GLP-1 diet: what to eat while taking medication
There is no official GLP-1 diet. What works is a way of eating built for an appetite the medication has already made small: protein at every meal, fibre raised slowly, fluid through the day, and portions that fit. This guide covers what to eat, how to build a meal you can finish, a three day example plan with a shopping list, what to do on the days symptoms take over, and swaps for vegetarian and for the cuisines people actually cook.
This page is about eating while taking semaglutide or tirzepatide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound and related medicines). It is not about foods that raise your own GLP-1 hormone, which is a different subject. It is educational and it is not medical advice.
By The foodose editorial teamUpdated 27 September 2026How we check sources
What to eat on a GLP-1
The medication has already solved the problem an ordinary diet exists to solve. Most people find their intake falls sharply in the first month without trying. So the job that is left is not restriction. It is making sure that the smaller amount you do eat carries what your body needs, and the first of those things is protein.
This is not a list of permitted foods. It is five groups, what they look like in a normal kitchen, and the practical way to fit them into a day that has room for less than it used to.
| Group | What that looks like | How to work it in |
|---|---|---|
| Protein, at every meal | Eggs, Greek yoghurt, skyr, cottage cheese, paneer, chicken, turkey, white fish, tinned tuna, prawns, tofu, tempeh, dal, lentils, beans | Put it on the plate first and eat it first. If you finish only half of what is in front of you, this is the half that should be gone. |
| Vegetables and fruit | Spinach, broccoli, courgette, peppers, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, berries, pear, orange, kiwi | Cooked and soft is easier than raw and bulky when the stomach is slow. Frozen counts and saves the waste from a week you did not feel like cooking. |
| Fibre-carrying starches | Oats, quinoa, wholemeal bread, brown rice, barley, phulka, potatoes with the skin, sweet potato | Last on the plate, in a smaller portion than you are used to. This is the part that gets squeezed when there is no room, and that is fine. |
| Fluid, all day | Water, milk, kefir, chaas, broth, herbal tea, coffee if it agrees with you | Thirst goes quiet along with appetite, so this one runs on habit rather than on wanting it. A glass beside every meal is the simplest version. |
| Fats, in small amounts | Olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish | Needed, but the macronutrient that slows the stomach most. Keep them modest at the meals where nausea tends to find you. |
How to build a meal you can actually finish
Once the stomach only has room for a few hundred grams at a sitting, the order you eat in decides what your body actually got that day. The shape below is not a rule so much as an insurance policy: it front loads the part that matters, so that stopping early costs you the least.
- Protein firstAim for 25 to 35 grams at a main meal, and take whatever you can get at a snack. A palm of chicken or fish, two eggs, a pot of Greek yoghurt, a block of tofu, a katori of thick dal.
- Vegetables secondA handful or two, cooked soft if raw feels bulky. This is where most of the fibre comes from.
- Starch last, and smallerHalf of what you used to serve. Wholegrain where you can, for the fibre rather than for virtue.
- A glass of something, beside itNot gulped with the food if that makes you feel full too early. Sipped through the meal and after it.
People who change nothing about what they buy, and simply reverse the order in which they eat it, usually find their daily protein climbs without a single meal getting any bigger. That is the whole trick, and it costs nothing.
If you would rather start from a dish than a principle, the GLP-1 recipe collection builds these same plates into full recipes, each with its portion stated and its nutrition calculated from the ingredients. The high-protein GLP-1 recipes, the GLP-1 breakfast recipes and the vegetarian GLP-1 recipes are the quickest places to start.
A three day example meal plan
Three days rather than seven, because by day four most plans are repeating themselves and a seven day grid is mostly a shape people stop following on day three. This is an illustration of what the shape above looks like as real food. It is not personalised, it does not know your medical history, and it is not a prescription.
Portions are deliberately small. Every figure below is calculated from the same food database the calculator uses, so the totals and the shopping list agree with the meals rather than being typed in alongside them. Values are per portion as listed, and real brands and cuts will vary.
Averaged across the three days. Contains dairy, eggs, fish, gluten, soya, tree nuts. Swaps for most of these are in the substitutions section.
Day one
1,236 kcal · 118 g protein · 29 g fibreBreakfast, Within an hour or two of waking
190 kcal · 20 g protein- Greek Yoghurt (Plain, Nonfat)1 pot (170 g), 170 g
- Raspberriesa small handful, 60 g
- Chia Seeds1 tbsp, 12 g
Appetite is usually widest first thing and narrows through the day, so this is the easiest protein of the day to actually eat.
