To scale back GI unwanted side effects and fatigue, sufferers on semaglutide drugs ought to concentrate on consuming lean protein, fiber, fruits, and greens to make sure dietary wants are being met and vitality just isn’t depleted.
Pairing semaglutide drugs with a healthy eating plan will yield optimum outcomes for sufferers with weight problems. As a result of many sufferers prescribed semaglutide drugs could have type 2 diabetes, following a wholesome consuming plan can have the double good thing about making certain dietary wants are being whereas maintaining blood sugar ranges beneath management. When sufferers ask about what to eat whereas on Wegovy or Ozempic — that are GLP-1RA drugs with the lively ingredient semaglutide — well being care suppliers, dieticians, and nutritionists ought to counsel them on the advantages of consuming lean protein, fiber, entire grains, wholesome fat, fruits, and greens each day.
Designing a wholesome consuming plan with macronutrients equivalent to protein, complicated carbohydrates, and wholesome fat can offset the fatigue that generally accompanies semaglutide drugs. Macronutrients are the foundational dietary parts of meals that gas one’s physique.1 Wholesome consuming plans also needs to embrace micronutrients,2 the nutritional vitamins and minerals wanted in smaller quantities that assist bone and muscle well being, vitality, and total well-being. Anchoring semaglutide sufferers’ consuming plan to nutrient wealthy meals can cut back the unwanted side effects of semaglutide (e.g., nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, delayed abdomen emptying)3,4,5 and supply them with the vitality they should stay a wholesome and lively life-style. The Dietary Tips for Adults6 was developed by U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Well being and Human Providers (HHS) and is a useful resource that can be utilized to assist design nutritionally optimized consuming plans for sufferers taking semaglutide.
What Meals ought to Affected person Eat when taking Semaglutide?
To optimize the advantages of semaglutide drugs, following the suggestions provided within the Dietary Tips for Adults6 is an efficient place to begin. Along with offering steering on caloric consumption by age, gender, exercise degree, and portion sizes, a strong listing of meals is obtainable to make sure quite a lot of wholesome choices is obtainable. A 2023 assessment discovered that dietary variety is a key dimension to growing the probabilities of consuming nutrient-rich meals.7 Choices for meals group variety are displayed under:
| Meals Group | Frequent | To Add Selection |
| Protein | Skinless rooster, lean beef, pork
|
Lamb, recreation birds, turkey |
| Seafood | Tuna, shrimp, sole | Salmon, tilapia, sea bass
|
| Darkish Inexperienced Greens | Broccoli, spinach, carrots, | Bok choy, chard, collard, mustard, turnip greens
|
| Pink and Orange Greens | purple or orange bell peppers | Candy potatoes, acorn squash, butternut squash
|
| Starchy Greens | Corn, white potatoes | Black-eyed peas, cow peas, plantains, yams
|
| Different Greens | Cauliflower, onions, mushrooms | Tomatillos, fennel bulb, eggplant, okra
|
| Beans, Peas, Lentil | Peas, inexperienced beans | Chickpeas, edamame, lima beans, navy beans
|
| Fruits | Apples, pears, bananas | Kiwi, kumquats, prunes, papaya |
| Complete Grains | Brown rice, oats, entire grain cereals | Bulgar, millet, quinoa |
Concerns for Protein, Fiber, Nutritional vitamins and Minerals
When contemplating meals from the above meals teams, there just a few issues to bear in mind. Consuming protein all through the day is extra optimum than consuming one meal that meets the RDA for protein. A 2015 research discovered that at the least 1.2 – 1.6g/kg weight is really helpful for preserving lean muscle mass.8 Along with preserving lean mass, protein promotes satiety and helps regulate blood sugar ranges which is vital for sufferers with sort 2 diabetes who’re taking semaglutide drugs. Due to the anorexigenic and GI unwanted side effects of semaglutide drugs, sufferers with sort 2 diabetes should make sure to eat meals with excessive dietary values to assist regulate blood sugar ranges, amongst different advantages. One other consideration is fiber consumption and nutritional vitamins and minerals, which might be accounted for via consuming the really helpful quantities of vegetables and fruit. (The USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 energy of meals.9)
What Meals ought to Sufferers Keep away from When Taking Semaglutide?
As a result of weight loss plan high quality is so essential when taking semaglutide drugs, consideration have to be given to meals to keep away from. To mitigate the GI unwanted side effects of semaglutide and to optimize nutrition, meals excessive in saturated fats (equivalent to fried meals; greasy meals like pizza), high-fat dairy merchandise (equivalent to ice cream), and meals with added sugars must be averted. Usually, processed and ultra-processed meals (as recognized within the NOVA classification10) can exacerbate the GI unwanted side effects of semaglutide (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and delayed abdomen emptying) and contribute to inadequate diet. Processed and ultra-processed meals have been linked to insulin resistance and a clinically elevated threat of sort 2 diabetes in addition to all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease. For sufferers who’re actively attempting to drop pounds with semaglutide, these meals aren’t suggested.11,12,13
Domesticate Wholesome Consuming Habits in Sufferers utilizing Semaglutide
The GI unwanted side effects of semaglutide drugs might be managed via proper nutrition. An added downstream profit is that sufferers will domesticate wholesome consuming habits whereas taking semaglutide and have a framework in place to assist them mitigate the dangers of weight achieve after stopping semaglutide. Utilizing the Dietary Tips for Adults6 and the NOVA classification system10 will help well being care suppliers work with their semaglutide sufferers to design a wholesome consuming plan with quite a lot of choices. Speaking with sufferers about the advantages of nutritionally designed meal replacement products must be a part of conversations centered on wholesome consuming. Nutritionally designed drinks can contribute to dietary wants whereas additionally serving to sufferers handle GI unwanted side effects. Pairing weight reduction drugs with a wholesome consuming plan that’s supplemented with a nutritionally designed meal alternative can mitigate dietary deficits and the GI unwanted side effects of semaglutide.
Sources:
7 Measuring adherence to sustainable healthy diets: A scoping review of dietary metrics
8 Dietary protein and muscle mass: translating science to application and health benefit
9 How much fiber should I eat?
10 A new classification of foods based on the extent and purpose of their processing
11 Ultra-processed food consumption and type 2 diabetes incidence: A prospective cohort study
12 Relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and risk of diabetes mellitus: A mini-review
