Monica Reinagel is a

nutritionist A nutritionist is a person who advises others on matters of food and Human nutrition, nutrition and their impacts on health. Some people specialize in particular areas, such as sports nutrition, public health, or animal nutrition, among other disci ...

based in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, United States.“Eating Healthy on a Budget,”
''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', August 18, 2011.

Early life

Reinagel was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

, on November 25, 1964. She was trained as a chef at Maryland's L'Academie de Cuisine, and earned a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the

University of Bridgeport The University of Bridgeport (UB or UBPT) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin Unive ...

Career

Podcasts

Since 2008, Reinagel has been the nutrition contributor to the website Quick And Dirty Tips. She produces a weekly five-to-seven-minute podcast focused on food, nutrition and health. In November 2012, the podcast was one of

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

' top 10 Health podcasts in the United States and Canada. In 2023, Nutrition Diva was noted by the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

as one of "12 Health Podcasts worth Listening To." In 2020, Reinagel launched the Change Academy, a podcast focusing on behavior change.

Media

Reinagel has appeared on television on '' The Dr. Oz Show'',

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...

, ABC Eyewitness News, ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' and

NY1 NY1 (also officially known as Spectrum News NY1 and spoken as New York One) is an American cable news television channel founded by Time Warner Cable, which itself is owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition in May 2016. The chan ...

, and in print and online publications including ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', ''

Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' and ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''.Jennifer LaRue Huget
“Better-for-You Holiday Beverages, Anyone?”
''

'', December 9, 2008. and U.S. News & World Report Beginning in 2011, she was a regular contributor to the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...

'' as a part of their "Healthy Living" section, advising readers on weight loss and healthy eating. Between 2015 and 2020, Reinagel published a regular column on food and nutrition for

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...

. She has also been a frequent contributor to ''Food & Nutrition'' magazine (a publication of the

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is a multi-unit enterprise that includes a 501(c)(6) trade association in the United States. With over 112,000 members, the association claims to be the largest organization of food and nutrition professiona ...

), and produces a regular feature called Smart Nutrition for

WYPR WYPR (88.1 FM) is a public radio station serving the Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan area. Its studio is in the Charles Village neighborhood of northern Baltimore, while its transmitter is in Park Heights. The station is simulcast in the F ...

in Baltimore. She was the chief nutritionist for

Conde Nast Conde is the Ibero-Romance form of "count" (Latin ''comitatus''). It may refer to: * Counts in Iberia *List of countships in Portugal Places United States * Conde, South Dakota, a city France * Condé-sur-l'Escaut (or simply 'Condé'), a com ...

's NutritionData website from 2007 until 2010.

Nutrition GPA app

A novel smartphone app offers an alternative to diet tracking and promises to help you "upgrade your nutrition," by answering 10 yes-or-no questions about what you ate each day. The app assigns a grade for the day and then averages your daily grades to track your "nutrition grade point average." In 2018, the Nutrition GPA app was noted by the

as one of four "Best Food-Tracking Apps for you."

Speaking

Reinagel has presented keynotes and workshops at a variety of national and international forums of wellness and health professionals, including the Internataional Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans 2023 Health and Benefits Conference and Expo, the Association of Washington Cities 2023 Healthy Worksite Summit, and IDEA Health and Fitness Association's 2019 Nutrition and Behavioral Change Summit.

IF Rating

Systemic inflammation Chronic systemic inflammation is the result of release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from immune-related cells and the chronic activation of the innate immune system. It can contribute to the development or progression of certain conditions such ...

has been linked to an array of adverse health outcomes, and diet has a measurable effect on markers of inflammation as well as inflammation-related morbidities. In 2006, Reinagel introduced the IF Ratings, a system that attempts to predict the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory potential of foods and mixed meals based on their nutrient composition. Reinagel cites peer-reviewed published research on the associations between various nutrients, food components, and dietary patterns on inflammatory markers such as