Lunch, Midday
437 kcal · 45 g protein- Chicken Breastabout half a breast, 110 g
- Chickpeas (Cooked)a heaped 1/3 cup, 110 g
- Cherry Tomatoes6 or 7, 80 g
- Mixed Salad Leavesa loose handful, 40 g
- Olive Oil1 tsp, to dress, 6 g
Protein and fibre in the same bowl, so one small plate does two jobs.
Afternoon, When the gap gets long
193 kcal · 13 g protein- Cottage Cheese1/2 tub, 110 g
- Pear1 pear, 150 g
A no-decision snack. Nothing to cook, and it keeps the protein moving on a day that got away from you.
Dinner, Earlier rather than later
416 kcal · 40 g protein- Cod Fillet1 fillet, 150 g
- Potato (Boiled)2 small potatoes, 200 g
- Green Beansa generous handful, 100 g
- Olive Oil1 tsp, to roast, 6 g
Lean and plain, because a slow stomach and a heavy evening meal is the combination that turns into a bad night.
Day two
1,352 kcal · 111 g protein · 31 g fibreBreakfast, Within an hour or two of waking
334 kcal · 23 g protein- Eggs2 eggs, 100 g
- Wholemeal Bread2 slices, 68 g
- Spinach (Raw)2 handfuls, wilted, 50 g
Savoury, for the many people who find sweet food impossible in the morning on this medication.
Lunch, Midday
422 kcal · 35 g protein- Tuna (Canned in Water)1 small tin, drained, 100 g
- Quinoa (Cooked)3/4 cup cooked, 180 g
- Bell Pepper1/2 pepper, 80 g
- Cucumbera few slices, 80 g
- Olive Oil1 tsp, to dress, 6 g
Tinned fish is the cheapest reliable protein there is, and it needs no cooking on a day you do not want to cook.
Afternoon, When the gap gets long
181 kcal · 14 g protein- Edamame (Shelled)a small bowl, shelled, 110 g
- Mandarin1 mandarin, 90 g
Fibre and protein together, and it travels in a bag.
Dinner, Earlier rather than later
415 kcal · 39 g protein- Ground Turkeya small handful of mince, 120 g
- Courgette (Zucchini)1 small courgette, 120 g
- Kidney Beans (Cooked)1/2 cup, 120 g
- Chopped Tomatoes (Tinned)1/2 tin, 120 g
One pan. Turkey mince carries the protein and the vegetables carry the volume, so the plate looks full without being heavy.
Day three
1,405 kcal · 100 g protein · 36 g fibreBreakfast, Within an hour or two of waking
327 kcal · 24 g protein- Oats1/2 cup, dry, 45 g
- Skimmed Milka splash, to cook, 150 g
- Skyr (Plain)a spoonful, stirred through, 100 g
- Blueberriesa small handful, 60 g
Oats are the most reliable fibre in the house, and the milk and skyr are what stop it being a bowl of carbohydrate on its own.
Lunch, Midday
373 kcal · 24 g protein- Lentils (Cooked)3/4 cup cooked, 160 g
- Carrots1 carrot, 70 g
- Spinach (Raw)a handful, stirred in, 40 g
- Fetaa small cube, crumbled, 25 g
- Wholemeal Bread1 slice, alongside, 34 g
Soup goes down when a plate will not, and the lentils mean it is not just warm water.
Afternoon, When the gap gets long
207 kcal · 19 g protein- Greek Yoghurt (Plain, Nonfat)3/4 pot, 150 g
- Strawberriesa handful, 100 g
- Almondsabout 12 nuts, 15 g
Cold, soft and requiring no cooking. On a day when everything else fell over, this is the meal that still happens.
Dinner, Earlier rather than later
498 kcal · 33 g protein- Salmon Fillet1 small fillet, 120 g
- Brown Rice (Cooked)1/2 cup cooked, 150 g
- Broccolia few florets, 100 g
- Peas (Frozen, Cooked)2 tbsp, 60 g
Salmon is fattier than the cod on day one, which some people find sits heavily. If that is you, swap it for the cod and keep everything else.
The shopping list for those three days
Totalled from the meals above and rounded up to amounts you can actually buy, for one person for three days. If a portion in the plan changes, this list changes with it.
