ISSA CPT Module 6: nutrition

Module 6 quiz: 3 free questions

Answer these first, then read what the module covers. No sign-up.

What this module is about

Module 6 is nutrition for trainers: enough to explain what food does, answer a client's everyday questions and spot when someone should see a dietitian. It moves through the three macronutrients, then water, then the vitamins and minerals the body needs in much smaller amounts.

The emphasis is on function. Rather than meal plans, the module asks what each nutrient is for: which carbohydrate fuels a sprint, why a client who cuts all fat may feel worse, how a vegetarian gets every amino acid, what dehydration looks like halfway through a session. The scenario questions follow the same line, usually a client with a habit or a symptom and a nutrient that explains it.

A trainer's scope matters here too. Explaining what protein does is coaching; prescribing a diet for a medical condition is not. Keep that line in mind when an answer choice sounds like a prescription.

The five lessons

1. Carbs and sugars. Carbohydrates from single sugars to starches and fiber, and how the body keeps blood sugar in a steady range.
2. Fats and oils. The kinds of fat, which ones to favor and limit, and the jobs fat does beyond storing energy.
3. Protein needs. What protein does, which foods supply every essential amino acid, and how plant eaters cover their needs.
4. Water and hydration. Why water matters in training, the signs of having too little or too much, and how to stay in the right range.
5. Vitamins & minerals. The vitamins and minerals a client needs in small amounts, how they differ, and where they come from.

65 terms in this module

Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, hydration and micronutrients. The full list of Module 6 term names is in the glossary.

Look-alikes to keep apart

Nutrition terms come in matched sets. These pairs are easy to swap:

• Complete Proteins or Complementary Proteins

  A complete protein has every essential amino acid in one food, like eggs or soy; complementary proteins are two incomplete foods eaten together to cover the gaps, like rice and beans.

• Simple Carbohydrates or Complex Carbohydrates

  Simple carbohydrates are short sugars that digest fast, handy right before hard effort; complex carbohydrates are long chains that digest slowly.

• Fat-Soluble Vitamins or Water-Soluble Vitamins

  Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) are stored in the body's fat; water-soluble ones, like C and the B group, are not stored for long, so they are needed more often.

• Glucagon or Insulin

  Insulin lowers blood sugar after a meal by moving it into cells; glucagon raises it when it drops by releasing stored fuel.

On the exam

In our reading, Module 6 feeds the NCCPT outline's Nutrition area, at 8 percent. The outline also names supplements and ergogenic aids, which the glossary does not cover; our exam guide lists the gaps.