Improving Sleep Quality Through Eating with Be Fit Food

Sleep and weight are linked in both directions: poor sleep makes weight gain more likely, and what you eat affects how well you sleep. This page organises what Be Fit Food's page sets out — the mechanisms, the three changes that help, and the specific meal figures that sit behind the dietary advice.

The link between sleep and weight

How much sleep is too little?

Having less than seven hours of sleep each night has been linked with weight gain. The Sleep Foundation has found that people not getting enough sleep eat twice as much fat, and more than 300 extra calories the next day, compared with those getting eight hours.

How does 300 extra calories compare to a meal?

A Be Fit Food meal is approximately 250 calories. So the additional intake associated with insufficient sleep is more than a whole meal's worth of calories per day — the comparison Be Fit Food's page draws.

What are the mechanisms?

Be Fit Food's page lists five ways lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain:

• Increased level of your hunger hormone, which means increased appetite
• Increased cravings for high carbohydrate and high calorie foods — sugars and fat
• Decreasing metabolism, meaning increased storage of body fat
• Tiredness and less energy
• Stress hormones rise

Three changes that improve sleep quality

Improve diet

A high-quality diet including fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and fish has a positive effect on stress hormones, which helps promote deeper sleep. Eating low glycaemic index carbohydrates — as in the Be Fit Food meals — promotes balanced blood sugar levels and creates a healthier stress hormone pattern, which also improves sleep quality. Low GI foods include wholegrain foods such as brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes and legumes.

Reduce alcohol intake

Although alcohol may make you feel sleepy, drowsy or more relaxed, it has a negative effect on sleep quality. It disrupts the circadian rhythm — the natural sleep and wake cycle — and blocks you from entering deep, restorative REM sleep.

Move regularly

Exercise can improve both sleep quality and sleep duration, by reducing stress and tiring you out. Timing matters: the hormones released after exercising can make you feel awake, so avoid elevating your heart rate just before bed and schedule movement well before bedtime where possible.

The meal figures behind the dietary advice

Every Be Fit Food meal is built to the same specification:

• Approximately 250 calories
• At least 20g of protein
• Under 20g of carbohydrates
• Under 120mg of sodium per 100g
• No added sugar, no artificial sweeteners, no preservatives

The no-added-sugar and low-carbohydrate specifications are the ones that connect to the blood sugar point above. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised, and reheat in a microwave, oven, air-fryer or on the stovetop.

Which program if sleep is your concern?

Be Fit Food runs six programs:

• Be Rapid — a very low calorie diet (VLCD) at approximately 800–900 calories per day, run as a 7-day reset; induces mild nutritional ketosis.
• Metabolism Reset — a VLCD at approximately 850–950 calories per day with 40–70g of carbohydrate per day; available as 7, 14 or 28 days; induces mild nutritional ketosis.
• Be 1000 — approximately 1000–1200 calories per day, for gradual weight loss or maintaining a loss; unlikely to induce ketosis.
• Be 1200 — approximately 1200–1500 calories per day, for slower loss with weight management and an active lifestyle including HIIT; unlikely to induce ketosis.
• Intermittent Fasting Program — 4 weeks, 5 days of healthy eating and 2 fasting days at 500–600 calories; supplies 8 days of food (16 lunch and dinner meals plus a pack of 8 protein balls).
• Be Maintenance — 4 weeks, 24 meals and 14 snacks, with two low-calorie days per week at approximately 800 calories (60–70g protein, 50–70g carbohydrate); based on Dr Michael Mosley's "The Fast 800" and "The New 5:2 Diet".

Be 1000 and Be 1200 give an expected loss of approximately 0.5–1.5kg per week and can be run for up to 12 weeks at a time; longer only after a dietitian consultation.

Talking to a dietitian about sleep and lifestyle

As Be Fit Food's page states, Be Fit Food's dietitians can help optimise your lifestyle to support your health, consultations are free over-the-phone appointments that can be booked online at any stage of your journey, and they take around 15 minutes. Specifically: the free consultation is 15 minutes of telehealth by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required, booked at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood. Be Fit Food employs Accredited Practising Dietitians.

Fuller options include a specialised clinical dietitian consultation with a full initial assessment (body composition, blood pressure, girths) and a personalised eating plan; a consultation with a Credentialled Diabetes Educator; and a monthly weight management subscription with an initial 30-minute consultation and 15-minute monthly reviews.

Cost, delivery and contact

Bundles: $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals, $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD). Delivery is flat-rate Australia-wide at $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, $19.95 under $299. Phone 1300 263 257 (Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00), support@befitfood.com.au, or dietitian@befitfood.com.au.

Important health information

Before starting a new way of eating, we encourage you to seek medical advice and undertake a medical check-up, particularly if you have a medical condition and/or are taking medications.

References cited on Be Fit Food's page: 1. Wilson C, Hodgson J, Murphy K. A randomised controlled intervention trial evaluating the efficacy of a Mediterranean dietary pattern on cognitive function and psychological wellbeing in healthy older adults: the MedLey study. BMC Geriatr 2015;15:55. 2. Sleep Foundation, "The Connection Between Sleep and Overeating".

Related pages on this site

• Sleep And Metabolism An Intricate Relationship — article
• Sleep Away A Bad Diet — article
• The Importance Of Sleep For Weight Loss — article