C-reactive protein C-reactive protein (CRP) is an annular (ring-shaped) pentameric protein found in blood plasma, whose circulating concentrations rise in response to inflammation. It is an acute-phase protein of hepatic origin that increases following interleukin ...

as the basis for the unpublished formula used to produce the ratings. No analyses of the statistical validity of the IF Ratings or results of any controlled interventions have been published. Similar to other proponents of anti-inflammatory diets, such as

Barry Sears Barry Sears (born June 6, 1947) is an American biochemist and author best known for creating and promoting the Zone diet,Cataldo, Corrine Balog; DeBruyne, Linda Kelly; Whitney, Eleanor Noss. (1999). ''Nutrition and Diet Therapy: Principles and P ...

, Nicholas Perricone, and

Andrew Weil Andrew Thomas Weil (, born June 8, 1942) is an American celebrity doctor who advocates for integrative medicine. Early life and education Weil was born in Philadelphia, on June 8, 1942,The editors of EB (2015). "Andrew Weil, American Physici ...

, Reinagel recommends incorporating more anti-inflammatory foods such as fish, nuts, olive oil, non-starchy vegetables and spices, and limiting refined grains, sugar, and saturated and

hydrogenated Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organi ...

fats.

Weighless.Life

The year-long program calle
Weighless
which Monica created with Brock Armstrong, combines nutrition and exercise science, behaviour modification, professional guidance, and community support to help you lose weight and keep it off long-term. The program was created out of a desire to help people reset their relationship with food and movement, rather than simply to help them lose weight. The catchphrase of the program "stop dieting and start weighing less" really sums up the program. Reinagel believes that we won't solve the obesity epidemic by inventing yet another diet, we will solve it by realizing that diets don't work.

Opera

A classically trained singer, Reinagel has performed as a soloist with the Baltimore Opera Company,

Ohio Light Opera The Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late ...

, the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

and

Opera Lafayette Opera Lafayette is a baroque opera company based in Washington, D.C., that produces French operas from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded in 1995 by Ryan Brown and is the only opera company to produce its full season in both Washington ...

, among others.

Awards

* 2011 Apex Award for Excellence in How-To Writing ("The Fun and Frugal Fashion of Home Canning" – ''ADA Times'') * 2012 Gold Hermes Creative Award for Feature Writing, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ("Not Your Mother's Spice Cabinet" – ''Food & Nutrition'') * 2012 Podcast Awards Nominee: Health/Fitness category * 2012 Stitcher Awards Nominee: Best Health & Lifestyle Podcast Stitcher Awards. Accessed November 20, 2012.

Bibliography

Hardcovers and paperbacks

* ''Secrets of Evening Primrose Oil'' (2000, St. Martin's Paperbacks) * ''The Life Extension Revolution: The New Science of Growing Older Without Aging'' (2005,

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin Jr., Sidney B. K ...

) – with Philip Lee Miller * ''The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan'' (2006,

McGraw-Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

) * ''Nutrition Diva's Secrets for a Healthy Diet: What to Eat, What to Avoid, and What to Stop Worrying About'' (2011,

St. Martin's Griffin St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan in New York City. It is headquartered in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 ...

)

E-books and audio books

* ''Nutrition Diva's 5 Secrets for Aging Well'' (2011,

Macmillan Audio Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

) * ''Nutrition Diva's Grocery Store Survival Guide'' (2011, St. Martin's Griffin) * ''How to Win at Losing: 10 Diet Myths That Keep You From Succeeding'' (2012, St. Martin’s Griffin) * ''Nutrition Zombies: 10 Nutrition Myths That Refuse to Die'' (2012, St. Martin’s Griffin) * ''Quick and Dirty Tips for Life After College'' (2012, St. Martin’s Griffin)

References

External links

Official website (Speaking)

Official website (Nutrition)

Change Academy (podcast)

Nutrition Diva (podcast)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinagel, Monica 1964 births Living people American women nutritionists American nutritionists People from Baltimore Writers from Baltimore American women podcasters American health and wellness podcasters