Food is your Performance Tool with Kate Save

If you have ever wondered:

💭 "Why am I gaining belly fat when I am doing everything right?"

💭 "Why does the diet that worked at 30 stop working at 40?"

💭 "What should I actually ask my GP for beyond the standard blood panel?"

- this episode is for you.

This week Layne and Tess sit down with Kate Save: accredited practising dietitian, clinical exercise physiologist and founder of Be Fit Food. Kate sits at a rare intersection. She reads food through metabolic flexibility, cognitive output and physical longevity, not weight loss, and she is on a mission to treat food as our most powerful daily performance tool.

Her own wake-up call came early. Emergency surgery at 20 for a rare congenital condition doctors said she would not live past 30, after 19 years of being told it was in her head. Years later she found her mum dead at home, after emergency departments sent her home three times with a bowel cancer nobody caught. If you look well and present well, you do not get seen.

Then the conversation gets practical: why fat arrives at the waistline after 40 even when you are doing everything right, how insulin resistance builds for 10 to 20 years before a standard test flags it, why muscle is the sink for glucose, how much protein you actually need and in what form, and how busy people fuel for energy, focus and the long game. Layne even hands over her own blood results for Kate to read live.

You will hear about:

• The two blood tests that reveal insulin resistance 10 to 20 years early: fasting insulin and the HOMA index, and why your GP will not run them unless you ask
• Why muscle is the sink for glucose, and the three-times-a-week strength habit that protects your metabolism as you age
• Protein done properly: 1.2 to 1.6g per kilo, whole food first, supplements second, and the 2025 trial that showed whole food lifts 45 beneficial gut bacteria
• The perspective tool Kate uses with her intensive-care doctor best friend on the hardest days
• The Do It For Life toolkit: vegetables of every colour, leftovers packed the night before, and one health check that predicts your next 10 to 20 years

Links text

Follow Kate Save on Instagram @katesave and LinkedIn (Kate Save)

Be Fit Food: https://www.befitfood.com.au

Listener code: WAKEUP35 for $35 off Be Fit Food orders over $100

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales

Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869

Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley

Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer

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Disclaimer

The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey - not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.

If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.

Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you. Help is always available call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or text on 0477 13 11 14

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