Dr. Ahmed
Semaglutide and Keto Diet may enhance your weight loss but more side effects are likely. Consuming fatty foods and the keto diet with Wegovy for weight loss and Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Mounjaro for diabetes is not what most nutritionists recommend.
Keto Diet may potentiate the gastrointestinal side effects of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide. This is because both Semagltuide and fatty foods inhibit your gut motility, and cause bloating, GERD, and flatulence.
Ozempic is a once-weekly Semaglutide injection. It is indicated in the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2, especially in those who are overweight and obese.
It is administered as a subcutaneous injection. Ozempic reduces blood glucose by several mechanisms, one of which is slowing down gut movements.
Rybelsus is an oral formulation of Semaglutide approved for diabetes. Higher daily oral doses are being studied for weight loss too.
Wegovy is approved for weight loss in individuals with or without diabetes.
Mounjaro is Tirzepatide approved for diabetes. It may soon get approved for weight loss.
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How Semaglutide and Keto Diet may Affect our Food Choices?
Semaglutide is an incretin-mimetic. It is 94% identical to the endogenous GLP-1. It lowers blood glucose in a glucose-dependent mechanism. Thus, it works mainly when the blood glucose levels are elevated.
One of the main actions of Semaglutide is its action on the gut. It inhibits gastric motility. Food in the stomach is slowly poured into the intestine to be digested and absorbed.
Slow bowel transit inhibits rapid glucose spikes in the blood. When glucose load is reduced, insulin secretion and resultant weight gain are also inhibited.
However, inhibiting gastric motility also is responsible for most of the side effects of Semaglutide. Patients feel fullness, nausea, bloating, abdominal and epigastric pain, and chest tightness.
These side effects may worsen if a person is taking lots of fried and fatty foods while on Ozempic, Rybelsus, or Wegovy treatment.
Carbohydrates may cause blood glucose to rise too. So, it may be difficult to adjust to a specific diet sometimes when Semaglutide treatment is initiated.
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What Foods to Avoid While on Semaglutide?
When choosing a specific food item, one should first consider the number of calories and glycemic index of that food particle.
The second most important factor would be to minimize any side effects of the drug and the food.
And lastly, it should be tasty and easy to cook.
Ozempic and Fatty Foods (or Fried Foods):
Fatty and fried foods are delicious, however, they usually have lots of calories. To lose weight fast, you should be on a calorie-negative diet.
The number of calories you consume should be less than the number you spend.
Commonly used fried foods include:
Fried fish:
- 100 gms of fried fish contains about 237 calories. You can burn these calories by walking for about an hour or so.
French Fries:
- 100 gms of french fries have calories ranging from 280 to 320 calories. You can burn these calories by walking for about one and a half hours.
Chicken Strips:
- 100 gms of chicken strips contains 286 calories. It will take you more than one hour to burn these calories with a brisk walk.
Chicken Fried Steaks:
- 100 gms of chicken fried steaks have about 234 calories. It can be burned in about one hour of walking.
Apart from being rich in calories, fried and fatty foods may worsen the gastrointestinal side effects of Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy.
Fried foods inhibit gastric motility and cause fullness and bloating. People consuming lots of calorie-dense fried foods may complain of frequent side effects with Ozempic and the inability to lose weight.
Ozempic and simple carbohydrates:
Ozempic is primarily used to treat diabetes. Although there are no food interactions between Ozempic and simple carbohydrates, they should be avoided to reduce the ups and downs in blood glucose.
Examples of simple carbohydrates include:
Table sugar and syrups:
- 100 gms of table sugar contains 382 calories
Soft drinks:
- One can of a soft drink contains about 140 calories.
Fruit juices:
- Calories in fresh juices vary and depend on the fruit. It usually ranges from 40 to 110 calories
Products made using white bread:
- One cup of white flour has about 455 calories.
Regardless of the caloric content of these food items, simple carbohydrates readily get absorbed and increase blood glucose levels. This in turn stimulates the production of insulin that causes weight gain.
In addition, simple carbohydrates are readily taken by gut bacteria that are responsible for flatulence and abdominal gases.
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What to Eat While on Semaglutide?
If you are on Ozempic, you are likely struggling to control your blood glucose and simultaneously lose weight.
You should focus on small frequent meals. Don’t miss a meal but don’t overeat. In addition, avoid all sorts of soft drinks and simple carbohydrates.
Mostly these foods include cookies, cakes, sweets, candies, and chocolates. You should focus on eating complex carbohydrates that contain lots of fiber.
Examples of complex carbohydrates that contain lots of fibers:
- Whole fruits:
- Apple
- banana
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Carrots
- Raspberries
- Vegetables
- Legumes
- Grains
- Beans
- Oatmeals
- Barley
- Potatoes
High-fiber snacks include:
- Almond
- Popcorn
- Granola bars
- Trail mix
- Okra
- Carrots
- Kail chips
High-fiber and high-protein diet may be helpful to lower blood glucose and simultaneously lose weight. These include:
- Beans
- Lentils
- Chickpeas
- Mungbeans
- Edamame
Most beans and legumes are rich in fiber and have lots of proteins. Egg white can be used for breakfast, lentils, and legumes for lunch and dinner, and whole fruit, almonds, and popcorn may be used as side dishes.
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In summary:
It is better to avoid fatty and fried foods while on Ozempic treatment for diabetes and weight loss. A high-fiber complex carbohydrates and protein diet are alternative options.
