RD Exam Ready Podcast

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down inborn errors of metabolism and the Medical Nutrition Therapy concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You’ll review amino acid disorders, acidemias, urea cycle disorders, galactosemia, and glycogen storage disease, with a focus on the nutrition interventions and key concepts associated with each condition. The episode wraps...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down FIFO and LIFO inventory management and inventory valuation methods that are helpful to know for the exam day. Don't get mixed up on this topic, come study it with Zak. You’ll review inventory rotation, valuation methods, and how FIFO and LIFO differ when determining inventory value and cost. The episode wraps up with practice q...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down the different tools used to measure body composition and the key concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You’ll review body composition models, what different measurement tools assess, and when certain methods may or may not be appropriate for different populations. The episode wraps up with practice questions from body comp...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down the gallbladder and pancreas, focusing on the anatomy, digestion and absorption, and medical nutrition therapy concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You’ll review gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, nutrition interventions, and the differences between acute and chronic pancreatitis. The episode also covers pancreatic enzyme...

Food Science: Fats & Oils In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down the food science of fats and oils and the key concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You’ll review the functions and properties of fats, different types of fats and oils, and how their characteristics affect food preparation and quality. The episode also covers cooking with fats, smoke points,...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down leadership concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You’ll review types of power, leadership styles, and situational models while learning how to recognize these concepts in exam questions. The episode wraps up with practice questions to help you apply what you’ve learned and prepare for exam day. Join the email list for note...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down the nutrition needs of older adults and the key concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. You'll review the physiological changes that occur with aging, how those changes affect energy and nutrient needs, and the nutrition recommendations most commonly tested on exam day. This episode covers calorie, protein, fluid, and micron...

In this episode, Zak Kaesberg breaks down how to choose the best nutrition problem statement using the PES format. You'll learn how to distinguish between the intake, clinical, and behavioral-environmental domains, prioritize nutrition diagnoses, and identify the most appropriate problem statement in common RD Exam scenarios. Through several patient case studies, Zak walks you through the critical...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down nutrition assessment—the first step of the Nutrition Care Process and one of the most important concepts for the RD Exam. You'll learn the purpose of nutrition assessment, how to prioritize patients based on nutrition risk, and the key assessment domains that guide nutrition diagnosis and intervention. This episode also reviews...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down the different types of community program evaluations to help you confidently answer public health questions on the RD Exam. You'll learn how to distinguish between formative, summative (outcome), impact, process, structure, and fiscal evaluations, when each is used, and the clues that help you identify the correct answer on exa...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak Kaesberg breaks down religious diets and cultural food practices to help you confidently answer RD Exam questions involving food restrictions, dietary patterns, and special considerations. You’ll review key religious dietary practices including Judaism and kosher diets, Islam and halal foods, Mormon dietary practices, Hinduism, Buddhism, Seventh-da...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, we review the respiratory system and medical nutrition therapy (MNT) for pulmonary conditions that you need to understand for the RD Exam. We’ll cover respiratory anatomy and physiology, gas exchange, acid-base balance, and how lung dysfunction impacts nutrition care. We’ll also discuss MNT considerations for conditions including COPD, cystic fibrosis,...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, we review the nutrition labeling concepts you need to know for the RD Exam. We discuss Nutrition Facts label requirements, ingredient and allergen labeling, and which foods and restaurants are required to provide nutrition information. We also break down the differences between nutrient content claims, structure/function claims, and health claims, incl...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks Quality Improvement in a clear, exam-focused way. You’ll learn about cost-benefit analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, performance improvement models, tools, and much more! We finish with 3 practice questions to prepare you for exam day.  📺 Join RD Exam Ready Live 🗓 June 3 at 7:00 PM Central Time 👉 https://www.youtube.com/live/zchUa5mgJS...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, we review the food science concepts behind fruits and vegetables that you need to remember for the RD Exam. Zak breaks down the structure of plant cells, carbohydrates found in produce, important vitamins and minerals, ripening processes, storage techniques, cooking methods, and USDA grading standards for fruits and vegetables.  We finish with three so...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak break down Anemias. He expands this into the labs, deficiencies, and ways to differentiate each anemia from the other. We finish by doing 3 practice questions to test our knowledge. RD Exam Ready Live 5/20/26 7:00 pm Central Join the email list for notes and updates: http://eepurl.com/jvGxaA Follow RD Exam Ready: Instagram: @RDExamReady TikTok: @RD...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down Foodservice Production Systems to help you feel confident tackling these concepts on exam day. This episode focuses on the four major systems you’re expected to know — conventional, ready prepared, commissary, and assembly serve — and how each one operates in real-world settings. You’ll review how food is prepared, transported, and serv...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down Community Needs Assessments and program planning to help you feel confident tackling these concepts on exam day. This episode focuses on how to approach community nutrition questions, understand the flow of a needs assessment, and apply critical thinking to identify the next best step in a given scenario. This episode emphasizes how to...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down phytochemicals and plant pigments to help you feel confident tackling these food science topics on exam day. You’ll review major phytochemical groups like polyphenols, carotenoids, glucosinolates, and phytoestrogens, their food sources, and their roles in health. Zak also explains how plant pigments such as carotenoids, flavonoids, and...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down Wounds and Wound Healing MNT to help you feel confident tackling these topics on exam day. This episode focuses on the nutrition foundations behind wound healing — including pressure injuries, staging, and how nutrient needs change based on severity. You’ll review the phases of wound healing, types of wounds, and how to identify and und...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak walks through toddler and preschool nutrition and the key life cycle concepts you need to understand for the RD Exam. You’ll review how growth assessment changes at age two when we transition from WHO growth standards to CDC growth charts, including BMI-for-age classifications for overweight and obesity. Zak also covers feeding development, appropr...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak reviews the key concepts you need to know about meat, poultry, and fish for the RD Exam. You’ll walk through the physical and chemical properties of these foods, their nutrient content, and how structures like muscle, connective tissue, collagen, elastin, and marbling impact tenderness and cooking methods. The episode also covers USDA inspection ve...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down Endocrine Disorders MNT to help you feel confident tackling these topics on exam day. This episode focuses on key non-diabetes endocrine conditions you’re expected to know — including hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, pituitary disorders, adrenal disorders like Addison’s and Cushing’s, and PCOS. You’ll review core physiology, lab pattern...

*Sorry for the poor audio on this one folks. Turns out forgetting to plug in the correct microphone can decrease the quality! We'll get it right for next time, and this seemed like a fine topic for audio issues. Thanks!*  In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast, Zak breaks down Menu Development and why it matters for the RD Exam. From menu types (static, cycle, and single-use) to pricing styl...

In this episode of the RD Exam Ready Podcast , Zak reviews key Nutrition Assistance Programs you’ll want to understand for the RD Exam and real-world community nutrition practice. We break down what each program provides, who is eligible, and the income guidelines that determine benefits — from SNAP and WIC to school meals, older adult nutrition programs, CSFP, CACFP, and more.  📺 Upcoming RD Exa...