Correct answer: Lowest MRT reactivity score (green category)
Phase 1 foods must come exclusively from the lowest-reactivity (green) MRT category to minimize immune activation.
Question 2: A LEAP client's meal plan should initially include how many distinct food items in Phase 1?
- 5–8
- 10–15 (Correct answer)
- 20–30
- 30–40
Correct answer: 10–15
A well-structured Phase 1 LEAP plan typically includes 10–15 of the client's lowest-reactive foods to provide nutritional variety while controlling symptoms.
Question 3: Which macronutrient distribution is most commonly recommended in LEAP meal planning to support stable blood sugar and reduce inflammation?
- High fat, very low carbohydrate (<20g/day)
- Moderate protein, moderate complex carbohydrate, low refined sugar (Correct answer)
- High protein, minimal fat
- Equal thirds of fat, protein, and carbohydrate by weight
Correct answer: Moderate protein, moderate complex carbohydrate, low refined sugar
Balanced macronutrients with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates and limiting refined sugars help stabilize blood sugar and dampen inflammatory mediator release.
Question 4: A CLT is advising a client to rotate foods every four days. What is the primary rationale for this recommendation?
- To prevent boredom with the diet
- To reduce the risk of developing new food sensitivities through repeated exposure (Correct answer)
- To maximize caloric intake
- To ensure adequate micronutrient diversity only
Correct answer: To reduce the risk of developing new food sensitivities through repeated exposure
Four-day food rotation limits repeated antigen exposure, reducing the likelihood of sensitization to previously tolerated foods.
Question 5: During Phase 2 of LEAP, how are new foods typically introduced?
- All yellow-category foods at once
- One new food every 3–4 days, monitoring symptoms (Correct answer)
- Two new foods per day over two weeks
- Only cooked forms of yellow-category foods
Correct answer: One new food every 3–4 days, monitoring symptoms
Introducing one new food every 3–4 days allows the clinician and client to clearly attribute any symptom flare to a specific food.
Question 6: A client following a LEAP meal plan reports craving foods not on their Phase 1 list. The BEST counseling response is to:
- Allow any craving food once per week
- Acknowledge the craving and redirect to safe Phase 1 alternatives with similar flavors or textures (Correct answer)
- Immediately add the craved food to Phase 1 if it scores below 100 on MRT
- Suggest waiting until Phase 3 for any substitutions
Correct answer: Acknowledge the craving and redirect to safe Phase 1 alternatives with similar flavors or textures
Validating cravings while offering compliant substitutes improves adherence without compromising the elimination phase.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the purpose of a detailed food and symptom diary in LEAP nutrition counseling?
- To track caloric deficit for weight loss
- To correlate specific food exposures with symptom onset and guide reintroduction decisions (Correct answer)
- To document insurance billing data
- To monitor supplement adherence only
Correct answer: To correlate specific food exposures with symptom onset and guide reintroduction decisions
A food and symptom diary provides objective data linking food exposures to symptom patterns, informing clinical decisions about phase progression.
CLT Nutrition Counseling & Meal Planning 2
When building a LEAP Phase 1 meal plan, which criterion should take priority when selecting proteins?