What is the point of building a successful life if your health is not there when you are finally ready to enjoy it?
I recently joined seven time world champion Layne Beachley and Tess Brouwer on the A Wake Up Call podcast to discuss my personal health story, metabolic health, body composition, insulin resistance and why food should be treated as one of our most powerful daily health tools.
You can watch the full conversation here: Kate Save on Food as a Performance Tool | AWUC
My first wake up call
My first major wake up call came on my twentieth birthday.
After almost nineteen years of unexplained illness, I underwent emergency surgery for a rare congenital condition called a choledochal cyst.
For much of my childhood, I knew something was wrong. I experienced severe episodes of illness, pain and vomiting, yet at one point my family was told there was no medical explanation and that I would probably grow out of it.
I did not grow out of it.
By the time the condition was finally identified, I required major surgery. I woke several days later in hospital, unable to sit up without assistance, with a large abdominal incision and an entirely different perspective on health.
That experience helped shape my decision to work in nutrition, exercise physiology and preventive health. I wanted to help people understand their bodies and continue searching for answers when something did not feel right.
My second wake up call
Twenty years later, I experienced another life changing moment when I found my beautiful mum had passed away unexpectedly.
She appeared fit and healthy. She exercised regularly, maintained a low body weight and had experienced very few significant health problems throughout her life. Before her death, she had experienced persistent abdominal bloating. Despite several visits to emergency care, she was repeatedly reassured and sent home.
She was eventually diagnosed with bowel cancer after the tumour caused a blockage that required emergency surgery. Although cancer was not ultimately listed as the cause of her death, the experience reinforced an important lesson for me. Sadly too, after coroner’s report, there was no known cause of her death, which always leaves questions in someone previously so fit and healthy with no heart conditions or stroke either. The mystery of life and death.
Looking healthy does not always mean that everything inside the body is functioning well. When symptoms persist, continue investigating. Ask questions. Seek another opinion. You know when something has changed in your body.
Body weight is not the same as body composition
One of the central themes of the podcast was the difference between body weight and body composition.The number on the scales tells us very little about how much muscle, fat, fluid or visceral fat a person carries. Two people can have the same height and weight while having very different metabolic health profiles. One may have a healthy amount of muscle and relatively low visceral fat. The other may have less muscle and more fat stored around the abdominal organs.
This is why we need to move beyond weight alone.
Body composition considers:
• Skeletal muscle mass
• Total body fat
• Visceral fat around the organs
• Fat distribution
• Hydration status
• Changes in muscle and fat over time
Muscle is particularly important because it acts as a major storage and usage site for glucose. When we eat carbohydrate, it is broken down into glucose. Insulin helps move that glucose from the bloodstream into cells where it can be used or stored.
Muscle provides somewhere for glucose to go. When muscle mass is low and physical activity is limited, the body has less capacity to use and store glucose. Over time, this may contribute to increasing insulin levels and worsening insulin sensitivity.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance occurs when the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin. The pancreas may initially compensate by producing more insulin. This can keep blood glucose within the normal range for some time, which means a person may have normal glucose results while their insulin levels are already elevated.
This is one reason insulin resistance can be missed in its earlier stages.
It can develop gradually and may be associated with:
• Increasing abdominal or visceral fat
• Low energy
• Hunger soon after eating
• Changes in concentration
• Fluctuations in energy or mood
• Difficulty managing weight
• Elevated triglycerides
• Increasing blood glucose over time
These symptoms can have many causes, so they should not be used to diagnose insulin resistance without appropriate medical assessment.
A GP may consider fasting glucose and fasting insulin, alongside other clinical information. These results can be used to calculate an estimate such as HOMA IR, which may provide further information about insulin sensitivity.
Testing and interpretation should always be personalised. Results need to be considered alongside medications, medical history, body composition, sleep, stress, activity levels and hormonal changes.
Why abdominal fat can increase as we age
Many women notice that their body begins storing fat differently through perimenopause and menopause. Declining oestrogen levels can change where fat is stored, with a greater tendency for fat to accumulate around the abdomen rather than the hips and thighs.
At the same time, muscle mass may decline unless it is actively protected through resistance training and adequate protein intake.Sleep disruption, stress, reduced movement and changes in insulin sensitivity may also contribute.
