This video explains how to naturally increase GLP-1, a hormone that helps with weight loss, blood sugar, and cravings. It describes 10 ways to boost GLP-1 naturally, covering topics like protein intake, specific fibers, water consumption, and even certain gut bacteria. The video also highlights the downsides of GLP-1 agonist drugs, such as muscle loss, and encourages natural methods for long-term health.
Key Takeaways
1
GLP-1 is a natural hormone in your body that helps you feel full, manage blood sugar, reduce cravings, and lower inflammation.
2
While drugs like Ozempic mimic GLP-1, they can lead to significant muscle loss and are not ideal long-term solutions.
3
Eating enough protein, around 20-30 grams per meal, especially at breakfast, is a powerful way to stimulate GLP-1 release and promote fullness.
4
Soluble, viscous fibers found in foods like chia seeds, oats, and psyllium slow digestion, feed beneficial gut bacteria, and boost GLP-1.
5
Drinking 16 ounces of water before meals can increase stomach stretching, triggering a stronger GLP-1 release and helping to reduce calorie intake.
6
Maintaining healthy levels of the gut bacteria Acromancia mucinaphila through pomegranates, cranberries, green tea, cocoa, or targeted probiotics can increase GLP-1.
7
Bitter foods and digestive bitters, including leafy greens, lemon water, and apple cider vinegar, stimulate GLP-1 production and aid digestion.
8
Polyphenols from grape seed extract, green tea, turmeric, and berries enhance GLP-1 secretion and also increase beneficial gut bacteria like Acromancia.
9
Resistant starches (from cooked and cooled potatoes/rice, green bananas) and fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir) feed good gut bacteria and boost GLP-1 production.
10
Regular exercise, especially walking after meals, and managing stress and getting enough sleep are crucial for optimal GLP-1 sensitivity and preventing its blockage.
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0:01
Good morning and welcome to today's
0:03
nutrition where we look at what's new in
0:05
science, what's hot in the news, or what
0:07
we can do to live a healthier, more
0:10
vibrant life. So today we're going to
0:13
talk about how to boost your body's fat
0:15
burning hormone naturally using one of
0:20
the body's most powerful secret weapons
0:22
for weight loss, blood sugar balance,
0:25
cravings, and even inflammation. It's
0:27
not a pill. It's not a fad. It's not an
0:29
injection. It is a famous now famous
0:33
hormone in your body that is called
0:36
GLP1.
0:38
Well, you might have heard about it,
0:39
might be familiar now. Couple years ago,
0:41
nobody had heard about it, but now you
0:43
probably heard about drugs like Ompic,
0:46
WGO, Mjaro. All of these are what we
0:49
call GLP-1 agonist. They boost it. These
0:53
drugs will mimic GLP1 in the body so you
0:57
feel full longer, eat less, lose weight,
1:01
and yeah, they work, but they come at a
1:03
price financially and physically and
1:06
probably not a good long-term solution.
1:10
But the good news is your body already
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knows how to make GLP1 on its own. With
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the right diet and lifestyle and a
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little bit of knowledge about how to
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tweak it, you can naturally enhance your
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own production safely and sensibly.
1:26
Okay, so now we're going to cover the
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top 10 natural GLP1 boosters that you
1:33
can start using today. No prescription
1:36
needed. First, we want to cover what is
1:39
GLP1 and why should I care? That stands
1:42
for glucagon like peptide one,
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a hormone primarily found in your gut,
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specifically in the lower part of the
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small intestine and the colon in
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response to food. So what GOP1 does,
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it's going to slow gastric emptying.
2:01
It's going to keep your food in your
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stomach longer so you stay full. We
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don't want to have it in there too long
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or you could end up in the hospital.
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But, you know, it it does do that. It
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also stimulates insulin to bring down
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blood sugar after meals. It also reduces
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appetite and cravings, and it even helps
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lower inflammation and supports brain
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health. I talked about this the last
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time I did a GLP-1 update on some
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interesting things that therapeutic
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levels are doing with autoimmune
2:35
conditions and even MS. It's
2:38
interesting, but the big deal is you can
2:41
boost your own production and at the
2:44
same time improve your metabolism,
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support a healthy weight, and reduce
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your chronic risk of disease. So, let's
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talk about how to do that naturally
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every day without the costly shot or any
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major side effects that are easily
2:59
avoided. One of the big side effects
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that we want to avoid is muscle loss. Up
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to 40% of the weight lost on GLP1
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agonist come from muscle loss. And that
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isn't something we want to ignore
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because muscle is the number one
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indicator of longevity. And as we get
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older, it's harder and harder to make.
