IIN Dietary Assessment & Counseling 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client following a vegan diet reports brittle nails and hair loss. Which nutrient deficiency should be assessed first?
- Vitamin C
- Zinc (Correct answer)
- Vitamin D
- Magnesium
Correct answer: Zinc
Zinc is commonly deficient in vegan diets due to lower bioavailability from plant foods and is directly linked to hair and nail health.
Question 2: Which stage of the Transtheoretical Model describes a client who has been making consistent dietary changes for six months?
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance (Correct answer)
- Contemplation
Correct answer: Maintenance
The Maintenance stage begins when a behavior change has been sustained for six months or longer.
Question 3: When counseling a client with emotional eating, the IIN Health Coach's primary role is to:
- Prescribe a strict meal plan to eliminate emotional triggers
- Help the client identify patterns and explore root causes without judgment (Correct answer)
- Refer immediately to a psychiatrist
- Recommend eliminating all comfort foods from the household
Correct answer: Help the client identify patterns and explore root causes without judgment
IIN coaches support clients in building self-awareness around emotional triggers while staying within their scope of practice.
Question 4: A client's dietary recall reveals very low omega-3 fatty acid intake. Which food group is the most bioavailable dietary source?
- Flaxseeds
- Walnuts
- Fatty fish like salmon or mackerel (Correct answer)
- Chia seeds
Correct answer: Fatty fish like salmon or mackerel
Fatty fish provide EPA and DHA directly, which are far more bioavailable than the ALA found in plant sources like flax or chia.
Question 5: In IIN's circle of life assessment, 'primary food' refers to:
- Organic and whole foods
- Non-food areas of life such as relationships, career, and spirituality that nourish the soul (Correct answer)
- Macronutrients consumed at the primary meal
- Foods eaten before noon
Correct answer: Non-food areas of life such as relationships, career, and spirituality that nourish the soul
IIN defines primary food as the non-dietary aspects of life—relationships, career, exercise, spirituality—that feed overall satisfaction.
Question 6: A client consuming adequate calories still shows signs of iron-deficiency anemia. Which dietary factor most likely inhibits iron absorption?
- High vitamin C intake with meals
- High consumption of calcium-rich dairy at the same meal (Correct answer)
- Eating iron-rich foods with citrus juice
- Consuming lean red meat regularly
Correct answer: High consumption of calcium-rich dairy at the same meal
Calcium competes with non-heme and heme iron for absorption at the intestinal transporter level, reducing overall iron uptake.
Question 7: A health coach asks a client 'What would success look like for you in six months?' This is an example of which counseling technique?
- Closed questioning
- Affirmation
- Visioning or future-focused questioning (Correct answer)
- Reflective listening
Correct answer: Visioning or future-focused questioning
Visioning questions invite clients to project themselves into a desired future state, building intrinsic motivation for change.
IIN Dietary Assessment & Counseling 3
A client following a vegan diet reports brittle nails and hair loss.
Which nutrient deficiency should be assessed first?