GLP-1 Nutrition Support Package
This package is designed to help those taking a GLP-1 medication maintain their lean body mass and bone mass, as well as ensure adequate intake of nutrients. This structured program includes support for changing food choices, enables the development and maintenance of healthy eating habits, and will help you plan for eventual discontinuation of the GLP-1 medication.
GLP-1 Nutrition Support Package Structure
This package has four distinct services.
1. In-depth Clinical Assessment: The first service in the package is an in-depth clinical assessment, which is broken into two parts:
a. The first part of the assessment includes a review of personal and family medical history, recent lab results, current medications and nutritional supplements, as well as your waist and hip measurements (10 minutes).
b. The second part of the assessment is a comprehensive dietary and lifestyle review, where I will collect detailed information, including what you like to eat and when, food likes and dislikes, religious, cultural, or ethical dietary restrictions, and other factors that impact your health and weight, such as sleep habits and activity level (50 minutes).
2. Design of Individual Meal Plan: The second service in the package is the design of your individual Meal Plan, which will take the guesswork out of what, when, and how much to eat to support long-term health, bone density, and muscle mass. Your Meal Plan will take into consideration the information collected during the assessment, medications you may be taking, risk factors you may have, lab test results, food preferences, and food restrictions, if any.
Your Meal Plan will serve as the nutrition and lifestyle roadmap to bridge the gap between your health goals and an achievable and sustainable lifestyle. It will also take any guesswork out of what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat, while providing plenty of variety and choice.
A detailed, multi-page Meal Plan Summary handout will be prepared to accompany your Meal Plan, summarizing the content of what you will be taught during the upcoming Nutritional Education Session. This Summary will also serve as a reference for you as you implement your Meal Plan.
The turnaround time for completing your Meal Plan will be approximately 2 weeks from the time I receive any requested or missing information, such as any nutrition labels or pending lab test results.
3. Nutrition Education Session: The third service in the package is the Nutrition Education Session, which begins with you receiving your Meal Plan, as well as the detailed, multi-page Meal Plan Summary handout.
The visit will begin with a review of any existing risk factors, including weight, waist circumference, or out-of-range lab test results. It will be followed by step-by-step teaching of your Meal Plan, including food categories, serving sizes, number of portions, and how to make substitutions within each food category at each meal.
You will also be provided with specific dietary and lifestyle recommendations to help you achieve the goals that you set. Unless time doesn’t permit, the session will conclude with an opportunity to ask questions to clarify what you were taught.
4. Follow-up Visits: The fourth service in the package is follow-up, and you have two choices.
- Two half-hour follow-up appointments: each visit is for reviewing weight and waist circumference and answering questions about implementing the Meal Plan.
- A combined one-hour follow-up appointment: the first half hour is for reviewing progress, and the second half hour is used to adjust your Meal Plan based on requested changes or revised measurements.
Want to dive deeper into the research?
Before we meet, you might find these articles of interest.
Questions and Answers
Q: Do GLP-1 medications speed up natural bone turnover and lower bone mineral density?
A: Yes, clinical trials have found that semaglutide (the GLP-1 in the generic medications in Canada) significantly increases a biological marker of bone resorption, indicating bones are being broken down and that there is significantly lower Bone Mineral Density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, total hip, and tibia, which escalates the long-term risk for osteoporosis and fractures.
Q: How does appetite suppression on a GLP-1 medication result in nutrient deficiencies?
A: GLP-1 medications significantly delay stomach emptying, which causes a decrease in daily calorie intake by 16% to 39%. This drop in energy intake is accompanied by a significant decline in both macro- and micronutrient intake, commonly seen in depleted or inadequate nutrient levels of retinol, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, folate, calcium, and magnesium after months on the medication.
Q: What are the current clinical protein intake recommendations for individuals taking weight-loss medications?
A: While taking GLP-1 medications, dietary intake of protein of 1.25 to 1.5 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) is recommended, with a structured protein distribution of 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal, and at least 2-5 grams of leucine per day to preserve skeletal muscle mass.
Get Dietary Support on a GLP-1
I can help you minimize muscle and bone loss while ensuring you are taking in sufficient nutrients while taking a GLP-1 medication.
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