Meat, fish and eggs
- Chicken Breast125 g
- Cod Fillet150 g
- Eggs100 g
- Ground Turkey125 g
- Salmon Fillet125 g
- Tuna (Canned in Water)100 g
Chilled
- Cottage Cheese125 g
- Feta30 g
- Greek Yoghurt (Plain, Nonfat)350 g
- Skimmed Milk150 ml
- Skyr (Plain)100 g
Fruit and vegetables
- Bell Pepper80 g
- Blueberries60 g
- Broccoli100 g
- Carrots70 g
- Cherry Tomatoes80 g
- Courgette (Zucchini)125 g
- Cucumber80 g
- Green Beans100 g
- Mandarin90 g
- Mixed Salad Leaves40 g
- Pear150 g
- Peas (Frozen, Cooked)60 g cooked
- Potato (Boiled)200 g
- Raspberries60 g
- Spinach (Raw)90 g
- Strawberries100 g
Tins and dry goods
- Almonds20 g
- Brown Rice (Cooked)150 g cooked
- Chia Seeds20 g
- Chickpeas (Cooked)125 g cooked
- Chopped Tomatoes (Tinned)125 g
- Edamame (Shelled)125 g cooked
- Kidney Beans (Cooked)125 g cooked
- Lentils (Cooked)175 g cooked
- Oats50 g
- Olive Oil20 g
- Quinoa (Cooked)200 g cooked
- Wholemeal Bread125 g
Store cupboard items like salt, pepper, herbs, spices, lemon and stock are assumed and are not listed.
When appetite is low
There are days, usually in the 24 to 72 hours after an injection or in the week after a dose increase, when the plan above is simply not happening. The move is to shrink the day, not to skip it. Three adjustments do most of the work, and all three come from established practice for nausea in other settings.
- Go cold. Hot food releases far more aroma than chilled food, and smell is usually what triggers the wave. Chilled yoghurt, kefir, cold smoked salmon, a shake from the fridge.
- Go lower fat. Fat is the macronutrient that slows stomach emptying most, and the medication is already doing that. Skimmed milk and lean protein sit better than a buttery breakfast.
- Go sippable. A shake, a smoothie, milk, or a soup blended smooth. Sip it over half an hour rather than drinking it down. Speed is what makes people feel worse.
Food choices when symptoms affect eating
Most of the eating problems on a GLP-1 come from three symptoms. None of them means the medication is wrong for you, and all of them respond to fairly small changes. Each links to the longer piece.
| Symptom | What tends to help | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | Smaller meals more often, sips of a cold drink, nothing hot, fried or greasy, and not lying down soon after eating. Ginger has some evidence for nausea in pregnancy, but none in GLP-1 nausea specifically. | Read more |
| Constipation | Fibre raised by about 5 grams a week rather than overnight, a glass of water with every increase, and a walk after meals. Fibre added without fluid makes it worse, not better. | Read more |
| Early fullness and reflux | Smaller portions, protein first so the important part lands early, less fat in the evening, and not lying down soon after eating. | Read more |
Vegetarian, vegan and familiar cuisine swaps
The plan above is written with foods that are easy to find in a British or American supermarket, which is not the food most of the world eats. Every swap below is a real entry in the same database, so the protein figures are comparable rather than approximate.
Vegetarian and vegan
Plant sources carry less protein per gram, so a like-for-like swap by weight loses protein. Swap the whole plan across at the same weights and it falls from about 110 grams of protein a day to about 80, which is below the range this page recommends. The multiplier column is how much more you need by weight to hold the protein, and it is the whole point of the table. Where the multiplier is large the swap is doing too much work on its own, and the honest answer is to add a second protein to that meal rather than to serve an enormous portion of one thing.
Swapped one for one at the same weights, the three days come to 95 g of protein a day against 110 g as written, so 15 g has to come back through the portion sizes in the last column or through a second protein at the meals that lost the most.