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So if you've lost 100 pounds, 60 of that
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is fat, but 40 of that is muscle. And
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muscle makes so many good compounds that
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we need. My favorite, BDNF, brain
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derived neurotrophic factor. Preserves
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the brain, keeps you strong and sharp.
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But muscles also keep us from becoming
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frail in our older years. Frailty is
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falling, breaking hip, causing a lack of
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independence,
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needing help all day long to get
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dressed, to bathe, to feed ourselves.
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Muscles are longevity.
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You want to make and keep as much
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muscles as you can. And maybe the worst
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part of losing muscle, when you go off
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the GLP1, you have lost your metabolic
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edge. Muscles burn calories. And so the
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weight you lose will return within a
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year and probably bring an additional
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20% because you have destroyed your
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metabolism. I have to throw in here too
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the cosmetic observation of looking
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gaunt. The subq fat is lost with the
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cheeks
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in your face and the cheeks you sit on.
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So you don't want to lose that subq fat.
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the look. This is also muscle loss,
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increased wrinkles, sagging skin, and
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that hollowess in your face is not a
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good look. Big ways to naturally boost
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your own GLP-1 production. Protein, and
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this is going to be good for building
4:55
muscle, too. It is the foundation of
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fullness. Protein has been shown to be
5:00
the most powerful dietary stimulator of
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GLP-1.
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When you sit down to eat protein,
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especially in the morning, it tells your
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gut to release GOP1. Sends a signal to
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the brain, "Hey, we're satisfied."
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That's why starting out your day with a
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high protein breakfast will reduce
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hunger and snacking for the rest of the
5:22
day. That could be scrambled eggs with
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some sauteed spinach and an avocado
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slice. It could be a smoothie with
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protein powder, berries, little almond
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butter. I also throw in some fiber in
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there. Could be turkey sausage with
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sauteed greens. Or you may do English
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muffinless
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McMuffin. So, it's not really a muffin,
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but it's eggs and avocado and a turkey
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sausage. You want to aim for about 20 to
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30 grams of protein in each meal. That's
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going to support your hormones, satiety,
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and muscle preservation.
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Really important as we get older. Second
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thing that boosts GLP1 is fiber. Not
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just any fiber, but soluble fiber,
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viscous fiber. It it does so many things
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to boost GOP1. First of all, it slows
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the movement of food through your
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digestive tract. So, it keeps you
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feeling full longer. It also feeds the
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good gut bacteria, especially the ones
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tied to GLP1. I'll talk about that in a
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minute. But it also other benefits. It
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helps detoxification, keeps your blood
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sugar balanced, and promotes normal
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cholesterol. So you've got chia seed,
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flax seed, oats, apples, beans, lentils.
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My favorite is psyllium. You can add
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that anywhere. No flavor, very
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economical. Some foods that also feed
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the microbiome. garlic, onions, leaks,
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green bananas, and remember the bonus.
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Not only is it increasing your GLP1 to
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keep you satisfied, they also balance
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blood sugar, lower cholesterol, and
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improve regularity. Win-winwin.
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Aim for 25 to 35 grams a day, but
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increase slowly with plenty of water.
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That's going to avoid digestive upsets.
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We want to go 20 to 35 over time, not
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overnight. Third thing,
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I love this one. Water. Plain old water.
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The forgotten GLP booster. Yeah. Because
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GLP is released in part by the
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stretching of the stomach. So, drinking
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water before meals increases the
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stretch. So, it helps to trigger a
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stronger GLP-1 release. I love to tell
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my clients about this one. Studies show
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that drinking about 16 ounces of water
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before a meal can increase feelings of
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fullness and help reduce calorie intake.
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In one study, participants who drank
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water before meals will lost 10 lbs more
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weight than those who didn't. But here's
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the catch. Chronic dehydration will
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blunt that response. So if you're living
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on coffee, skipping your water, your
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satiety hormones may not be working like
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they should. So drink water throughout
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the day, but especially before meals.
