72 NEBRASKA CATTLEMAN March 2024 PEERS COOKING WITH BEEF DURING HEART AND NUTRITION MONTHS MADISON DOESCHOT | COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT NEBRASKA BEEF COUNCIL When we think of February, of course we think of hearts, but maybe not in the context of heart-healthy diets – not immediately at least. This February, the Nebraska Beef Council worked again with the Nebraska Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Network to include lean beef cuts as part of a heart-healthy diet during Heart Month. Nebraska Beef Council Director of Nutrition and Education Mitch Rippe spent February crisscrossing the state, visiting, presenting and cooking at cardiac rehab facilities. For Rippe, almost every day of the month was filled with a stop at a different clinic in Nebraska. Some visits included Alliance, Superior, four different facilities in Omaha and many others. “This is a culmination of celebrating Heart Month and cardiac rehab week (Feb. 11-17), specifically,” Rippe says. “It’s a great way to showcase the value that the cardiac rehab clinics have for the patients in the community.” Rippe met with patients and healthcare providers alike to discuss research and the application of using beef in heart-healthy diets. These classes culminated in preparing and cooking beef-based meals. The focus was on finding meals that are in line with their doctors’ recommendations that are also tasty and accessible to find at the grocery store. “We do a session that talks about how beef and heart health are two things that are typically seen at odds together,” Rippe says of the importance of discussing and dispelling misconceptions. “When asked why it’s impactful, that’s when it’s important to look at consumer market research and ask consumers questions about their consumption of beef.” According to consumer market research from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor of the Nebraska Beef Council, 64 percent of consumers plan to eat the same amount of beef, 14 percent said they plan to eat more and 14 percent plan to eat less. When it comes to eating less, Rippe says that three of the top five reasons are health and nutrition related. “We are going to get out there and run into myths, but dispel them head on,” Rippe says. “That’s also part of the ‘why’ behind what we are doing here too.” While having these discussions, Rippe says that class attendees are really interested in learning about different cuts of meat, how to find them and use them at home. He says that more consumers CONTINUED ON PAGE 76 Anderson Bros. Angus Floyde and Robert Anderson • Ong, Nebraska email: Andersonfloyde@yahoo.com Call 402-284-2223 Floyde Cell: 402-469-0599 High-Gaining Bulls that have Length with Thickness and Carcass Quality! Ad2022-NECattleman.qxp 1/28/2022 2:27 PM Page 1 Bulls for Sale by Private Treaty and at the Nebraska Bull Test Sale on March 27, 2024 OFFERING BULLS SIRED BY EXEMPLIFY · BLASTER · STERLING PACIFIC 1/3 Rectangle Nebraska Cattleman Anderson Bros. Angus March 2024
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