| Instead of | Use | To match the protein | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Breast (31 g) | Tempeh (20.3 g) · contains soy | 1.5x by weight | Marinate it the same way. Tempeh is firmer and more filling than tofu. |
| Cod Fillet (22.8 g) | Tempeh (20.3 g) · contains soy | 1.1x by weight | White fish is the hardest thing here to replace. Tempeh is the closest on protein; firm tofu needs nearly three times the weight, so use tofu only alongside something else. |
| Tuna (Canned in Water) (26 g) | Chickpeas (Cooked) (8.9 g) | 2.9x by weight | Crushed with lemon and a spoon of yoghurt, it makes the same kind of cold lunch. |
| Ground Turkey (21 g) | Lentils (Cooked) (9 g) | 2.3x by weight | Cooks into the same tomato base. Add them near the end so they hold together. |
| Eggs (13 g) | Tofu (Firm) (17.3 g) · contains soy | 0.8x by weight | Crumbled and turned in a hot pan with turmeric. Add a spoon of nutritional yeast for the savoury note. |
| Greek Yoghurt (Plain, Nonfat) (10 g) | Silken Tofu (4.8 g) · contains soy | 2.1x by weight | Blended with berries. An unsweetened soy yoghurt is closer on texture and usually closer on protein than the figure here. |
| Cottage Cheese (11 g) | Tofu (Firm) (17.3 g) · contains soy | 0.6x by weight | Vegans only; cottage cheese is fine for vegetarians. Crumble it cold with black pepper and lemon. |
| Skyr (Plain) (11.3 g) | Tofu (Firm) (17.3 g) · contains soy | 0.7x by weight | Vegans only. Blend it smooth with a little soy milk if you want the spoonable texture back. |
| Feta (14.2 g) | Tofu (Firm) (17.3 g) · contains soy | 0.8x by weight | Vegans only. Marinate cubes in lemon, olive oil and oregano for a day and it does the same job on a salad. |
| Skimmed Milk (3.4 g) | Soy Milk (Unsweetened) (3.5 g) · contains soy | 1.0x by weight | Vegans only. Soy is the one plant milk that matches dairy on protein; almond and oat do not come close. |
Indian
The plate order is the same and so is the arithmetic. Dal and curd are doing the job the chicken and yoghurt do above, and the roti or rice is the part that shrinks.
Swapped one for one at the same weights, the three days come to 108 g of protein a day against 110 g as written, so the portions barely need to change.
| Instead of | Use | To match the protein | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Yoghurt (Plain, Nonfat) (10 g) | Dahi (Plain Curd) (3.5 g) · contains milk | 2.9x by weight | A katori of plain curd, with fruit or with a meal. |
| Chicken Breast (31 g) | Chicken Tikka (28.2 g) · contains milk | 1.1x by weight | Grilled rather than in a cream gravy, which is the version that sits badly. |
| Chickpeas (Cooked) (8.9 g) | Yellow Moong Dal (6.3 g) | 1.4x by weight | Thicker rather than watery, so the protein per katori actually counts. |
| Potato (Boiled) (1.9 g) | Phulka (Dry Roasted) (9.9 g) · contains wheat | 0.2x by weight | One phulka rather than two, dry roasted, eaten after the protein. |
| Cottage Cheese (11 g) | Grilled Paneer Tikka (16.5 g) · contains milk | 0.7x by weight | Grilled or in a dry bhurji. Paneer is much richer, so the portion is smaller. |
Mediterranean and Middle Eastern
The easiest cuisine to eat well on a GLP-1, because it already puts fish, pulses and vegetables at the centre and treats bread as the accompaniment.
Swapped one for one at the same weights, the three days come to 108 g of protein a day against 110 g as written, so the portions barely need to change.
| Instead of | Use | To match the protein | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cod Fillet (22.8 g) | Grilled sea bass (24 g) · contains fish | 1.0x by weight | Any lean white fish, grilled with lemon. |
| Cottage Cheese (11 g) | Labneh (8 g) · contains milk | 1.4x by weight | With cucumber and a little olive oil. |
| Quinoa (Cooked) (4.4 g) | Cooked bulgur wheat (3.1 g) · contains wheat | 1.4x by weight | Or freekeh, which carries a little more fibre. |
| Chickpeas (Cooked) (8.9 g) | Hummus (8 g) · contains sesame | 1.1x by weight | Similar energy per 100 g but nearly four times the fat, and it is far easier to eat a lot of, so watch the spoon rather than the label. |
Protein, fibre and fluid: the three that matter
Protein
General guidance for protecting lean mass during weight loss is 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of goal body weight a day, which lands most people between 90 and 130 grams. What matters almost as much as the total is the distribution: portions of 25 to 35 grams across the day do more than the same amount arriving in one evening meal.
Two limits on that figure. It comes from trials in populations that were not on GLP-1 medication, because the trials in people who are have not been done yet, so it is a reasonable extrapolation rather than a measured answer. And it does not apply at all if you have reduced kidney function, where protein intake needs to be set by the clinician managing it. Our longer piece on protein works through the evidence.
Fibre
25 to 35 grams a day, the same absolute target as anyone else. The catch is that you are eating far less food, so the fibre has to be denser rather than more voluminous. Raise it by about 5 grams a week: going from 15 to 30 grams overnight reliably produces gas and bloating, because the gut bacteria have not had time to adjust. The three day plan above averages 32 grams, which is at the upper end, so build towards it rather than starting there.
