Virginia Sole-Smith Virginia Sole-Smith is the author of The Eating Instinct: Food Culture, Body Image and Guilt in America and the forthcoming Fat Kid Phobia. Her reporting on diet culture, health and parenting has appeared in the New York Times, Scientific American, and many other publications. She also writes the newsletter Burnt Toast and hosts the Burnt Toast Podcast. About Real Simple Real Simple, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, is an award-winning, trusted online resource for smart, authentic solutions to simplify your life. We reach 11 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact-checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.