[ALERT] You CAN lose weight without those wonder drugs

I’ve spent a lot of time lately discussing the new weight-loss drugs that are all the rage.

And yes, I still believe that GLP-1 agonist drugs can be a viable option for many folks struggling with weight loss.

But considering I’ve spent most of my career helping people lose weight without help from a pharmaceutical drug…

Let’s turn our focus to a non-drug strategy.

Rebalance from within

We know there are more than a trillion bacteria living inside us in our gut microbiome.

We also know that the composition of this massive, “hidden” community evolves over our lifetime—depending on the foods we eat, how much we exercise, the drugs we take, and more.

And of course, we know that an overabundance of any one type of bacterium, or a decline in the gut’s overall bacterial composition, can lead to a slew of health problems.

See, behind the scenes, when our gut’s diversity is compromised, our body starts sending out “faulty” signals. This ultimately leads to chronic conditions or illness.

Metabolic disease, like obesity, is just one example. But it’s a big one (no pun intended).

Now, the Standard American Diet (SAD), which is chockful of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), is a huge contributor to gut imbalances. Which, as we know now, also leads to obesity.

See, when foods are ultra-processed, they’re more easily digestible. This means they don’t reach the lower intestine (your colon). Rather, they pretty much just run straight through you.

This is dangerous for different reasons, but it also means these foods are low on the satiety scale. So, you might never actually feel totally satisfied or full. (Frighteningly enough, UPFs make up close to 75 percent of our food supply!)

On the contrary, whole foods actually get absorbed… nourishing your body and allowing those trillions of bacteria to do their job effectively.

And here’s where our weight-loss angle comes to scene…

A dietary solution

The lower part of your gut creates a hormone, glucagon-like peptine-1 (GLP-1), in response to food that tells the entire gut environment to slow down. This helps orchestrate a healthy metabolism and appetite.

Sound familiar?

You might recall a similar conversation from just last week, where I explained how GLP-1 agonist drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, work by mimicking this hormone. In short, the more GLP-1 in your system, the less hungry you feel.

But you don’t NEED an expensive GLP-1 agonist drug to reap these benefits… all you need to do is feed your microbes the right fuel.

Start by eating more fiber. Think lots of organic vegetables, nuts, and some legumes (like lentils).

Second, “eat the rainbow.” Enjoy foods that vary in color, as this provides various polyphenols that also help fuel our microbes.

Third, while I don’t eat too many of these myself, I do encourage fermented foods for their healthy probiotic activity. Examples include sauerkraut, kimchee, and kefir.

And last but not least, let’s not forget healthy fats that come from nuts, olives, and avocados—as well as omega-3 fatty acids from sources like fatty, oily fish. (Don’t forget their cooking oils either, like macadamia nut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, and avocado oil.)

In the end, when you revisit your diet and make smart dietary adjustments, you’ll slowly rebalance your gut’s diversity. Not only will this help you to maintain a healthy weight—but also, better overall health.

Source:

“Beyond the Shots: Focusing on Gut Health Can Aid Weight Loss.” WebMD, 02/22/2024. (webmd.com/obesity/news/20240222/focusing-on-gut-health-can-aid-weight-loss)