Fluid
These medications quiet thirst along with hunger, and less food arriving means less water arriving with it. Fibre without fluid makes constipation worse rather than better, so the two move together. Aim for a glass with every meal and one on waking, and more in heat or after exercise. If your urine is consistently dark, that is the simplest signal that it is not enough.
Working out your own numbers
Everything above is the general answer. If you want the version worked out for your body rather than for the average of a trial population, the calculator asks about a dozen short questions and returns a calorie figure, a protein floor, fibre and fluid targets, a modelled estimate of how much you are likely to manage at your dose, and a three day plan built from the foods you said you eat. It shows the arithmetic for every number, and there is a PDF you can take to an appointment.
It is free, there is no email wall, and nothing you type is stored. Nothing is calculated until you have answered the last question.
Get my numbersIf you would rather see the arithmetic done before you run it yourself, there are six worked examples on this site, one for each of the common medication and dose combinations, each with every step of the derivation and three days of food at the result. They are also the clearest way to see the thing this page keeps returning to: as the dose climbs, the amount you can manage falls below the amount the arithmetic asks for, and past that point protein matters more than the calorie figure does.
Questions people ask about the GLP-1 diet
What can I eat when I am not hungry?
Do I need to avoid carbohydrates on a GLP-1?
Is there an official GLP-1 diet?
How much protein do I actually need?
How many calories should I eat on a GLP-1?
Can I eat out on a GLP-1?
What foods should I avoid on a GLP-1?
Should I take a fibre supplement?
The detail behind each part
Why 120 grams of protein matters when you can barely eat breakfast
Up to 40 per cent of the weight lost on a GLP-1 can be lean mass rather than fat. Here is what the research says about protecting it when appetite disappears.
Fibre on GLP-1: The Constipation Fix, and How to Reach 25-35g Without Bloating
Fibre on GLP-1 constipation: why the medication hardens stool, how to reach 25-35g a day without bloating, and when psyllium actually helps.
GLP-1 breakfast high protein ideas: 10 that work when you're not hungry
GLP-1 breakfast high protein ideas with real gram counts: 10 cold, savoury and sippable options for mornings when nothing sounds good.
A 7 Day GLP-1 Meal Plan: Portions, Protein and a Shopping List
A free 7 day GLP-1 meal plan with real portions, protein per day, a shopping list by aisle, and a smaller version for the days nausea wins.
Nausea on a GLP-1: what helps, and when to get help
Nausea is the most common stomach side effect of Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. How common it is, how long it lasts, what the NHS and the experts suggest, where ginger fits, and…
Constipation on a GLP-1: the fibre, water, magnesium loop that actually works
Slower gastric emptying is how GLP-1s work. It is also why roughly one in four people on semaglutide develop constipation. Here is the protocol that fixes it without bringing back…
How many calories should you eat on a GLP-1?
There is no official calorie number for Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro. Here is how a sensible target is worked out, why appetite often decides the total, and the floor to stay above.
A GLP-1 grocery list: what to keep in, and why
A shopping list for a smaller appetite, built from the ingredients our GLP-1 recipes use most: protein you do not have to cook, fibre that is easy to eat, and a shelf for the days…
Sources
- Wegovy (semaglutide) Prescribing Information, US Food and Drug Administration. View sourceSupports: Slowed gastric emptying, the common side effects, and the warning about insulin and sulfonylureas.
- Wilding JPH, et al. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021. View sourceSupports: How sharply intake falls on these medicines, and the rate of constipation that follows.
- Kim JE, et al. Effects of dietary protein intake on body composition changes after weight loss in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 2016. PMID 26883880Supports: That a higher protein intake during weight loss preserves more lean mass than a standard one.
- Jager R, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: protein and exercise. JISSN, 2017. PMID 28642676Supports: Protein distribution across the day, and the per-meal amount. Its own daily range is 1.4 to 2.0 g/kg of actual body weight, which is higher than the range on this page and set for a more athletic population.
- Suares NC, Ford AC. Systematic review: the effects of fibre in the management of chronic idiopathic constipation. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2011. PMID 21332763Supports: That fibre helps constipation, and that soluble fibre has the better evidence behind it.
- Ikizler TA, et al. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guideline for Nutrition in CKD: 2020 Update. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2020. PMID 32829751Supports: That protein intake in chronic kidney disease is a fraction of the figures on this page and belongs to a clinician.