Can Meal Sequencing Increase GLP-1 Production, and Might it Help Me Lose Weight? 

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is one of our body’s natural hunger and metabolic hormones. Everybody’s talking about it these days, thanks to a spate of type 2 diabetes and weight-loss medications, like Ozempic, that are designed to mimic it.

GLP-1 has a few important jobs. It slows down gastric emptying, so food stays in the stomach longer. It tells our brain we’re satisfied, so we can comfortably stop eating. And it stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which helps lower blood sugar.

Starting your meal with fiber and protein helps trigger the release of GLP-1, and some studies show that its production is higher following meals during which diners eat carbs last. Hernandez says this can help you feel fuller for longer, which may naturally reduce overall caloric intake. And keeping blood-sugar levels down can encourage fat burning rather than fat storage.

“Unlike restrictive diets, meal sequencing doesn’t require elimina­ting foods,” says Jessica Hernandez, RD, LD, a registered dietitian at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “It’s simply reshaping how you eat them, making it a sustainable tool for weight management.”