I'm a gut doctor - this is the simple GLP-1 alternative everyone should know about

A good GLP-1 alternative will mirror the effect of GLP-1, a hormone made in the body after eating that signals to the brain we're full and helps manage our blood sugar levels. It's the same hormone that weight loss jabs like Mounjaro, Wegovy, and Ozempic contain to reduce appetite and food cravings, helping users lose weight.

Sought out by those who want to make changes to their eating habits and lifestyle without the expense, side effects, or waiting lists for such medications, a GLP-1 alternative can be a helping hand for those looking to lose weight healthily.

One such alternative is resistant starch, says Dr Megan Rossi, a gut health scientist, practising clinician, and the founder of The Gut Health Doctor.

Most starchy foods, like bread, rice, pasta, and potatoes, contain accessible starch, she says. When cooked, cooled, and eaten the next day, "that accessible starch gets turned into resistant starch, which essentially means that human cells can't digest it, but that's food for our gut bacteria - kind of like fibre," she says.

"When you've got the accessible starch turning into resistant starch, that's just another type of fibre, which essentially feeds the bacteria [in the gut] and produces short-chain fatty acids, which then help to regulate things like appetite," she explains.

"Those short-chain fatty acids also help stimulate the production of the GLP-1 hormone, which is the target hormone for Ozempic, so actually, it works very similarly to that drug."

It's a "hack" for those looking at their gut for a GLP-1 alternative, she says.

While the concept of eating cooked and cooled rice might startle some, the Food Standards Agency has guidance that makes it possible. The guidance says: "It must be cooled quickly (ideally within one hour) and stored in the refrigerator, consumed within 24 hours."

The agency explains that the danger isn't the cold temperature of the food, but the bacteria (bacillus cereus), which grows when rice is left at room temperature for too long after cooking, so make sure to put it in the fridge to cool.

If you'd rather not take the risk, stick to pasta or potatoes, or try other gut-healthy foods with resistant starch like legumes, beans, oats, barley, green bananas, and plantains.

This GLP-1 alternative isn't just good for those looking to lose weight, though. Anyone can benefit from a diet rich in resistant starch as it helps us stay fuller for longer and feeds the 'good' bacteria in the gut. This can help maintain stable blood sugar levels, which in turn improves our energy, concentration, and focus levels.

It also generally helps to improve gut health, and for those going through menopause, this is particularly important.

"They've shown in studies that women who have more whole plants can be of a more stable body weight and have fewer symptoms like hot flushes, so looking after your gut health becomes more important in this stage of life," says Dr Rossi, who has collaborated with Mindful Chef to create two new plant-packed and fibre-fuelled recipes every month.

Dr Megan Rossi

Dr Megan Rossi is a leading scientist, practising clinician, and the founder of The Gut Health Doctor. She is also the leading Research Fellow at King’s College London (since 2015), where she continues to investigate nutrition-based therapies in gut health.

Dr Rossi has collaborated with Mindful Chef to create two gut-nourishing recipes every month, packed with plenty of plants and natural kefir to make up at least 1/3 of our daily fibre intake in one portion.