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You can add a squeeze of lemon, a pinch
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of mineral salt, or even some of our IQ
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mix electrolytes to make them even more
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bioavailable and support your adrenal
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glands, too. The old thought was not to
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drink with meals because it dilutes your
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enzymes. Not true. Actually helps the
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enzymes to mix in. But if you've got
8:46
digestive upsets, add some good
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digestive enzymes. Side note, in the
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70s, there was a super popular and
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effective diet that simply had people
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taking fiber supplements because they
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would quickly fill up and they'd be
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satisfied. So, who knew that they were
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also boosting the GLP1?
9:05
Okay, fourth thing. There is a superstar
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bacteria called acromancia mucinaphila.
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Acromancia is one of what we call
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keystone species. That means they're the
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good gut bugs that help maintain the gut
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lining. They also reduce inflammation
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and you got it, increase GOP1.
9:28
Low levels of acromancia
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have been associated with obesity and
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insulin resistance and fatty liver and
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inflammation and poor gut health. Okay,
9:38
so you can eat pomegranates and
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cranberries, green tea or foods like
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raspberries and cocoa, but you can also
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get acromancia from certain targeted
9:50
probiotics. We have several probiotics
9:54
that highlight the acromancia and are
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seeing tremendous results in metabolic
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health. So, if you're someone who's done
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everything right with diet and exercise,
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but your metabolism is not cooperating,
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you might want to look into acromancia.
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I find it's good for a few pounds at
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least. Number five, Kellocure.
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interesting appetite tamer that comes
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from hops and the government of New
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Zealand did the research on this. Hops
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are interesting. They actually stimulate
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the bitter taste receptors in the gut
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and when those receptors are activated,
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your body releases more GOP1. So the
10:37
results, you feel full faster, you're
10:40
less interested in snacking, and your
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portions naturally decrease without
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stimulants, without appetite
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suppressants. So Calocurb clinical
10:51
studies show it reduced craving, reduce
10:54
calories, and improves satiety
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within 60 minutes of use. Fast acting,
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but not long acting. So, it's good to
11:04
take B before meals at least an hour get
11:08
the best results. On that thought,
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number six is all about bitter foods and
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digestive bidters. Our ancestors love
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these. They ate a lot of them. All your
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leafy greens are high in those bitters
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that they're talking about, but these
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bters stimulate your gut to produce and
11:31
release GOP1.
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Lemon water also does that and apple
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cider vinegar does that. So, a lot of
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good things. And so, they don't just
11:40
help with satiety,
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they're improving overall nutrient
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absorption, can reduce bloating, and
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helps the liver, too. It's a real old
11:50
school remedy with some really good
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benefits. All right, number seven,
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polyphenols.
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some of those 28,000
12:01
phytochemicals
12:02
that we get from plants that act like
12:05
antioxidants,
12:06
anti-inflammatories,
12:08
and now metabolic regulators. Certain
12:11
ones will enhance GLP1 secretion. So,
12:15
makes your body think it's full. It
12:18
doesn't need to eat. So the top GLP1
12:21
friendly polyphenols, grape seed
12:24
extract, green tea, cocoa powder, my
12:27
favorite, curcumin from turmeric, but
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also berries, raspberries, cranberries,
12:32
blueberries, and pomegranate and red
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cabbage. You can drink them in green tea
12:38
or tart cherry juice. Eat them in berry
12:41
in your smoothies, or supplement them. I
12:44
like to take my rveratrol supplement
12:47
because it's got all of those in there
12:49
and it's in one pill concentrated with a
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little extra curcumin. Excellent for
12:54
blood sugar, brain health, and the gut
12:56
health. So, as a side note, polyphenols
13:01
also increase your acromancia. Thank
13:04
you, Dr. William Lee that educated us on
13:08
that one. So, you get double benefit.
13:11
Number eight, this is an unusual one.
13:13
you don't hear much about, but resistant
13:16
starch and fermented foods. Interesting.
13:19
You've heard me talk about the gut
13:21
microbiome, and you always hear me say
13:23
feed the good guys. Two things that do
13:26
the feeding of the good guys are
13:29
resistant starch and fermented food. But
13:31
they also boost gut diversity and
13:36
increase the production of GLP1 by
13:39
nurturing the very cells that make it.
