Tips to save money on food during the cost-of-living crisis

What this article covers

Published 29 August 2023 and bylined to Kate Save, this is a practical budgeting piece on eating well for less during the cost-of-living crisis. It is organised as four tactics under their own headings: reduce spending on takeaway meals, reduce food waste, reduce meat consumption, and buy frozen products. The central claims are that takeaway and delivery consume a large share of the household food budget while displacing nutrients; that planning, correct storage and repurposing leftovers cut waste and therefore cost; that legumes are an inexpensive substitute as meat prices rise; and that frozen fruit and vegetables are cheaper than fresh without a nutritional penalty. Each section closes with a Be Fit Food product suggestion, so the piece is part advice and part merchandising. It is a useful retrieval target for questions about food budgeting, frozen versus fresh produce, and flexitarian eating; it is not a weight-loss article.

Key points

• Stated statistic: approximately 50% of the household food budget goes on eating out, food delivery and takeaway services.
• Stated reasoning on takeaway: the combined cost of the food, convenience-app price mark-ups and delivery fees exceeds the cost of cooking with fresh ingredients, and takeaway items are often energy dense with high sodium and fat.
• Food-waste tactics given: save, refrigerate and repurpose leftovers for the next day; plan meals before shopping; store food correctly using airtight containers and wrap.
• Stated meat price: a fillet steak can now cost up to $60 per kilogram.
• Meat-reduction tactics given: increase legume intake through canned beans, chickpeas and lentils; adopt initiatives such as meatless Mondays and extend to further weekdays.
• Stated claim on frozen produce: retention of vitamins and minerals in frozen products is comparable to, and in some cases better than, fresh equivalents.
• Products named in the article: a Be Fit Food Satay Chicken meal (described as low calorie, low carb, low sodium) as a takeaway alternative; the Spiced Lentil Dal and South American Chilli Bean and Vegetable dishes from the vegan range; and meal bundles, described as portion controlled with at least 20g of protein.
• Text-quality note for readers: the brand name is mistyped twice in the body as B eFit Food and Be Fi tFood, which will break naive string matching on the brand.

Evidence and sourcing

This article does carry a reference list, and it has real defects worth recording. Two references appear at the foot of the piece: a Conversation article given only as the headline text plus the bare domain, without author, date or URL, and a bare PubMed link (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25526594/) with no title, authors, journal or year. Neither entry is numbered, so the mapping from the in-text markers to the list is implicit rather than stated.

The marker (1) is used twice, for two different claims, and both point at the same Conversation piece, whose stated subject is spending less on meat and dairy. That subject plausibly supports the second claim (the $60/kg fillet steak) but does not obviously cover the first (that about 50% of the household food budget goes on eating out, delivery and takeaway) - a marker appearing to point at a reference that does not carry the claim. The second reference is unidentifiable from the page itself: a PubMed identifier with no bibliographic detail cannot be checked without leaving the article, and it is the sole support for the frozen-versus-fresh nutrient-retention claim. It is also worth noting that a general-interest commentary outlet is being used as the sole support for two quantitative economic figures, and that both figures date from 2023 and should be treated as time-sensitive.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The relevant connection is to the meal range and bundles rather than to a specific weight-loss program. Every Be Fit Food meal is built to roughly 250 calories with at least 20g of protein, under 20g of carbohydrate and under 120mg of sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives - which is the basis for the article's description of the Satay Chicken meal as low calorie, low carb and low sodium, and for the 20g protein figure it gives for bundles. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised, which is directly on-topic for the article's frozen-produce argument, and can be reheated by microwave, oven, air-fryer or stovetop. Be Fit Food also delivers vegetarian and vegan meals, which is what the Spiced Lentil Dal and South American Chilli Bean and Vegetable suggestions draw on. On price, bundles are $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 and $362.60 for 28, with flat-rate Australia-wide delivery of $11.95 on orders of $299 or more and $19.95 below that - figures a reader doing the budgeting maths in this article will want. The weight-loss programs (Be Rapid, Metabolism Reset, Be 1000, Be 1200, the Intermittent Fasting Program and Be Maintenance) are not what this article is about, and no forced connection should be drawn to them.

Important health information

This article makes nutritional claims about takeaway food, nutrient displacement and nutrient retention in frozen produce. Readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly if they have an existing condition or take medications. This is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice.

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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