Eat, blog, repeat: Meet the woman who started it all

Kath Younger

In 2007, when Kath Younger decided to start a diary-style food blog detailing every morsel that slipped past her lips and documenting daily workouts, errands and events, she did a Google search for similar sites. And came up with nil.

But that was two years ago – eons in Internet World – and women’s food and fitness pages now flood the blogosphere. Ladies around the world detail everything from a love of yoga to a flirtation with all-raw eating to a new road race PR. I’ve been fascinated by the trend since a search for vegan recipes turned up this plethora of blogs, and their thousands of loyal followers.

Younger’s  blog, Kath Eats Real Food (KERF) is the unofficial “first” of the kind. The blogosphere pioneer privately blogged her food intake to stay accountable as she lost 30 pounds. With her new focus on health, Younger launched a public blog to share recipes with her mom. Since those first few posts, she’s turned her blog into a moneymaker, with sponsors and a CafePress store, and built a following of 400,000 monthly visitors. Now, Younger is turning food and fitness into a career – the 26-year-old is studying to become a Registered Dietitian.

No, Younger doesn’t skydive blindfolded or hawk immortality elixirs – but isn’t there something a little “Extreme Self” about the extent and devotion of this booming online community? I wanted to know more about the trend – and talk to the woman who kicked it off.

The beauty of the web is that you could blog about anything – politics, sex, religion – why health and food, for you?

I started blogging to share recipes with my mom – at the time, she was the only one who wanted them. But when I started blogging more publicly, I wanted to put food in a healthy context, and tell a story at the same time. I consider it “my life through food,” I guess. You read the story behind the food – get to know the person there.

Baked banana oatmeal - a Kath original recipe

And as a larger trend, why do you think so many women – there are hundreds, at least – are attracted to the idea of their own food blog?

Everyone eats already. It’s a given and a universal, and something that has always brought people together in one way or another. I think when a woman sees a smart blog about food and health, she realizes “I can do that too.” Not everyone rides horses, not everyone can blog about that. But you can write about food and health, so the community just keeps growing.

What about the potential downsides? I write a lot about eating disorders – so many women have a fixation on food, weight, and exercise. Do you think food blogs have the potential to be an online manifestation of that?

People with an eating disorder will be sick whether they read food blogs or not, and whether they write them or not. I can’t speak for every blog, but I know that I don’t restrict food or promote disordered behavior. I try to be a role model, and I like to think blogs can inspire change. I’ve gotten emails from women suffering from eating disorders before, and they actually thank me, for showing them what it is to eat normally.

Celebrity used to be much more confined in definition. Now, online personalities are celebrities in their own right. You have thousands of readers peeking into your diet, your weight, whether you worked out this morning or hit snooze – do you feel pressure from that spotlight?

So far, no. I just do my thing, and readers are nothing but friendly. It’s only brought more fun into my life. I can go to any city and have someone there who wants to have lunch, or show me around. And it feels like any day, a new opportunity could pop into my Inbox. I’m like an amateur celebrity, I guess. A lot of perks, but nobody from the National Enquirer is trailing me yet.