The 30-second summary
- Shop for the appetite you have. Protein you can eat without cooking, fibre that is easy to eat, and something to drink.
- This list is built from our own recipes. It counts how often each ingredient appears across the 333 published foodose recipes, so it matches what you would actually cook.
- Keep a low-appetite shelf. On the days cooking feels like too much, you still want protein within reach.
How this list was built
Most GLP-1 shopping lists are a list of foods someone thinks are healthy. This one started from the foodose recipe collection. We counted how many of the 333 published recipes use each of its 181 ingredients, then grouped the most useful ones by where they live in your kitchen.
A few of the counts: eggs appear in 72 recipes, plain yoghurt in 43, potatoes in 49, chicken breast in 41, tinned white beans in 33 and firm tofu in 21. The protein figures below come from each ingredient's USDA FoodData Central record, the same ones the recipes are calculated from. Every figure is in our downloadable nutrition data.
The shape of the list follows a 2025 joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society. It encourages fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy, lean protein, eggs, nuts, seeds and plant oils, and suggests eating less refined carbohydrate, fewer sugary drinks, less red and processed meat, and fewer fast foods, sweets and savoury snacks.
The fridge: protein first
The joint advisory notes that enough protein can be hard to get on a reduced appetite, so it goes at the top of the list. It also suggests eating protein-rich foods first in a meal, before fullness arrives.
- Eggs. In 72 recipes, and about 13 g of protein per 100 g.
- Plain and Greek yoghurt. Plain yoghurt is in 43 recipes. Greek yoghurt carries about 10 g of protein per 100 g.
- Cottage cheese. In 20 recipes, and about 11 g of protein per 100 g. It needs no cooking at all.
- Milk. Semi-skimmed milk is in 53 recipes.
- Chicken breast or turkey mince. Chicken breast is in 41 recipes and has about 23 g of protein per 100 g raw. Turkey mince is in 19.
- Firm and silken tofu. Firm tofu is in 21 recipes and silken in 12. Silken tofu blends smoothly into soups and sauces.
- Ricotta, feta and a strong cheese such as cheddar, in smaller amounts. A little strong cheese goes a long way on a small plate.
The freezer: the week you did not plan
- Frozen peas and other vegetables. Frozen peas are in 24 recipes. The NHS Eatwell Guide counts fresh, frozen, tinned and dried fruit and vegetables alike.
- Frozen fruit, for yoghurt and porridge.
- White fish fillets such as cod, which appears in 8 recipes.
- Soup in single portions. Cook once, freeze in portions, and a hard day still has a meal in it. Recipe pages give storage guidance, including freezing where it applies.
- Wholemeal bread, sliced, so you can toast one piece at a time. It is in 17 recipes.
The cupboard: fibre and backup protein
- Tinned beans and lentils. White beans are in 33 recipes, cooked lentils in 17 and chickpeas in 19. Cooked lentils carry about 9 g of protein per 100 g, with fibre alongside.
- Tinned tomatoes and passata. Passata is in 19 recipes and chopped tomatoes in 26.
- Tinned fish. Tinned tuna has about 19 g of protein per 100 g. Tinned salmon and sardines count as oily fish; tuna does not. The NHS advises at least 2 portions of fish a week, one of them oily, with a portion around 140 g.
- Oats, rice and pasta. Rolled oats are in 15 recipes, white rice in 31. The Eatwell Guide suggests wholegrain or higher-fibre versions where you can.
- Stock. Vegetable stock is in 59 recipes and chicken stock in 44. Brands vary in salt and in allergens such as celery, so check the label.
- Olive oil, which is in 220 recipes, more than any other ingredient.
- Dijon mustard, dried oregano, cumin and paprika. They add a lot of flavour for very little on the plate.
Fresh produce
The fresh produce the recipes use most is onions (83 recipes), potatoes (49), carrots (40), spinach (38), tomatoes (28), mushrooms (23), red peppers (16) and courgettes (20). Add lemons and a bunch of parsley, which appears in 73 recipes, and apples for something quick.
The low-appetite shelf
Some days, cooking is not going to happen. The joint advisory notes that smoothies, protein drinks, cottage cheese and soup are often more appealing than heavier foods such as red meat, cold cuts or hard cheese when hunger and interest in food are low. It also suggests setting a reminder to eat if you need one.
Keep a few of these where you can see them:
- Greek yoghurt or skyr
- Cottage cheese
- Eggs, some already hard-boiled
- A portion of soup in the freezer
- Tinned fish and wholemeal bread for toast
- Milk or fortified soya drink, for a smoothie
- Ginger or peppermint tea, which the advisory mentions as helpful for nausea
What to buy less of, without making it a rule
Nothing here is banned. But when you can only eat a little, most of what you eat needs to be doing something for you. The advisory's list of things to have less often is short: refined carbohydrates, sugary drinks, red and processed meat, most fast food, and sweets and savoury snacks.
Alcohol deserves its own line. The NHS says it is best to avoid alcohol while using semaglutide, because it can increase side effects such as feeling or being sick. (See GLP-1 medicines and alcohol.)
What to do with this
A list tells you what to buy. It does not tell you how much protein you need, which depends on your weight and your dose. The calculator works that out, along with your calorie target and how much you are likely to manage. For quantities for a whole week, the 7 day GLP-1 meal plan has its own shopping list, and every recipe in the GLP-1 recipe collection lists exact weights.
Sources
- Mozaffarian D, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: a joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. Obesity Pillars 2025. PubMed
- NHS. The Eatwell Guide. nhs.uk
- NHS. Fish and shellfish. nhs.uk
- NHS. Semaglutide. nhs.uk
- US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central. fdc.nal.usda.gov
Medical disclaimer: Articles in the foodose research library are educational, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber or a dietitian about your own nutrition. See our full medical disclaimer.