Kate Save is the CEO and co-founder of Be Fit Food, Australia’s leading ready-made meal provider for scientifically-backed healthy eating. Kate is also an accredited dietitian, exercise physiologist and diabetes educator.
In 2019, Kate was named a Finalist for Telstra’s Victorian Business Women’s Awards after Be Fit Food was named Telstra’s Victorian Business of the Year in 2018.
With more than 15 years’ experience working within the health and fitness industry, Kate is passionate and committed to delivering credible health and wellness advice based on the latest scientific research and industry best practice.
Kate is a lecturer and course developer at Deakin University, Chisolm Tafe and FIA Fitnation, teaching on the key topic areas of diabetes, weight loss, heart disease, bariatric surgery nutrition and food intolerance.
Her core belief is that food is the first medicine, and anyone can achieve optimal health and wellbeing through balanced nutrition and exercise. Through Be Fit Food, Kate’s goal is to revolutionize Australians’ relationship with food, whilst halting the trajectory of weight-related chronic disease in Australia.
Tell us about Be Fit Food.
Be Fit Food is a doctor and dietitian designed, scientifically formulated and nutritionally balanced home-delivered meals company, specifically developed for rapid weight loss and healthy eating.
I founded Be Fit Food in 2015 with Dr Geoffrey Draper, a specialist weight loss surgeon, after working alongside each other for almost a decade. Our goal was to develop a truly healthy, real food meals company that could offer our patients the weight loss results they deserved for all of their efforts.
What inspired you to start Be Fit Food?
We found that over the years, many patients were dieting tirelessly but never actually achieving their goal weight, or if they did, they felt that they were at risk of weight regain. So we developed a program that assisted our patients to get into a state of mild nutritional ketosis (a fat-burning state) where they were burning their own body fat as an energy source rather than the food they were eating – which was purely to be used to nourish their bodies and preserve lean muscle mass.
I have always believed in focusing on positive health outcomes as this will lead our bodies to discard unwanted body fat and improve lean body mass, whilst learning how to eat for nourishment rather than just out of habit or boredom. I live by the philosophy that food is the first medicine and that everyone can improve their health simply by eating more plant-based foods, as well as the right balance of lean proteins and healthy fats.
Tell us about your career and background.
I’ve done over a decade of study and I’m an accredited practicing dietitian, exercise physiologist and diabetes educator plus I also have my MBA now, too. I have seen over 10,000 patients in my clinics and I have always enjoyed helping people achieve their health and wellness goals. For some people, this is simply a case of improving their blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol or fatty liver disease, while for others it can be more complicated – especially if they have more severe underlying health conditions.
I have always enjoyed reviewing patients’ pathology and seeing just how much I can improve it through dietary recommendations. The most satisfying part of my job was always hearing about how much more energy my patients had and how they just loved being in their new, healthier bodies. It was actually never really about weight loss for my patients, rather that was just a side effect of achieving a healthier body.
Describe a typical work day for you (if there is such a thing).
Every day is completely different, but it always starts with exercise outdoors – either a run, walk, stair climb, pilates, weights, and I even enjoy the occasional cold water immersion session at the beach too. Next I get my two daughters off to school and hit the office with my soy latte in hand. Prior to COVID-19 I was travelling a lot for supplier meetings, new business opportunities, conferences and media commitments, but more recently my days are spent at home or on-site overseeing all aspects of the business. This includes assisting with operational tasks and negotiations with 3PL’s, developing resources for our marketing team, recording new video or podcast content, analysing financial data and future planning, as well as spending time liaising with the rest of our incredible team, our loyal customers, and other suppliers, too.
Has COVID-19 affected your business? How are you navigating that?
Our business has followed some strange COVID-19 trends which included:
- Month 1: As people hoarded food in fear of famine, our business revenue took a rapid decline.
- Month 2: As people were more concerned about immunity and survival with reduced discretionary spend due to uncertainty, we pivoted to offer value meal bundles.
- Month 3: As people found themselves locked down at home, we offered more healthy snacking options to suit their “grazing” lifestyles.
- Month 4 onward: As people realized we were not going into a famine and they were paying for dietary indulgences with junk food and alcohol by gaining ‘COVID kilos’, we released our 14-day challenge to support people to lose 5kg in just 2 weeks.
- Now: Our 14-day challenge is still going strong as we prepare for the “new normal” and prioritise our goals to live a healthier, more balanced and purposeful life on the other side of the pandemic.
What advice do you have for those wanting to start a business?
Be prepared to react quickly to changes in the market and follow your gut – if you feel nervous or uncertain about something, then act on it as you’re probably right, and business in this day and age is very volatile.
Always back yourself, celebrate the small wins and reflect on how far you have come every month because managing your own business is a constant challenge, but the greater the pain, the greater the glory! Face up to your fears, seek continuous improvement, and employ people who are smarter than you as they will take your business to places you couldn’t get to alone.
What’s next for you, and Be Fit Food?
Global domination! We have trademarks for the US, UK and China……but that’s in the 5+ year plan. For now, we need to thrive within the Australian market by building our health professional referrals team – we employ dietitians to support our customers, and now we have a network of other health professionals who believe in our product and our vision. We are also working with the CSIRO to release Australia’s first CSIRO-endorsed meals program for health improvement with a low carb lifestyle. In addition, we’re also working with Deakin University to publish as study on Be Fit Food and its effects on the microbiome (aka, the good gut bugs!). There’s so much in the works and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