This does not mean that weight gain is inevitable. It means the strategy may need to change.
Doing more cardio and eating less is not always the best answer. Protecting muscle, improving food quality and managing overall metabolic health become increasingly important.
Muscle is a metabolic asset
Muscle is not only about appearance or physical strength.
It supports:
- Glucose disposal
- Insulin sensitivity
- Mobility and balance
- Bone health
- Functional independence
- Recovery from illness
- Healthy ageing
- Energy expenditure
This is why I encourage adults to include regular resistance training as part of their health routine. For many people, a practical starting point is approximately thirty minutes of structured strength training two or three times each week, adjusted for fitness, medical history and physical capacity.
It is also important to consume enough protein to support muscle maintenance and repair. For many healthy adults, a daily protein intake of approximately 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight may be appropriate when the goal is to maintain or build muscle. Individual requirements vary, particularly for people with kidney disease or other medical conditions, so personalised advice may be required.
Whole food protein first
Protein supplements can be useful, but they should not automatically replace food.
Whole food protein sources provide protein within a broader food matrix containing nutrients, fats, fibre and other naturally occurring compounds.
Examples include:
- Eggs
- Fish and seafood
- Chicken and lean meat
- Milk, yoghurt and cheese
- Tofu and tempeh
- Legumes and lentils
- Nuts and seeds
Protein powders may help when food intake is inadequate or convenience is required, but my preferred approach is whole food first and supplementation where needed.
The same principle applies to overall nutrition.
A healthy diet is not created by adding one fashionable ingredient or supplement. It is built through the consistent pattern of food eaten across the day and week.
Vegetables remain one of our most powerful health tools. When I was asked for one simple nutritional action that could improve health and performance, my answer was clear. Eat more vegetables.
Vegetables provide fibre, vitamins, minerals and thousands of naturally occurring plant compounds that support digestive health, metabolic health and the gut microbiome. Different colours contain different combinations of nutrients and plant compounds, so variety matters. Aim to include several different types and colours across the day rather than relying on the same small group of vegetables.
At Be Fit Food, our meals contain between four and twelve vegetables per recipe because we believe vegetables should form a meaningful part of the meal, not a token garnish.
Health for busy people
The reality is that most people are busy. They are managing work, family, travel, appointments and responsibilities. Healthy eating must be practical enough to work within real life. One of the simplest strategies we discussed was making extra dinner and taking the leftovers to work the next day.
A balanced lunch containing protein, vegetables and a controlled amount of carbohydrate is likely to support more stable energy and appetite than relying on snack foods throughout the afternoon.
Useful foundations include:
- Build meals around whole food protein
- Add several types of vegetables
- Choose minimally processed carbohydrates in portions suited to your needs
- Include healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, nuts or avocado
- Reduce constant grazing when meals are adequate
- Prepare extra food when cooking
- Keep practical whole food meals available for busy days
Why Be Fit Food exists
Be Fit Food was created to make evidence informed, whole food eating more convenient.
Our meals are developed by dietitians and designed around portion control, whole food protein, vegetables, fibre and controlled carbohydrate.
They are snap frozen to preserve freshness and allow people to keep nutritionally balanced meals available without relying on long shelf life chilled products or highly processed convenience foods.
Our purpose has always been bigger than weight loss.
We want to help people improve their metabolic health, protect muscle, support their gut and develop an eating pattern that can be sustained beyond a short term diet.
Your health is your most important asset
We invest considerable time and energy into our careers, businesses, homes and financial futures. Health deserves the same level of attention.
You cannot always prevent illness, but you can improve your chances of remaining strong, active and independent by acting earlier. Do not wait for a diagnosis to begin prioritising your health.
- Eat more vegetables.
- Prioritise whole food protein.
- Build and protect muscle.
- Understand your body composition.
- Discuss appropriate metabolic health testing with your GP.
- Continue seeking answers when something does not feel right.
- Your health is the one asset you need for your entire life.
Watch the full A Wake Up Call podcast with Layne Beachley, Tess Brouwer and Kate Save:
Kate Save on Food as a Performance Tool | AWUC
This information is general in nature and does not replace individual medical or dietary advice. Speak with your GP or an appropriately qualified health professional about your personal health needs.
