WGU Nutrition D440 Exam Guide
with Questions and answers
What can you do to your diet to help prevent cancer?
Limit salty foods and salt-preserved foods
limit consumption of energy-dense foods, particularly processed foods that are high in
added sugar, low in fiber, or high in fat.
Avoid sugar-sweetened beverages.
Choose a variety of different fruits and vegetables.
Eat at least 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables every day.
Choose whole grains instead of processed (refined) grains and sugars, avoid moldy
grains and legumes.
Choose fish, poultry, and beans as alternatives to red meat. Select lean cuts and small
portions, prepare the meat by baking, broiling, or poaching rather than frying.
Avoid processed meats. If alcohol is consumed, limit to two drinks per day for men,
one drink per day for women. (1 drink = 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of 80-
proof distilled spirits)
What diet prevents UTI?
Cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other berries, probiotics (yogurt)
Avoid foods and drinks that cause bladder irritation, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks,
and chocolate, avoid smoking.
What foods should neutropenic patients (low WBC) avoid?
Avoid salad bars and buffets when eating out.
Wash fruits and vegetables well or peel and discard the outer layer.
Cooked vegetables, canned fruits, and juices, canned or bottled roasted nuts, dried
fruits, cooked pasta, rice, or other grains
Avoid raw or rare-cooked meat, fish, and eggs, unpasteurized dairy products, fresh
and packaged food past their “use by” and expiration dates.
Edentulous patients (no teeth)
,Soft foods, easy to eat meals
Avoid coarse-textured foods
What kind of diet should you see in patients with an infection?
protein rich foods
When can a person progress from a clear liquid to a regular diet?
Advance as tolerated and when prescribed, and when bowel sounds return
Foods high in carbs:
white bread, beans, milk popcorn, potatoes, rice, white pasta, white rice, sweets,
potato chips, yogurt.
Foods high in fats:
Vegetable oils (safflower, corn, cottonseed, soybean, peanut, olive), bacon, sausage,
cream, ice cream, butter, cheese
Foods high in protein:
Egg, milk cheese, meat, poultry, fish, tofu
What is the main use for carbs?
main source of energy, source of fiber, sparing protein breakdown.
What is the main use of fat?
fuel source for cellular energy, flavor, feeling of satiety, energy storage, regulation of
body temperature, protection of vital organs, forms cell membranes,
protects/facilitates nerve impulse transmission, bile precursor, precursor to some
hormones, brain functions, retinal functions
, What is the main use of protein?
structural tissue building, water balance through osmotic pressure, buffer agent to help
maintain pH balance, digestion, and metabolism through enzymatic action (amylase,
lipase, proteases), cell signaling (hormones), and transport (hemoglobin and
transferrin), immunity (antibodies), source of energy
What does a high fat diet lead to?
Adipose tissue increases, elevated cholesterol levels
When should you restrict sodium in the diet?
High blood pressure, chronic kidney disease
What occurs during hyponatremia?
when serum sodium concentration is less than 135 mEq/L. Can result in acid-base
imbalances, muscle cramping, and worse, if left untreated. Caused by excess of total
body water when compared to total body sodium content, diarrhea, fluid loss, heavy
sweating in individuals who engage in strenuous labor or physical activity in a hot
environment for more than 2 hours.
What occurs during hypernatremia?
Serum sodium levels above normal. Excessive dietary sodium increases blood pressure in
salt-sensitive individuals. The acute excessive intake of sodium chloride causes an
accumulation of sodium in the blood and extracellular spaces. This sodium pulls water out
of the cells into the extracellular space by osmosis, thereby causing edema.
Foods high in sodium – Commercial sports drinks, soy sauce, seasoning salt, salted
butter or margarine, mustard, sauces and marinades, celery, spinach, carrots, and
beets
Why is iodized table salt good for you?
To help maintain iodine levels in order to prevent iodine-deficiency diseases such as
goiter and hypothyroidism
When should you restrict potassium in the diet?
When oral intake is excessive or intravenous potassium causes hyperkalemia or poor
kidney excretion
What is seen in hypokalemia?