What should I eat and avoid on GLP-1s?

Nobody wants to guess about food while on a weekly injection. The most reliable answer comes from a public health source, and it is short.

The NHS states, about semaglutide: "You'll need to eat a healthy, balanced diet while using semaglutide." On the tirzepatide page, the NHS repeats the same instruction: "You’ll need to eat a healthy, balanced diet while taking this medicine."

What that tells you, and what it does not

Two different medicines, one instruction. That consistency is useful. A healthy, balanced diet is the baseline for both, so a plan that swaps meals for nothing or leans on a single food is not what the NHS describes.

The NHS wording is broad. It does not hand you a list of banned foods, so a provider who hands you a long list of rules should be able to say where each rule comes from. A rule with no named source behind it is an opinion about your plate.

Background on weight control and the drug pages

For background, see the MedlinePlus obesity overview, the Cleveland Clinic page on weight control and obesity, and the MedlinePlus drug information on tirzepatide injection.

Routine versus a reason to call

Adjusting what you eat is routine. Cutting out whole categories of food because a provider said so, without a stated reason, is worth a question. The place to start is the instruction the NHS gives for both drugs: balanced and healthy.

Whose rule is it, the label's or the clinic's

Ask: "Which of these food rules come from the medication's own guidance, and which are your preference?" The answer shows you how much of the advice you can check.