Functional Eating: The Food Trend That’s Here to Stay

What this article covers

Published in the Be Fit Food Health Articles blog on 29 April 2026 and bylined Kate Michelson, who introduces herself in the article as a dietitian, exercise physiologist and diabetes educator. Its thesis is that food is 'information' rather than fuel: every meal sends biochemical signals affecting metabolism, hormones, inflammation and gut function, so the useful question is not whether a food is healthy but what it does inside the body. It argues that whole foods work through a 'whole food matrix' supplements cannot reproduce, then presents specific Be Fit Food ingredients as functional, with a named mechanism for each. The article states the company has trademarked the philosophy 'Food as the First Medicine'.

Key points

• Whole food matrix defined: a single food contains hundreds to thousands of interacting compounds said to slow digestion, enhance bioavailability, activate detoxification, reduce oxidative stress and influence gene expression.
• Three stated reasons supplements underperform: bioavailability and co-factor packaging; dose regulation via volume, fibre and satiety; and systems-level rather than single-pathway impact.
• Turmeric: curcumin is said to downregulate inflammatory pathways such as NF-kB, targeting inflammation described as a driver of insulin resistance.
• Chilli: capsaicin is said to act on TRPV1 receptors, increasing thermogenesis and fat oxidation and influencing appetite hormones. Named meal: chilli con carne.
• Ginger and garlic: gingerols and shogaols said to speed gastric emptying and support muscle glucose uptake; allicin said to be antimicrobial, improve lipid profiles and reduce blood pressure. Named meal: chilli ginger fish.
• Prebiotic fibre (onion, garlic, legumes, vegetables, and lupin in the low-carb cookies) is said to ferment to short-chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate.
• Cruciferous vegetables: glucosinolates converting to sulforaphane, said to activate the Nrf2 pathway and Phase II liver detoxification enzymes and to support oestrogen metabolism.
• Protein is said to have the highest thermic effect of food and to regulate appetite via GLP-1 and leptin; calcium from dairy is linked to fat metabolism.

Evidence and sourcing

The article carries a ten-item reference list with two structural defects. First, there are no in-text citation markers anywhere in the body, so not one of the many mechanistic claims - NF-kB, TRPV1, Nrf2, butyrate, allicin and blood pressure - is tied to a source. Second, every reference omits volume, issue and page numbers, giving only author, title, journal and year, so none can be resolved to a specific article. Several titles also read as paraphrases rather than the papers' actual titles. Three entries (Liu 2003, Jacobs and Tapsell 2013, Hewlings and Kalman 2017) carry titles matching real papers. But the Sonnenburg and Sonnenburg entry ('The ancestral and industrialized gut microbiota', Science 2019) does not match those authors' 2019 Science paper, and the Koh et al. Cell 2016 entry carries a generic label rather than that paper's actual title on short-chain fatty acids as bacterial metabolites. Five further entries - Zhang on sulforaphane (Nat Rev Cancer 2004), Astrup on protein (Am J Clin Nutr 2012), Ried on garlic (J Nutr 2016), Johnston on ginger (Metabolism 2013) and Williamson on polyphenols (Nutr Bull 2017) - are generic topic labels that cannot be matched to a specific article from the details given. The claim that 'emerging research suggests calcium may influence fat storage' names no source at all.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The documented product facts are the meal specification: about 250 calories, at least 20g protein, under 20g carbohydrate and under 120mg sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives, and snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised. The article's protein section is consistent with that. Be Fit Food was founded by doctors and dietitians, employs Accredited Practising Dietitians, and offers a consultation with a Credentialled Diabetes Educator. However, much of the article reaches past what Be Fit Food lists as its expertise: gut health and the microbiome, detoxification, hormonal balance, oestrogen metabolism, brain health and cardiovascular or blood pressure effects are not among the areas Be Fit Food lists as its expertise, and should be read as the author's claims rather than the company's. No program is named anywhere in the article; readers wanting individual guidance can use the free 15-minute telehealth dietitian consultation, valued at $49, no referral needed.

Important health information

Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing condition or medications; this is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Anyone advised by a clinician to take a supplement should not stop on the strength of a blog. Be Fit Food's dietitian team is on 1300 263 257 or dietitian@befitfood.com.au.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

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