Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Registered Dietitian Nutritionist facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. What is the recommended dietary intervention for managing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)? → Avoid trigger foods and eat smaller, more frequent meals
2. Which dietary pattern is associated with the strongest evidence for reducing cardiovascular disease risk? → Mediterranean dietary pattern
3. When a person has a body mass index of 28, they are: → Overweight
4. How does continuous improvement apply to Registered Dietitian Nutritionist quality management? → It involves ongoing incremental enhancements to processes based on data and feedback
5. A DTR is developing a cycle menu for a school foodservice program. Which federal program sets nutritional standards for school meals? → NSLP
6. A DTR is screening a hospitalized patient using the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST). Which two parameters does the MST assess? → Weight loss and appetite
7. The best vegetables for preventing cancer are those that contain thiols. There are thiols in: → The cabbage family
8. Which cooking method is best for beef cuts like stew beef, short ribs, chuck steak, or beef round? → Braising
9. What is the standard caloric density of most isotonic enteral formulas? → 1.0 kcal/mL
10. Elemental or semi-elemental enteral formulas are most appropriate for patients with: → Impaired digestion or absorption such as short bowel syndrome or pancreatitis
11. What is a key limitation of using BMI (Body Mass Index) in nutrition assessment? → It cannot distinguish between fat mass and lean muscle mass
12. The transport protein for vitamin A is which of the following? → Transthyretin
13. Which finding on a nutrition-focused physical exam (NFPE) is most consistent with zinc deficiency? → Dermatitis around eyes, nose, and mouth with alopecia
14. A DTR calculates that a 70 kg patient with moderate stress needs approximately 25 kcal/kg/day. What is the estimated daily caloric requirement? → 1,750 kcal
15. What is the primary role of intrinsic factor in nutrition? → It binds vitamin B12 and facilitates its absorption in the ileum
16. A DTR is working in a WIC clinic. WIC primarily serves which population group? → Low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding, and children up to age 5
17. Which standard formula type is most appropriate for a patient with intact GI function who has no special metabolic needs? → Polymeric standard formula
18. Which dietary assessment method is most susceptible to recall bias? → Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)
19. Which temperature range is known as the 'danger zone' for bacterial growth in food service? → 41°F–135°F (5°C–57°C)
20. How do Registered Dietitian Nutritionist professionals establish measurable quality objectives? → By defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound quality targets
21. Which supplement might a patient who has had their stomach removed need? → B12
22. When documenting in the ADIME format, what does the 'I' represent? → Intervention
23. One main application of the IDNT is: → Record nutritional care in the patient's medical file.
24. Which enteral feeding route is preferred for short-term nutrition support expected to last fewer than 4–6 weeks? → Nasogastric (NG) tube
25. A long-term care facility wants to benchmark its malnutrition screening rates. What is the PRIMARY purpose of benchmarking in quality assurance? → To compare performance against external standards or peer organizations
26. A DTR calculating energy needs uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for a sedentary male patient. After calculating REE, which activity factor should be applied? → 1.2
27. Which vitamin must be administered before initiating refeeding to prevent Wernicke's encephalopathy? → Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
28. You may learn more about the frequency of nutrition-related health issues in the following: → NHANES III
29. Which vitamin deficiency is most commonly associated with long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)? → Vitamin B12
30. In the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle, which phase involves analyzing the data collected after implementing a change? → Check