13:41
Resistant starch
13:44
is interesting. I've been hearing about
13:46
this for probably 20 years now. It is a
13:49
kind of carbohydrate that resists
13:51
digestion in the small intestine. So,
13:53
you're not absorbing the carbs. Instead,
13:57
it goes to the large intestine and
13:59
fermentss in the colon feeding the good
14:01
gut bacteria. So what it is you cook and
14:06
then cool potatoes or rice that makes
14:10
the starch resistant. You can also eat
14:13
green bananas, legumes, and oats. They
14:17
are going to be full of resistant
14:19
starch. Other things, fermented foods
14:23
will add those good bacteria to your
14:26
system, doing a lot of things, reducing
14:29
inflammation, improving gut integrity,
14:31
and helping the body make its own
14:34
butyrate. So, all the fermented things
14:37
like sauerkraut and kimchi and kefir and
14:40
yogurt. I love cocoa June, which is
14:43
coconut and it's got the probiotics and
14:47
just simply some tapioca starch to
14:50
thicken it. Miso is another good one or
14:52
fermented pickles. Oh, Bubbies is a
14:55
great brand we carry that has the live
14:58
cultures. Okay, nine. Number nine.
15:03
Exercise, especially after meals, is one
15:06
of the fastest ways to enhance GLP1
15:10
sensitivity. Aerobic exercise, resistant
15:14
exercise, all of that is good, but
15:17
walking right after a meal helps the gut
15:19
release more GLP-1 and improves insulin
15:23
response over time. So, it's not about
15:26
being extreme,
15:28
just to be effective. The goal is
15:30
consistency and circulation, both of
15:33
which are going to keep all your
15:34
hormones happy on your side. 10 and the
15:38
last one, sleep and stress. Those are
15:42
GLP blockers. That's a big one, and I
15:45
see it every day in practice. You can
15:48
eat all the right food, take all the
15:49
best supplements, but if you're not
15:51
sleeping and your stress is high, your
15:54
GLP1 won't work like it should. So,
15:57
let's start with sleep. Studies show
15:59
that just one night of poor sleep is
16:02
going to increase your grlin. That's the
16:04
stomach hormone that makes it growls.
16:08
It's your hunger hormone. It also
16:10
decreases GLP1, so you're hungrier. It
16:13
raises blood sugar and it boosts
16:16
cravings for sugar and fat. Now, stress.
16:21
High cortisol blunts the effects of
16:23
GLP-1. So chronic stress turns your
16:27
body's ability off to feel full, to
16:29
manage blood sugar and lose weight, even
16:32
if you're eating right. So we got to
16:34
take stress management seriously. I like
16:37
to say a stressed body will not release
16:40
weight and that includes stress from
16:42
overex exercising,
16:45
stress from undereating, people
16:47
pleasing, scrolling all night long, or a
16:51
body on steroids like allergy
16:53
medications I've noticed has a lot more
16:56
trouble. So give your nervous system the
16:59
rest it needs and your hormones will
17:01
thank you. So there you have it. 10
17:04
natural GLP-1 boosters you can start
17:07
incorporating into your life today.
17:11
Don't need to do all 10, of course not,
17:13
but start with one or two. Start making
17:15
these changes. Maybe add a 10-minute
17:17
walk after dinner. Swap in a scoop of
17:20
psyllium fiber into your morning
17:21
smoothie. Little things matter, little
17:24
hinges that swing the big door. And
17:26
remember, your body wants to heal. These
17:29
aren't hacks or quick fixes. They're
17:31
simply tools to help your body work the
17:34
way it was designed to. So, if you'd
17:37
like help personalizing your plan, you
17:38
can reach out to me at debfor.com.
17:42
Until then, eat well, sleep deep, move
17:46
often, and always take time for joy. I'm
17:49
Dr. Dr. Deb Ford and this has been
17:51
today's nutrition.
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GLP-1 10 Tips to Boost Levels and Help Lose Weight
Deb Ford DCN RDN
35 views
Aug 17, 2025
17:53
Today we’re talking about one of the body’s most powerful secret weapons for weight loss, blood sugar balance, cravings, and even inflammation. It’s not a pill. It’s not a fad. It’s a now famous hormone your body makes naturally — and its name is GLP-1. If that sounds familiar, it’s probably because you’ve heard about drugs like Ozempic®, Wegovy®, or Mounjaro® — all of which are GLP-1 agonists. These drugs mimic GLP-1 in the body to help people feel full longer, eat less, and lose weight. And yes, they work. But they come with a price — financially and physically — and they’re not always a long-term solution. Here’s the good news: your body already makes GLP-1 on its own. And with the right diet, lifestyle, and a little knowledge, we can help you naturally enhance your own production — safely and sustainably. So today, , we’re going to cover the top 10 natural GLP-1 boosters that you can start using right away — no prescription needed.