Video | How Ozempic Works | GLP-1 | GLP-1 Agonist | Boosting GLP-1 Naturally

Doesn’t it feel like we blinked, and suddenly Ozempic is everywhere? Ozempic is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes that also promotes weight loss. It is effective. But, it comes with some complaints. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. And the cost of Ozempic is a significant barrier for many.

This blog post explains how Ozempic causes weight loss by mimicking the action of a naturally occurring hormone called GLP-1 and how you can boost that hormone by eating great-tasting foods.

If you love eating and you’d like to experience the benefits of Ozempic but don’t want to endure costly weekly injections that could leave you feeling nauseated for the rest of your life, I invite you to read on.

Trigger The Ozempic Weight Loss Effect Natually [Video]

How Ozempic Works

There are many weight loss drugs on the market. For this video, we’ll keep things simple by staying focused on Ozempic, which is a GLP-1 agonist. So, let’s unpack that term.

GLP-1

GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a hormone naturally produced in your small intestine in response to food intake.

So, after you eat and there is food inside your system, GLP-1 is called into action. Its responsibility is to help bring your blood sugar level back down after the meal and ensure that you feel full.

GLP-1 is a helpful hormone because its effects – a robust insulin response, slower digestion, and increased fullness – give you better blood sugar and weight control.

GLP-1 Agonist

Ozempic mimics the action of natural GLP-1 by acting as an agonist. An agonist is a manufactured substance that binds to cells, causing the same action as the natural substance.

So, essentially, Ozempic tricks your body into thinking there is more GLP-1 hormone present than there really is.

Boosting GLP-1 Naturally

Can you boost GLP-1 without taking a drug? Yes, you can. Diet plays a significant role in stimulating GLP-1 production naturally.

Let’s go through an entire day of eating to show you how to do it.

Breakfast: Yogurt with Coffee or Tea

We’ll start our day by eating yogurt for breakfast. If you practice intermittent fasting and routinely skip breakfast, feel free to eat this as an afternoon snack.

The reason I am highlighting yogurt is because it is a fermented food, and it contains a combination of protein and calcium.

Fermented Foods

The prebiotics and probiotics in fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut can enhance gut health by influencing the gut microbiota, which plays a role in GLP-1 secretion (1).

Protein + Calcium

Research has shown that dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese can increase GLP-1 levels post-consumption. The protein content in these foods triggers the release of GLP-1 as the body works to metabolize amino acids, while calcium plays a supporting role by enhancing this process. So, the combination of protein and calcium has a synergistic effect, leading to a more pronounced GLP-1 response compared to either nutrient alone (2).

Choosing Yogurt

When selecting yogurt at the store, avoid low-fat varieties with added sugar. Added sugar spikes your blood sugar, and I will explain why dietary fat is helpful in a moment.

You can choose either unsweetened Greek or regular yogurt with 4 to 5% milk fat. Greek yogurt is higher in protein, whereas regular yogurt is higher in calcium. Either way, you are getting a fermented food with the desired combination of protein and calcium.

You don’t have to eat plain yogurt. In fact, by stirring in some sweetness in the form of berries, you boost the meal’s polyphenol content, giving yourself a third GLP-1 advantage.

Polyphenols

Much like fermented foods, foods rich in polyphenols positively influence the gut microbiota, supporting GLP-1 production (3).

Think of polyphenols as the beneficial substances that give colorful plant foods, like berries, their color. If you’ve ever heard the advice to eat a rainbow each day, what you are really being asked to do is eat a variety of polyphenols each day.

And some extra good news: polyphenols are also found in coffee and green tea, so feel free to enjoy a cup or two with your yogurt.

Lunch: Salad

Let’s move on to lunch. If you follow my blog, you know I am a proponent of a daily salad. In fact, it is part of my 0,1,2,3 strategy, which gives you four daily habits for weight.

When naturally boosting GLP-1 is your goal, a daily salad is a gem.

Non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes will build on your polyphenol intake for the day and also provide fiber.

Fiber and Volume

Fiber slows digestion and promotes the growth of beneficial gut bacteria. When gut bacteria process fiber, short-chain fatty acids are produced, stimulating the release of GLP-1 (4).

Those vegetables also fill your stomach, and while that added volume is not directly related to GLP-1, it does suppress your appetite by activating stretch receptors in the stomach and intestine.

When those receptors are stretched, they convey a “we are full” message to your brain, letting you comfortably stop eating.

Salad Toppers: Protein and Fat

And if that is not enough of a nudge for you to start eating a daily salad. You can gain an even bigger hunger-satisfaction advantage by topping your daily salad with protein and healthy fats. I already discussed the perks of protein. So, let’s take a look at fat.

Dietary fat often gets a bad rap, but certain types of fat are essential for health and can even promote weight loss.

When fat enters the small intestine, it stimulates the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK), which slows stomach emptying and signals the gallbladder and pancreas to release enzymes for digestion.

As a result, you get slower, more robust digestion. So, by all means, load up your salad with protein and healthy fats salad toppers, such as meat, salmon, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil-based dressing.

Dinner: Protein, Fat, and Veggies

To boost GLP-1 levels and continue hunger satisfaction for the remainder of your day, serve a healthy portion of non-starchy vegetables (cooked or raw) alongside a protein-rich entrée like meat, chicken, or fish for dinner. And don’t be afraid to cook in fats that stand up to heat, such as butter, avocado oil, or high-quality olive oil.

The combination of protein, fat, and veggies creates a meal that takes a long time to digest and produces a nice steady blood sugar rise and fall over time. You want that because it helps you move comfortably through the evening hours without snacking. Eating too close to bedtime elevates blood sugar and insulin overnight, blocking fat loss.

Takeaway

GLP-1 can be stimulated naturally when you choose fermented foods or foods that contain protein, especially protein paired with calcium, polyphenols, fiber, and fat.

References:

(1) Balasubramanian, Ramya, et al. “Fermented foods: Harnessing their potential to modulate the microbiota-gut-brain axis for mental health.” Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (2024): 105562.

(2) Watkins, Jonathan D., Françoise Koumanov, and Javier T. Gonzalez. “Protein-and calcium-mediated GLP-1 secretion: a narrative review.” Advances in Nutrition 12.6 (2021): 2540-2552.

(3) Wang, Yao, Hana Alkhalidy, and Dongmin Liu. “The emerging role of polyphenols in the management of type 2 diabetes.” Molecules 26.3 (2021): 703.

(4) Bodnaruc, Alexandra M., et al. “Nutritional modulation of endogenous glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion: a review.” Nutrition & metabolism 13 (2016): 1-16.

About the Author

Becky Gillaspy, DC, is the author of The Intermittent Fasting Guide and Cookbook and Zero Sugar / One Month. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with research honors from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1991.