Question 1

Which of the following statements accurately represents the recommendations for protein intake in vegetarians?

Accepted Answer

Because plant proteins are not as readily digested as animal proteins, vegetarians should consume about 10% more grams of protein than typical recommendations.

Question 2

A vegetarian athlete with whom you are working would like to begin taking a creatine supplement. What action should you take?

Accepted Answer

Vegetarian athletes may be more responsive to creatine supplementation-related improvements in sports performance compared to their meat-eating counterparts, but this is an area of ongoing investigation. A registered dietitian, preferably one with a focus on sports nutrition, is best equipped to discuss supplementation with a client.

Question 3

Which of the following conditions might be more likely to occur in an elite vegetarian or vegan athlete?

Accepted Answer

Athletes in sports that require a lean appearance may choose a vegetarian diet to promote weight loss. Vegetarian diets are typically low in calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis, and vegetarian diets are sometimes associated with decreased estrogen levels and menstrual irregularities that are considered part of the female athlete triad.

Question 4

Which protein in wheat and other grain products creates an autoimmune reaction known as celiac disease?

Accepted Answer

For people with celiac disease, when the body is exposed to gliadin, the "toxic" component of gluten for people with celiac disease, it goes into immunologic overdrive.

Question 5

Which of the following best characterizes non-celiac gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity?

Accepted Answer

Gluten sensitivity occurs when the body has a pronounced response to gluten-containing foods leading to feelings of tiredness, abdominal pain, and other gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation. Many people report experiencing these symptoms after eating gluten-containing foods (or more commonly, they report these symptoms going away after avoiding gluten), but it is not clear what causes these symptoms or the body's actual response to the gluten.

Question 6

What sometimes fatal reaction is associated with consumption of a food allergen in a sensitive individual?

Accepted Answer

Anaphylactic shock occurs when the body perceives a food allergen as an invader and responds with decreased heart rate, narrowing of the breathing tubes, and swelling of the tongue.

Question 7

An athlete complains of bloating, abdominal pain, and vomiting during practice. He states that he had an apple a few hours before practice. What do you suspect may be the cause of his symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Fructose intolerance, or fructose malabsorption, results from an ineffective carrier protein that impedes the absorption of fructose in the small intestines. People with fructose malabsorption suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating, abdominal pain, vomiting, and flatulence after eating fructose-containing foods. Foods high in fructose include many fruits and some vegetables, as well as processed foods containing high-fructose corn syrup.

Question 8

How can an individual prevent allergic reactions to food?

Accepted Answer

There is only one way to prevent an allergic reaction to food: avoid the food.

Question 9

Which of the following foods would not be consumed by an athlete following a paleo diet?

Accepted Answer

The paleo diet includes whole fruits and vegetables, fish, grass-fed livestock, fungi, roots, and nuts. The diet prohibits grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and all processed foods.

Question 10

Which statement about grains and a raw-food diet is true?

Accepted Answer

Because grains are indigestible raw and the diet prohibits boiling them, raw grains must be soaked overnight or allowed to sprout before consumption.

Question 11

What is the main risk of consuming meat products as part of a raw-food diet?

Accepted Answer

Individuals consuming a raw-food diet should avoid meat and most animal products because of the risk of foodborne illness from consuming raw meat.

Question 12

What is the typical stated purpose of a "detox" diet?

Accepted Answer

Detoxification, or "detox," diets aim to purge the body of harmful toxins, including food additives, pesticides, pollutants, and other synthetic compounds in order to achieve a state of bodily purification.

Question 13

Which phase of a detox diet is typically liquid-only?

Accepted Answer

The prototypical detox diet begins with a cleansing phase, which is typically liquid-only. This is followed for 2 to 3 days before other foods such as brown rice, fruit, and steamed vegetables are added. Then about a week later, other foods may be reintroduced, with the exception of red meat, wheat, sugar, eggs, and prepackaged foods. This final phase of the diet is expected to be followed indefinitely for maintenance.

Question 14

Compared to omnivores, vegetarians have lower rates of which of the following? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Compared to omnivores, vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, death from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.

Question 15

Which of the following should you encourage a vegetarian athlete to consume because they are good plant sources of zinc? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Although animal sources provide the most bioavailable zinc, legumes, whole grains, cereals, nuts, and seeds are also good sources.

Question 16

Vegetarian athletes should seek to eat fortified foods to optimize their intake of which of the following nutrients? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Vegetarians should eat fortified foods to optimize vitamin B₁₂, riboflavin, vitamin D, and calcium intake.

Question 17

Which of the following are benefits provided to an athlete who consumes a well-planned vegetarian diet? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

A comprehensive review of the research on vegetarian diets and athletic performance concluded that though a vegetarian diet in itself is not associated with either beneficial or detrimental effects on physical performance capacity, when well-planned (especially important for vegan diets), it offers many benefits for athletes, including high carbohydrate intake, adequate amounts of all nutrients, and long-term health benefits including reduced risk of chronic disease and decreased mortality.

Question 18

Which of the following vitamins are at risk of deficiency in an athlete who consumes a gluten-free diet? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Complete elimination of gluten-containing grains can lead to nutritional deficiencies including B vitamins, calcium, vitamin D, iron, zinc, magnesium, and fiber.

Question 19

Which of the following symptoms are caused by the release of histamine when an antibody binds to a food allergen? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

Histamine is responsible for many of the harmful symptoms of food allergies including redness, swelling, itching, gastrointestinal symptoms, and hypotension.

Question 20

Which of the following actions might be taken by an allergist to determine which food allergen is creating a reaction in a patient? Select all that apply.

Accepted Answer

The first objective is to get a complete history of the reaction including the onset and duration, symptoms, seasonality, suspected foods, how the food was prepared, and any other information the patient can provide. The history is followed by a complete physical examination. A food diary noting all of the foods eaten and whether an allergic reaction occurred is helpful, as is a scratch skin test. The gold standard for food allergy diagnosis is the double-blind food challenge, but in severe cases where this might be life-threatening, blood work to measure antibodies is conducted.

Quiz 16: Nutrition for Athletes With Special Dietary Needs