Nutrition Counseling
Hours of Service
Hours vary: Telehealth appointments only
Patient Eligibility
- University of Nebraska students from all campuses
Services Covered By Student Fees
- First nutrition counseling session
Personalized Counseling Sessions to Achieve Your Goals
The University Health Center registered dietitian can help you create healthy eating habits that give you the energy and strength you need. Get an individualized nutrition assessment to improve your evidenced-based nutrition knowledge, and work with the dietitian to create a plan that meets your unique goals.
Nutrition counseling can help with a variety of concerns, including:
- Weight management (gain, loss or maintenance)
- Overall well-being improvement
- Food intolerances and sensitivities
- Mood and mental health
- Digestive health
- Chronic disease management and more
The registered dietitian also specializes in diabetes and can help students navigate their diagnosis, whether they have pre-diabetes, Type 1, Type 2 or gestational diabetes.
Appointments
Nutrition counseling is available by appointment only. Call 402-472-5000 to schedule an appointment. All visits are held via telehealth.
A no-show is when a patient misses their scheduled appointment without informing the clinic of their cancellation. Only one no-show is allowed for specialty care services (i.e. orthopaedics, optometry, and nutrition services). If a patient fails to show up to a scheduled appointment more than once, they will no longer be able to schedule with any specialists at the University Health Center.
Cost
Students who pay student fees can receive their first nutrition counseling visit for no additional cost. Student fees do not cover follow-up appointments, and there are charges for each visit. To determine how much your visit will cost, we recommend contacting your health insurance provider for coverage information. Patients are responsible for any charges not covered by insurance.
What to Expect at Your Appointment
The initial visit is scheduled for one hour and is used to gather information. The dietitian will ask you what you want from nutrition counseling and will review your nutrition history. You'll receive nutrition education and then work with the dietitian to develop a nutrition goal. This goal can also sometimes include behavior changes, ongoing monitoring and evaluation.
Followup visits are 30 minutes and are scheduled as needed. These appointments are a chance to review your plan, receive ongoing nutrition education and interventions, update goals if needed and more. Appointment frequency is individualized based on your goals. This could be once every two weeks, monthly, every six weeks, quarterly, etc.
Prepare for Your First Appointment
- Find a quiet room for your telehealth nutrition counseling appointment
- Have extra time before the appointment begins to make sure your technology/Zoom is working
- Brainstorm what you would like to get out of the appointment
- Make a list of potential questions or thoughts you'd like to discuss and what you would like to improve (pain, sleep, energy, lab results, etc.)
- Self-evaluate the areas where you might be ready to make changes and identify potential barriers you think you may encounter
Past nutrition webinars
Intuitive eating: What is it and should you try it?
Powder up: Is coffee protein powder, greens powder and others safe?
Meet the Dietitian
Sarah Keegan, MS, RDN, LMNT, CDCES
Sarah graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a Bachelor of Science in nutrition science. She completed her Dietetic Internship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and her Master of Science in human nutrition from Central Michigan University. She has over 15 years of experience as a registered dietitian and clinical diabetes care and education specialist with expertise in a broad range of evidence-based care.
Sarah has been with Nebraska Medicine for her entire career while also consulting for the Neligh, Nebraska, hospital as a diabetes and nutrition specialist and insulin pump specialist for patients throughout Northeast Nebraska. Sarah has extensive experience as an educator, including lectures for undergraduate dietitian students, advanced practice providers and medical students. She also proctors postgraduate dietetic interns and lectures at regional academic events. Most recently, she started working with UNMC College of Medicine and Public Health to improve care and education for those with diabetes in rural Nebraska.
What led her to be a registered dietitian was the interesting science of nutrition, which then grew into a love for improving human health and wellness through small nutritional changes. She truly enjoys the exciting energy a person reveals when they see progress from the changes they have made!
She currently lives in her hometown of Neligh with her husband Brian and their beloved dog Roodle. She somewhat likes cooking but really loves food, especially meals shared with family and friends! She enjoys the outdoors, walking Roodle or riding horses, and watching sunsets all over the world.
Body Acceptance Workshop
The Body Acceptance Workshop is a dissonance-based body-acceptance session designed to help college-age women resist and challenge sociocultural pressures to conform to the thin-ideal and reduce their pursuit of unrealistic appearance standards. Women participate in verbal, written and behavioral exercises to establish and maintain a positive body image. Results achieved from the workshop include improved body satisfaction, improved mood, reduced use of unhealthy weight-control behaviors and decreased binge eating and other eating disorder symptoms.