Like Ozempic, but Natural

Before I get into today’s article, I wanted to take a second to talk about the article that was sent on Monday about daily Aspirin being used for heart health.

The article was written by a staff member who researches medical publications. While the article is well-sourced, I believe there’s a case for using aspirin daily to help lower all-cause mortality.

It’s why I use a small amount of aspirin daily.

Should you want to read about this yourself, here is a META analysis of the research that supports the use of aspirin. 

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/aspirin-to-prevent-cardiovascular-disease-preventive-medication

I am only telling you this because I personally use aspirin. This is not a recommendation for you to use it or not until you’ve spoken with your provider. 

As it relates to pharmaceuticals, I’d argue there is no hotter trend than people using Ozempic (and other GLP-1 drugs).

Experts predict they could become one of the largest class of drugs in the United States in just a few years, capable of generating $100 billion in sales a year!

If you’ve been reading my articles or following me for any amount of time, the reason why Ozempic and these drugs are exploding in popularity should be pretty obvious.

Being overweight is terrible for your health, and a large percentage of Americans are overweight or obese.

If I could wave a magic wand at Americans’ health problems, I’d have everyone in their healthy weight range tomorrow. If that happened, it would help fix so many health problems in America. Not all of them, obviously, but quite a few.

Ozempic (and others) have proven to be quite effective at helping people lose weight, and I think that’s a good thing. 

As I’ve mentioned in many of my articles, I’m not against pharmaceuticals altogether. I believe modern medicine has some amazing tools in its toolchest to help battle conditions.

Ozempic and GLP-1s serve a great purpose, especially when taken in concert with other health-conscious improvements.

That being said, I have some opinions on relying on these drugs for weight loss that I want to dig into and also show you natural ways to get similar effects from Ozempic that can be used to replace them altogether or that can be used simultaneously to help improve the chances that a person doesn’t necessarily become dependent on these drugs as a way to maintain weight loss.

How Do GLP-1 Drugs Work?

Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs are glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. 

They mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which is a hormone that plays a role in glucose metabolism and appetite regulation.

When you take these drugs, the following happens. 

1. Increases Insulin Secretion: They stimulate the pancreas to release more insulin in response to meals, helping lower blood sugar levels.

2. Reduces Glucagon Secretion: They decrease the release of glucagon, a hormone that increases blood sugar levels by promoting the release of glucose from the liver.

3. Slows Gastric Emptying: They delay the rate at which food leaves the stomach, which helps reduce postprandial (after-meal) blood sugar spikes.

4. Suppresses Appetite: They promote a feeling of fullness or satiety, which can lead to reduced food intake and potential weight loss.

When all 4 of these mechanisms are at play, it helps to manage blood sugar levels, which is beneficial in treating type 2 diabetes.

Some individuals also experience significant weight loss, making these medications an area of interest for obesity management.

And for that, I’m happy these drugs exist, even if there are some risks associated with the drugs (I won’t unpack that here, but like most drugs, risks are inherent.)

After all, what’s more dangerous, obesity or the potential side effects of the drug?

That being said, I think that while these drugs work…there are some considerations I’d like to mention.

First, not everyone needs to use them to lose weight, especially as there are natural ways to stimulate GLP-1 production.

The other thing is that taking Ozempic alone and not attempting to incorporate other health improvements into your lifestyle also complicates things.

Ok, let’s talk about natural ways to stimulate GLP-1.

Natural Ways to Stimulate GLP-1 Production

Becoming obese isn’t something that happens overnight.

It’s the culmination of years and years of decisions around food.

Some of those decisions are made consciously, and others by circumstance.

Plenty of people have the means to eat better but choose not to.

Many more are hindered from making good choices starting at a young age because the food available to them wasn’t healthy to begin with, and they’ve built habits around food that are quite difficult to overcome, even with the strongest convictions.

Our brains are powerful organs, and when we train them to act in a certain way, rewiring them is pretty hard.

This is part of the reason so many people struggle with overeating.

But, like I said, there are ways to get the four benefits of semaglutides naturally.

Below is a list of 4 non-dietary based methods:

1 - Exercise:

Regularly engaging in physical activity can help your body produce more GLP-1. This hormone aids in controlling your blood sugar levels. Exercises like jogging, biking, or even a brisk walk can boost your GLP-1 levels. Weightlifting and other strength-training activities are also useful (and necessary to avoid muscle waste or sarcopenia that can be a side effect of these drugs).

2 - Sleeping Well:

Getting enough sleep is crucial for keeping your hormones balanced. Poor sleep can lead to reduced GLP-1. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep every night. A regular sleep schedule can improve your overall health and increase GLP-1 production.

3 - Proper Stress Management:

Long-term stress can harm your hormone levels, including GLP-1. Practicing relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing can reduce stress. Yoga is another great way to manage your stress and balance your hormones. Our health coach, Jane, loves Yoga Nidra.

4 - Improve Gut Health:

Take care of your gut health, as it plays a big role in hormone production. A healthy gut can help your body make more GLP-1. Probiotics can aid in maintaining healthy gut bacteria. Sometimes, a probiotic supplement might be helpful, but be sure to talk to a healthcare professional first.

The foods you eat are also incredibly important to GLP-1 production.

Just like certain foods stimulate “addiction,” meaning they activate pathways that cause you to crave more and more of them, some foods can help suppress appetite, slow gastric emptying, increase insulin secretion, and reduce glucagon secretion.

I’ve created a list of 44 foods known to help with GLP-1. Fiber and protein are incredibly important. Foods higher in fiber are great!

I am NOT recommending you eat these, as you may have dietary considerations that would prevent you from enjoying them. But understand if you were to build a diet based on these foods, it would help mimic the effect of semaglutide.

- Apples

- Artichokes

- Avocados

- Bananas

- Barley

- Beets

- Berries (such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries)

- Black beans

- Black tea

- Broccoli

- Brown rice

- Brussels sprouts

- Carrots

- Chickpeas

- Cinnamon

- Coffee

- Dark chocolate

- Eggplant

- Garlic

- Ginger

- Green tea

- Kale

- Kefir

- Kidney beans

- Kombucha

- Lentils

- Mushrooms

- Navy beans

- Nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, and pistachios)

- Oats

- Olive oil

- Onions

- Oranges

- Pears

- Pinto beans

- Quinoa

- Sauerkraut

- Seeds (such as flaxseeds, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds)

- Spinach

- Sweet potatoes

- Swiss chard

- Tomatoes

- Turmeric

- Yogurt (especially Greek yogurt)

That’s a pretty long list, right?

So here’s the thing about these drugs.

I think there’s absolutely a use case for people using them—100%.

I just want people to understand that even though they can and do work. They are not a drug you should take forever, nor are they something I would recommend to people who are trying to lose “a few pounds.”

I think if GLP-1 drugs are used with the natural methods I talk about above, you could see vast improvements in your health.

I’d hope people who want to increase GLP-1 would turn to natural ways first but understand why a semaglutide drug would be something they turn to. That is one of the reasons why we offer compounded forms at our medical clinic.