According to Dr. Amir Khan, a general practitioner, you don’t necessarily need to turn to popular diabetes medications to shed those extra pounds. There are plenty of accessible foods that can aid in weight loss just as effectively as the well-known Ozempic and other similar drugs.
At the top of this list are eggs. They stimulate the production of a natural hormone that suppresses hunger just as effectively as popular weight-loss injections.
Nuts (especially almonds, pistachios, and walnuts), olive oil, and high-fiber foods like oats, barley, and whole wheat have the same effect.
“These are the foods I recommend to my patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes. But we could all benefit from eating more of them,” Dr. Khan noted.
How Does the Satiety Hormone Work?
The doctor explained how the natural satiety hormone—glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)—functions. According to Amir Khan, “GLP-1 slows down the rate of stomach emptying, allowing us to feel full longer and control our appetite and food intake.”
This hormone stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels. “It also halts the production of another hormone—glucagon—that can raise blood sugar levels,” the expert said.
Meanwhile, the protein in egg whites and the fiber in nuts and oats stimulate the release of GLP-1 in the intestines, he explained.
And what about olive oil? “Research has shown that monounsaturated fats, like those found in olive oil, stimulate the production of GLP-1 better than saturated fats, such as those in butter,” Dr. Khan shared.
He also recommended incorporating three hunger-suppressing vegetables into your diet: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and carrots. It turns out these veggies prompt the bacteria in our intestines to “break down fiber into short-chain fatty acids.” These vegetables “signal specific cells in our intestines to release GLP-1 into the bloodstream,” the Daily Mail quoted the doctor.
Fight Excess Weight with Simple Foods!
Interestingly, Dr. Khan isn’t the first to highlight the “Ozempic effect” of everyday foods.
Last year, young women on social media boasted about their weight loss using a homemade oat-based drink. In addition to oats, the drink included cinnamon, lime, and water. Dr. Alok Patel, a pediatrician at Stanford University, explained to social media users that oats “contain soluble fiber that keeps you feeling full for a long time.”
According to him, “half a cup of oatmeal helps you feel satisfied,” which prevents people from consuming extra calories, leading to weight loss.
Disheartening statistics show that less than a third of adults eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Moreover, a third of the population doesn’t engage in any physical activity at all.
Experts are increasingly urging governments to promote healthy foods instead of advertising weight-loss drugs and promoting unhealthy foods.