IIN Dietary Assessment & Counseling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client reports eating "healthy" but feels fatigued. Which assessment tool best captures day-to-day dietary variability?
- Single 24-hour recall
- Three-day food record including a weekend day (Correct answer)
- Food frequency questionnaire
- Body mass index measurement
Correct answer: Three-day food record including a weekend day
A three-day record that includes a weekend day captures typical variability in eating patterns better than a single recall.
Question 2: When using motivational interviewing in nutrition counseling, the acronym OARS stands for:
- Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, Summarizing (Correct answer)
- Objective assessment, Action plan, Realistic goals, Support
- Outcome measures, Attitude, Readiness, Self-efficacy
- Observation, Analysis, Reflection, Strategy
Correct answer: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, Summarizing
OARS represents four core motivational interviewing skills: Open questions, Affirmations, Reflective listening, and Summarizing.
Question 3: A client's food diary shows frequent skipping of breakfast and large evening meals. From an IIN perspective, which primary concern would you address first?
- Caloric deficit in the morning
- Circadian rhythm disruption affecting metabolism (Correct answer)
- Lack of specific micronutrients at breakfast
- Evening meal portion size only
Correct answer: Circadian rhythm disruption affecting metabolism
IIN emphasizes bio-individuality and circadian rhythm alignment, as front-loading calories earlier supports metabolic health.
Question 4: Which dietary assessment method relies on the client's memory of foods consumed over the past year?
- 24-hour dietary recall
- Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (Correct answer)
- Prospective food diary
- Diet history interview
Correct answer: Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)
A food frequency questionnaire asks clients to estimate how often they consumed specific foods over an extended past period, typically one year.
Question 5: During a counseling session, a client becomes defensive when discussing sugar intake. The best IIN-aligned response is to:
- Challenge the client directly with health statistics
- Roll with resistance and explore their perspective non-judgmentally (Correct answer)
- End the session and reschedule
- Immediately provide a sugar elimination protocol
Correct answer: Roll with resistance and explore their perspective non-judgmentally
Rolling with resistance is a core motivational interviewing principle that avoids confrontation and keeps the client engaged.
Question 6: A client wants to assess their protein intake adequacy. Which biomarker is most directly useful as a short-term protein status indicator?
- Serum albumin
- Serum prealbumin (transthyretin) (Correct answer)
- C-reactive protein
- Hemoglobin A1c
Correct answer: Serum prealbumin (transthyretin)
Prealbumin has a short half-life of 2–3 days, making it a more sensitive short-term marker of protein status than albumin.
Question 7: The 'plate method' is best described as:
- Counting macros for each meal
- A visual guide filling half the plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with whole grains (Correct answer)
- Eliminating all processed foods from the diet
- Tracking calories using a smartphone app
Correct answer: A visual guide filling half the plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and a quarter with whole grains
The plate method is a simple visual tool dividing the plate into sections for vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates.
IIN Dietary Assessment & Counseling 2
A client reports eating "healthy" but feels fatigued.
Which assessment tool best captures day-to-day dietary variability?