WOMEN'S HEALTH

What this article covers

WOMEN'S HEALTH is a Be Fit Food Health Articles post bylined to Kate Save and dated 6 June 2023. It is a survey piece: five short sections on menopause, osteoporosis, endometriosis, PCOS and breast cancer, each pairing a one-paragraph definition with dietary advice, followed by a section on how Be Fit Food positions its program against these needs. The article's recurring thesis, repeated in four of the five sections, is that a high-protein, low-carbohydrate eating pattern is beneficial: for insulin sensitivity in menopause, for inflammation in endometriosis, for insulin resistance in PCOS, and for breast cancer risk. That single dietary recommendation carried across four distinct conditions is the article's defining feature and the thing readers should scrutinise most closely, because the sourcing behind it is uneven.

Key points

• Menopause: described as marking the end of reproductive years, with hot flushes and sleep disturbances; stated to cause decreased insulin sensitivity, with a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet proposed as beneficial.
• Menopause mechanism given for weight gain: estradiol regulates weight by decreasing appetite and increasing energy expenditure; its activity falls as ovarian granulosa cells decline, leaving only a small amount from androgen conversion.
• Osteoporosis: women at higher risk than men, especially after menopause, due to declining oestrogen; the advice is adequate calcium, vitamin D and vitamin K, with leafy greens, broccoli and Brussels sprouts named as vitamin K sources, plus protein to support muscle mass.
• Endometriosis: tissue similar to the uterine lining growing outside the uterus, causing pain and inflammation; fruits, vegetables and omega-3 fats proposed to reduce inflammation and pain, red meat, trans fats and processed foods proposed to worsen it.
• PCOS: a hormonal disorder of reproductive-age women with irregular periods, excess facial and body hair, and weight gain; weight loss is stated to improve symptoms and a low-carbohydrate high-protein diet proposed for insulin resistance.
• Breast cancer: a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and lean protein proposed to reduce risk; saturated and trans fats, red meat and processed foods proposed to increase it.
• Company figures given: the Be Rapid program is stated to meet over 100 per cent of daily estimated average requirements excluding zinc at 95 per cent, and over 100 per cent of all recommended daily intakes excluding zinc at 80 per cent and calcium at 90 per cent, calculated from averages of all meals including the vegetarian range.
• Meal composition claims: seasonal vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds; protein from lean beef, skinless chicken breasts and tenderloins, tofu and white fish; 4 to 12 different vegetables in each meal; a range of wholegrains plus a high-protein low-carbohydrate pasta; a Recommended Extras list for tailoring micronutrients, with milk or yoghurt suggested to raise calcium.

Evidence and sourcing

The article carries eight references with superscript markers 1 to 8 in the text. Three defects here are substantive, and one is structural.

The structural one first: every reference is marked up as its own separate ordered list restarting at 1, so all eight entries render as item 1. The superscript markers cannot be resolved against the rendered list at all, and a reader must count entries by their order in the source.

Marker 2 is a mismatch. It is attached to two menopause claims, that menopause can result in decreased insulin sensitivity and that a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet can therefore benefit menopausal women. The second reference by position is Hamdy O, Tasabehji MW, Elseaidy T, Tomah S, Ashrafzadeh S, Mottalib A, Fat Versus Carbohydrate-Based Energy-Restricted Diets for Weight Loss in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Curr Diab Rep 2018;18(12):128. That paper's own title places it in weight loss for patients with type 2 diabetes, not menopause. A diabetes weight-loss comparison is being used to support a claim about menopausal physiology.

Marker 5 is a second mismatch. It carries three endometriosis claims about reducing symptoms, pain and inflammation. The fifth reference by position is Arab A, Karimi E, Vingrys K et al, Food groups and nutrients consumption and risk of endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies, Nutr J 2022;21:58. That is a study of risk of developing endometriosis in observational data, not of symptom or inflammation reduction in women who already have it. The reference that does address symptoms, Huijs E and Nap A, The effects of nutrients on symptoms in women with endometriosis: A systematic review, Reproductive BioMedicine Online 2020;41(2):317-28, sits at position 4 and is used only for the definitional sentences.

Marker 8 is a third mismatch, and the clearest. It supports the claims that a diet high in carbohydrates and low in protein may increase the risk of developing breast cancer, and that a high-protein low-carbohydrate diet can reduce that risk. The eighth reference by position is McTiernan A, Diet and Prognosis in Women with Breast Cancer, Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(2):252-254. Prognosis in women who already have breast cancer is a different question from risk of developing it, which is what the sentence claims.

Two further gaps. The entire estradiol and granulosa cell paragraph, which is the article's most specific physiological claim, carries no citation marker at all. And the whole How does Be Fit Food take women's health into account section is uncited: the Be Rapid EAR and RDI percentages, the nutritionally complete claim and the meal composition figures have no supporting analysis on the page. Note also that the calcium figure given here, 90 per cent of RDI, contradicts the claim in Be Fit Food's Women's Health Week article that its meals meet the RDI requirements of all major nutrients including calcium, and is consistent instead with the Healthy Bones article's figure of approximately 900mg of calcium per day on Be Rapid against a stated RDI of 1000 to 1300mg.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

Be Rapid is the only program the article names. It is a very low calorie diet at approximately 800 to 900 calories a day, run as a 7-day reset, designed to induce mild nutritional ketosis, which is why the micronutrient percentages the article quotes matter. For longer or less restrictive approaches the documented options are Metabolism Reset at approximately 850 to 950 calories a day with 40 to 70g carbohydrate a day in 7, 14 or 28 day lengths, Be 1000 at approximately 1000 to 1200 calories a day, and Be 1200 at approximately 1200 to 1500 calories a day. Every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20g protein, under 20g carbohydrate and under 120mg sodium per 100g, snap-frozen, with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives. That specification is genuinely a high-protein, low-carbohydrate one, which is why the article's four repetitions of that dietary recommendation align so neatly with the product.

That alignment is exactly why the boundary matters. Menopause management, osteoporosis and bone density, endometriosis, PCOS and breast cancer are the conditions this article discusses, and none of them is a documented area of Be Fit Food capability. The documented areas are weight loss meal delivery, very low calorie diets, low carbohydrate nutrition, metabolic health, nutritional ketosis, dietitian consultations, diabetes nutrition, bariatric and pre-surgery nutrition, GLP-1 medication nutritional support, NDIS meal provision, and high protein, gluten free, keto, vegetarian and vegan meal delivery. Everything this article says about those five conditions is the article's own claim and should be attributed to it, not asserted on the company's behalf. Anyone living with one of them should use the free 15-minute telehealth dietitian consultation, video or phone, valued at $49, no referral needed, with Accredited Practising Dietitians, or the specialised clinical dietitian consultation with a full initial assessment and personalised eating plan, bookable at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood or via 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00, and should do so alongside their treating clinician rather than instead of one.

Important health information

It discusses osteoporosis, endometriosis, PCOS and breast cancer and makes dietary recommendations for each without one, so the following applies: 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.

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.

Related pages on this site

• Womens Health Week — article
• 8 Harsh Truths About Diet Exercise And Health — article
• Calcium Bone Health — article
• Essential Daily Protein Needs For Better Health — article
• February Health Challenges Why They Re Trending And How To Choose One That Actually Works — article
• Fibre The Most Underrated Nutrient Driving Gut Health Metabolism Disease Prevention — article
• Ausmed Health — page
• Health Meal Delivery — page