RD Exam Ready Podcast

By Zak Kaesberg MS, RDHealth & Fitness Nutrition Education How To

RD Exam Ready Podcast episodes

July 12 Nutrition Assessment Basics
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 common nutrition screening tools, anthropometric measurements, biochemical data, nutrition-focused physical exams, comparative standards, and the role each plays in evaluating a patient's nutrition status. The episode wraps up with practice questions to help reinforce these essential assessment concepts.
Join RD Exam Ready LIVE on Wednesday, July 15th at 7:00 PM Central Time for another live practice question session:
https://youtube.com/live/-B2Gd0_MJac?feature=share
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Happy studying, RD2Be 💙
28 min
July 08 Community Program Evaluation
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 exam day.
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Listen or watch anywhere:
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Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy studying, RD2Be 💙
19 min
June 28 Religious and Cultural Practices
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-day Adventists, and Catholic traditions. Zak also connects these concepts to cultural food patterns among different populations and discusses common nutrition concerns you may see in practice.
Join RD Exam Ready LIVE on Wednesday, July 1st at 7:00 PM Central Time for a food science review with practice questions:
https://youtube.com/live/fTx_6b7htjM?feature=share

Join the email list for notes and updates:
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Follow RD Exam Ready:
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Listen or watch anywhere:
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Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy studying, RD2Be 💙
26 min
June 15 Respiratory Disease and MNT
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, pneumonia, and enteral nutrition recommendations for ventilated patients.

Want the notes from live sessions and updates on new episodes? Join the email list here:
http://eepurl.com/jvGxaA
When you subscribe, you’ll get notified about new podcast episodes, upcoming YouTube Lives, and receive PDF notes from live review sessions directly to your inbox.
Follow RD Exam Ready for more exam prep:
Instagram: @RDExamReady
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YouTube: RD Exam Ready
Listen or watch the podcast anywhere:
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Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy Studying, RD2Be 💙
28 min
June 07 Nutrition Labels and Claims
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, including common examples that frequently appear on RD Exam questions.
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28 min
May 31 Quality Improvement in Management
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/zchUa5mgJSU?si=cTZ0NRqADWP3_GM_

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🎧 Listen or watch the podcast anywhere:
https://feeds.transistor.fm/rd-exam-ready-podcast
32 min
May 27 Food Science: Fruits and Vegetables
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 solid questions to practice your learning from today's session and test your knowledge.

Want the notes from live sessions and updates on new episodes? Join the email list here:
http://eepurl.com/jvGxaA
When you subscribe, you’ll get notified about new podcast episodes, upcoming YouTube Lives, and receive PDF notes from live review sessions directly to your inbox.
Follow RD Exam Ready for more exam prep:
Instagram: @RDExamReady
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YouTube: RD Exam Ready
Listen or watch the podcast anywhere:
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Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy Studying, RD2Be 💙
25 min
May 18 Anemia Labs and MNT
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:
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Follow RD Exam Ready:
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Listen or watch anywhere:
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Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy studying, RD2Be 💙
25 min
April 12 Conventional, Commissary, Ready-Prepared, & Assembly-Serve
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 served within each system, along with key differences in labor, skill level, equipment needs, and cost considerations. Zak walks through relatable scenarios to help you clearly distinguish between centralized and decentralized service, and understand when each system is most appropriate.
Want the notes from live sessions and updates on new episodes? Join the email list here:
http://eepurl.com/jvGxaA
When you subscribe, you’ll get notified about new podcast episodes, upcoming YouTube Lives, and receive PDF notes from live review sessions directly to your inbox.
Follow RD Exam Ready for more exam prep:
Instagram: @RDExamReady
TikTok: @RDExamReady
YouTube: RD Exam Ready
Listen or watch the podcast anywhere:
https://feeds.transistor.fm/rd-exam-ready-podcast
Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy Studying, RD2Be 💙
26 min
April 07 Community Needs Assessment & Program Planning
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 think through questions the way the RD Exam expects—focusing on sequence, decision-making, and practical application—then wraps up with practice questions to help you apply what you’ve learned.

Want the notes from live sessions and updates on new episodes? Join the email list here:
http://eepurl.com/jvGxaA

When you subscribe, you’ll get notified about new podcast episodes, upcoming YouTube Lives, and receive PDF notes from live review sessions directly to your inbox.

Follow RD Exam Ready for more exam prep:
Instagram: @RDExamReady
TikTok: @RDExamReady
YouTube: RD Exam Ready
Listen or watch the podcast anywhere:
https://feeds.transistor.fm/rd-exam-ready-podcast
Subscribe, rate, and share with your study group.
Happy Studying, RD2Be 💙
21 min