Welcome to Forkful 2.0: What to expect from this newsletter
Realigning Forkful’s mission, content to expect moving forward, a NEW paid offering, and more!
In 2022 when I started this newsletter, my goal was to create a truthful space where I could debunk the latest diet culture fads with factual evidence, certified expert commentary, and outright mockery. We’re all privy to the toxic advice we see in magazines or online, the disordered thinking we’ve become accustomed to when it comes to the food on our plate. As someone who followed diet culture trends religiously and found they made my relationship with food worse (not to mention how none of those diet programs worked in the ways it promised), I have grown particularly passionate about calling out the bull-shitery we see on the Internet. Hence the inspiration behind Forkful.
Needless to say, based on the number of new subscribers on this little newsletter, I would say the message also resonates with you. A culture of people who truly want to break up with dieting and simply enjoy food again—both for the pleasure of food (because it is a beautiful privilege and pleasure!) but also for the sake of taking care of our bodies without weight loss goals or skinny pants dreams.
After an unintentional season of rest (and publishing a book this summer), I finally sat down with my notes and recalibrated the mission of this newsletter. Sometimes a good reset really can make the difference in a platform such as this, so I thought given the number of new followers on here (Hi! 👋) it would be good for us to recenter ourselves on what this space is meant for.
The updated Forkful mission
Here’s what this little corner of the Internet is all about.
Forkful is a newsletter inspiring others to break up with their diets and pick up a fork. Through each newsletter, the goal is to help others simply enjoy food and health again — without the pressure of hitting goals, restricting food, or losing weight.
When you open Forkful on Saturday mornings, you can expect:
An essay covering some kind of topic related to food and nutrition, health, and diet-culture myth busting.
Recipes I worked on, or other eats I’m loving lately
Links to my latest stories
Pieces of advice from experts in the field: registered dietitians, medical doctors, nutrition researchers, chefs, farmers, etc.
You’re getting a little taste of what this will look like this week (scroll!) but next week we really dive into a new topic and hop right back where we left off.
Changes to the Bite Sized podcast (for paid subscribers)
For those of you who have been faithful paid subscribers of Forkful, let me just say I love you. It really is special to have people financially supporting my work, and for your patience in this particular weird era of my life, I’m grateful. So as a thank you, I’m changing my paid offering a bit.
Paid subscribers of Forkful will receive bi-weekly episodes of the Bite Sized podcast. Subscribers will get the exclusive scoop from industry experts through “bite-sized” interviews and dives into the latest nutrition news. New episodes drop every other Wednesday.
You can listen to the new-and-improved Bite Sized podcast when new episode drops on Wednesday, November 1.
Presenting The Grocery Edit (a new paid offering)
As a food writer, I’m constantly getting emails from companies about new food products in grocery stores, but I don’t exactly get the chance to write about all of them. So I thought of a fun way to share them all in one place!
Along with the Bite Sized podcast, paid subscribers will get a monthly exclusive list with all of the latest grocery products to check out. Think of this as a massive review of the newest groceries on shelves, all recommendations from yours truly.
The Grocery Edit will not include affiliate linking or external compensation from these brands. It truly is a list of recommendations from myself, all in one place every month.
The first installment of The Grocery Edit will be sent out on Friday, November 3, and will come out every first Friday of the month after.
Any breaks moving forward will be announced.
For those of you that have been around for a while, you may be wondering: Okay sure, Kiersten, you say you’re back now, but what if you disappear again?
I get it. I had a weird season and I stopped writing, and I really do regret it. Which is why in the future, any breaks I take will be announced via this newsletter beforehand. Breaks will likely happen during times of rest/vacation, which tends to be for a few weeks in the summer, and again around the holidays.
However, this holiday season I don’t plan on taking a break, so you can expect regular content from me through the rest of 2023.
A collection of the latest nutrition & health news that I think is worth noting.
🍼 “Toddler milk” is a scam: Although it is sold similarly to baby formula for infants, “toddler milk”—a supplement milk drink offered to toddlers ages 9 to 12 months—isn’t regulated in the United States. Similar to adult supplement drinks on the market, these types of products do not have nutritional standards to follow, making the marketing for these products outright deceptive.
🍃 Georgia to be the first state to sell medical marijuana in pharmacies. Buying weed has become far easier in recent years due to decriminalization laws and medical treatments, with 23 states in America allowing consumers over the age of 21 to buy marijuana recreationally. These products are typically sold in cannabis dispensaries, but a new law in Georgia will allow pharmacies to sell low-dose THC products. These products will contain less than 5% THC and will be available to purchase at 130 local pharmacies. National chains such as CVS wont’ be selling products as of yet, but there are 400 independent pharmacies within the state that are eligible to sell. Cannabis products with THC (the component of the drug that gives you that “high” effect) are used in medical scenarios to help with nausea, insomnia, pain, and more.
🥩 Red meat causes diabetes…or does it? A recent cohort study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition made the conclusion that eating red meat twice a week can increase your risk of developing diabetes by 50%. While the headline seems kitschy (Only twice a week? That’s it?), dig in a little deeper and you’ll notice that these numbers are coming from a specific selection of people that are already at risk for diabetes in the first place, making it difficult to pinpoint red meat as the culprit when it could be a variety of other factors. It’s already a known thing that high amounts of saturated fat in the diet can put you at risk, not just red meat. The American Diabetes Association already makes it clear to limit these types of foods and choose leaner cuts of meat.
A list of healthy-ish recipes that I’m enjoying lately.
Kung Pao Chicken from EatingWell: I actually wrote an essay about how much I love this recipe recently. Such an easy one to throw together on a weeknight, and you can top it on a bed of microwave rice. Side note, I am obsessed with bags of microwave brown rice now. Why was I ever trying to cook a whole pot when I could have two servings in 90 seconds? Genius.
Fudgy Pumpkin Brownie Bites from Eat This!: These brownie bites always make a reappearance in the fall. They’re just fun to have for a party and you can be versatile with the toppings. Highly recommend if you need a dessert to share, but you’re too lazy to attempt cupcakes or something.
Cranberry Cider Braised Beef Stew with Rosemary Polenta from Half Baked Harvest: I have never successfully been able to make a beef stew, but this recipe changed that reality for me. It’s really so good people, the perfect crockpot meal for a fall day. Highly, highly recommend making this at some point this winter. And real talk? I didn’t make the full polenta, just did a quick polenta on the stovetop and it was still just as good.
A mantra to start the new week that’s a little more inspiring than “I’ll start on Monday.”
Follow Caroline Thomason, RD for more inspo here.