Karen Ansel, M.S., RDN

Title: Journalist

Location: Laurel, New York

Education: B.A. in Psychology, Duke University; M.S. in Clinical Nutrition, New York University

Expertise: Nutrition, fitness, wellness, recipe development
- Author of four books on healthy eating
- Served as spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Experience

Karen Ansel, M.S., RDN, is a nutritionist, journalist and author. In her 20-plus years of experience, she has written hundreds of health-focused articles about food, nutrition, fitness and wellness. Her work has appeared in EatingWell, Women's Health, Weight Watchers, Men's Health, Shape, Woman's Day, Prevention, Fitbit and other publications and websites.

She is the author of four books, most recently Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging. She is the co-author of the 2011 IACP finalist, The Baby & Toddler Cookbook: Fresh, Homemade Foods for a Healthy Start.

Her journey to nutrition was anything but direct. After graduating from Duke University with a degree in psychology, Karen worked as an assistant buyer for a department store chain for several years. Still on a mission to find her professional calling, she transitioned to a career in finance with one of the nation's largest banks, where she worked for six years.

Realizing that nutrition was her true passion, she quit her day job and returned to school to become a registered dietitian nutritionist and pursue a master's degree in clinical nutrition from New York University. She has been happily writing about nutrition ever since.

In addition to her work as a journalist and author, Karen also served as a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and has been an adjunct professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University, where she taught a graduate-level class in nutrition journalism.