A birthday note (and a question for you)

Welcome to Truth Be Told, a food and fitness newsletter published by The Whole Truth Foods.

Dear readers,

Truth Be Told turns three today. Happy Birthday to us! So much has changed in my life over these three years—TBT has been the one constant among all the flux. (When we took a break last year, I felt a void without having to edit a story for this newsletter. That's when I knew this really is something more than just work.)

And now, as you've noticed, we've gone fortnightly. I wanted to find a rhythm I can sustain while staying true to our original promise: always publishing to serve you—the reader. This doesn't change.

All of this is to say, bringing out this publication gives me great joy. It's not something I talk about enough (I should), but every time someone says "I read TBT," I feel that intimate connection only writing and reading can orchestrate: nothing much needs to be said—a quiet relationship with no expectations beyond mutual respect and care. Not loud, mostly perceived.

This drives my journalism: the relationship with you—my mostly faceless readers—which is felt more than seen. Whenever I get excited about something (right now I'm nerding out on GLP-1 weight loss drugs), my first thought is always: "Can't wait to share this with TBT readers."

And so, thank you. This matters to me. A lot. And to the team.

Yes, I mean team. I sign off as Editor—but you don't see who's behind this. Allow me to introduce you to the people who make this happen.

Jaanvi Advani joined us last year—a TBT reader who crossed to the other side. (No other way to build a team!) As our commissioning editor and producer, she makes TBT happen with relentless commitment. Sometimes I think she cares about this publication more than I do. She wasn't thrilled about going fortnightly because of my bandwidth, but she had to make peace with it (and is probably shaking her reading this line).

Siddhi Bhandari. Saumya Bansal. Sayali Kulkarni. Our current design team who create all the covers and illustrations—led by Radhika Sen. So many of you mention graphics as core to our identity. That's all them. Editorial art is hard: conceptual thinking with no set pattern. Multiple concepts, iterations, landing somewhere. I hate being the person who says "something's not working but I don't know why"—but the dance between literal and abstract leaves plenty of room for exactly that. And somehow, they always nail it.

And our writers—whom you meet in every story. Writers place deep trust in editors: it's their story, and they're trusting me to mess with their words. As someone who's been on the other side, I know how vulnerable it is showing that first draft. Every time it happens, there's a small reaffirmation of trust. It never gets old.

This comes with responsibility. I listen to editors I respect, trying to understand how they think about their jobs. I've settled on this: my job is to serve all interests simultaneously—the writer, the subject, the reader. Together, always.

This responsibility continues as we enter year four. Thank you for being part of this journey.

And if you have a moment, I’m curious: has anything from TBT stuck with you? Changed how you think about something? Where does this newsletter show up in your life?

I'd genuinely love to know. It reminds us why we do this. Just hit reply (or write to me at samarth@thewholetruthfoods.com).

See you this weekend. In your inbox. Where we always meet.:)

With gratitude, joy and a very full heart,

Samarth Bansal