Frickel works preventatively with patients and NE Beef Council
Rita Frickel, MS, RD, LMNT, is a Clinical Dietitian at Creighton University and CHI Health, and a trusted source in helping patients find ways to eat a healthier and preventative diet.
Frickel decided that she wanted to become a clinical dietitian due to coming from a large family with a history in nursing. She says she wanted to do something to directly impact people and their health.
“In terms of prevention and modification of lifestyle factors, I just felt that dieticians were awesome,” Frickel said.
Frickel grew up in central Nebraska, and attended the University of Nebraska at Kearney where she received her degree in food and nutrition, and dietetics. She went onto do an internship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She then received her master’s degree in health education back in Nebraska, where she has stayed since. Cardiology is the focus of Frickel’s work and is where she has been stationed for 22 years.
“I teach patients not only after major events, but with family history and risk factors, to try do something preventative before anything happens, that’s what I like to do,” Frickel said.
Frickel and CHI work in collaboration with the Nebraska Beef Council. They have partnered together to do heart healthy cooking classes. Frickel has also attended retreats where dieticians see how beef is produced and can be used in a heart healthy diet.
“The Beef Council has supported our efforts where we collaborated and taught people that lean beef can be worked into our meal plan when you make the right selections,” said Frickel.
In Frickel’s 20 some years of working in nutrition, she says she has seen the tides turn of seeing patients and people starting to eat healthier diets in general.
“I am seeing more people interested in making those changes for healthy eating,” said Frickel. “Seeing the evidence-based recommendations, that support healthy eating and healthy lifestyles patterns so that people can be prevented from many diseases including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and so forth.”
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The Nebraska Beef Council is a non-profit organization served by a nine-member board of directors. The volunteers oversee the beef checkoff in Nebraska and checkoff-funded programs. Programs for marketing and promotion are funded by the $1/head beef checkoff.
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