How to Get the Ozempic Effect without Ozempic
Have you ever considered the order in which you eat your food?
A trend currently racing through social media is all about ‘nutrient sequencing.’
Supposedly if you consume the food on your plate in a certain order - first fiber, followed by protein and fat, and then finishing up with starchy carbs - you will reduce inflammation, avoid craving snacks, and boost your protection against diabetes.
Is this really true? Let’s take a look at the science and see what it concludes.
Nutrient sequencing means that you feel fuller because you consumed your macronutrients in a specific order. But what’s the reasoning behind it?
You tend to have a big glucose dip (post-meal energy crash) right after consuming a meal which is heavy in carbs. That leads to more insulin production and subsequently a glucose spike and crash that has you feel tired and hungrier sooner.
BUT when you fill yourself up with vegetable fiber before eating carbs, you create slower digestion and steadier blood sugar levels. The main reason is because foods that are high in fiber tend to be nutrient dense and need more chewing time, which means you take longer to digest them and they fill you up more.
The same goes for natural protein and fat sources. They tend to be very dense in nutrients and fill you up longer, providing longer and lasting energy fuel for your body.
This also helps you to keep any unhealthy food cravings at bay.
A 2023 review of 11 studies showed that people who ate carb-rich elements of their meal after eating vegetables and protein had lower blood sugar than those who ate them at the beginning of the meal.
The fact is however, even if you don’t follow nutrient sequencing, the nutrients combined in a meal interact in your digestion and have an impact on your metabolic response.
For example, it’s always better to eat a bowl of pasta with some high-fiber vegetables, and some form of protein, than just a bowl of pasta on its own. The pasta alone would give you a larger glucose spike than the pasta combined with other ingredients.
Will you lose weight if you do nutrient sequencing?
It’s certainly worth a try if you’re looking to shake up your diet and lose a few pounds by managing your blood sugar and feeling fuller. However, you don’t need to get obsessed with this kind of ordered eating in order to stick to a healthy weight-loss plan.
Nutrient sequencing seems like it’s best applied for someone who suffers from Type 2 diabetes or obesity. That’s because eating protein and fat before carbs promotes the release of the hormone (GLP-1) from the gut. This hormone works to trigger insulin and glucagon secretion, actually slowing down the rate at which your food leaves your stomach.
It means you will have a much less extreme blood sugar response and feel satiated faster. Makes sense when you know that GLP-1 is the hormone that the much talked about diabetes drug Ozempic mimics.
The Takeaway..
For those of us who are not diabetic, the best health weight-loss strategy is more about taking a holistic approach to your diet and lifestyle.
But you could try to choose fiber-rich vegetable based starters as often as possible, especially when going out to eat.
Try starting your meals at home with a salad, some crudites, or a handful of healthy nuts.
That way, you are sure to pack in the nutrients you need as well as giving your stomach a layer of fiber to slow down the digestion of the carbs to follow.