What to Eat on GLP-1 Medications: 1,168 Foods, Rated

A GLP-1 Friendly rating on FoodRef answers one narrow question: how well does this food fit the eating pattern that published clinical guidance describes for people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists? That pattern is high protein, high fiber, lower fat, easy to digest, in smaller portions. Foods that fit score high. Foods that are greasy, fried, very spicy, or energy-dense with little protein score low.

Of the 1,168 foods we rate, the GLP-1 Friendly framework approves 399, flags 451 with caution, and rates 318 as foods to avoid. Where it gets interesting is not how strict it is — it averages 5.2/10 across the catalogue, and the other ten frameworks average 5.2/10 — but how often it disagrees with them. Butter scores a perfect 10 on Keto and lands in the avoid band here. That disagreement is the whole point of this site, and this page is where you can see it for the GLP-1 pattern specifically.

approve: 399
caution: 451
avoid: 318
rated: 1,168

How the GLP-1 Friendly framework scores food

Every food in our catalogue gets a 1–10 score from each of eleven frameworks. The scores map to verdicts the same way in all eleven: 1–3 is avoid, 4–6 is caution, 7–10 is approve.

The GLP-1 Friendly framework scores against these rules:

High protein — the rubric treats roughly 100–120 g per day as the target
High fiber
Lower fat
Easy to digest
Smaller portions
Against: greasy, fried, and spicy foods

The rules come from published clinical guidance on nutritional support during GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy. They were written as a scoring rubric, reviewed line by line, and applied to all 1,168 foods.

A score is not a health verdict. It says how well one food fits one framework's rules. A food can score 10 here and 1 on Keto, and neither score is wrong — they are answering different questions. What we publish is the disagreement.

Framework rubric reviewed line by line by Liz Cook, MS, RD — Registered Dietitian, practicing at Happy Strong Healthy. BS Nutritional Sciences, Penn State; MS Applied Nutrition, Northeastern. Over a decade across private practice, corporate wellness, clinical nutrition and campus dietetics. Individual ratings are vetted on an ongoing basis; our methodology page publishes exactly how much of the catalogue has been vetted to date.

The 25 foods the GLP-1 Friendly framework rates highest

The top of a 1,168-food ranking. These fit the protein, fiber and digestibility rules most cleanly.

The 25 foods the GLP-1 Friendly framework rates lowest

318 foods in our catalogue land in the avoid band for this framework. These are the bottom of that list.

Where GLP-1 disagrees with the other ten frameworks

This is the interesting part. For each food we compare its GLP-1 Friendly score against the average of the other ten frameworks. A large gap means the frameworks are fighting — and tells you something no single-diet source will.

GLP-1 says yes, the rest say no

Foods the GLP-1 pattern rates well above the consensus.

Foods the GLP-1 Friendly framework scores far above the average of the other ten frameworks
Food	GLP-1	Other ten	Gap
Seitan	9	3.3	+5.7
Electrolyte mix	9	4.0	+5.0
Soy protein isolate	9	4.4	+4.6
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)	8	3.4	+4.6
Seitan strips	9	4.4	+4.6
White beans	9	4.7	+4.3
Cannellini beans	9	4.7	+4.3
Protein shake (whey)	9	4.8	+4.2
Black bean burger	8	3.8	+4.2
Lentils	9	4.8	+4.2

GLP-1 says no, the rest say yes

Foods that most frameworks approve and this one doesn't.

Foods the GLP-1 Friendly framework scores far below the average of the other ten frameworks
Food	GLP-1	Other ten	Gap
Scotch bonnet	2	8.1	-6.0
Dried chilies	2	8.1	-6.0
Habanero pepper	2	7.9	-5.9
Thai chiles	2	7.5	-5.5
Bone marrow	1	6.2	-5.2
Chili flakes	3	8.2	-5.2
Duck fat	1	6.0	-5.0
Extra virgin olive oil	4	8.7	-4.7
Chili oil	2	6.6	-4.6
Macadamia milk	2	6.5	-4.5

GLP-1 Friendly foods by category

How many foods clear the approve threshold in each category.

Frequently asked questions

What is the GLP-1 Friendly framework?

It is one of eleven dietary frameworks FoodRef scores every food against. It rates foods on how well they fit the eating pattern described in published clinical guidance for people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide: high protein, high fiber, lower fat, easy to digest, smaller portions.

How is a GLP-1 Friendly score calculated?

Each food is scored 1–10 against the framework's written rules. Scores map to verdicts identically across all eleven frameworks: 1–3 avoid, 4–6 caution, 7–10 approve. The rubric was reviewed by a Registered Dietitian before it was applied.

What foods score highest on the GLP-1 Friendly framework?

399 of our 1,168 foods clear the approve threshold. Chicken breast leads the catalogue at 10/10; the rest of the top is lean protein — tofu, turkey, scallops, skyr, seitan, whey and soy protein isolate — alongside legumes, high-fiber vegetables, and herbs and spices that add almost no calories. The full ranked list is on this page and the complete catalogue is at our GLP-1 Friendly diet page.

What foods does the GLP-1 Friendly framework rate lowest?

318 foods fall in the avoid band. The bottom of the list is alcohol and sweetened drinks, sugars and syrups, fried and baked sweets, pure fats such as duck fat and truffle oil, cream-and-butter sauces, and the fattiest cuts of meat — energy-dense, low in protein, and hard to digest in the smaller portions this pattern assumes.

Does a high GLP-1 Friendly score mean a food is healthy?

No. It means the food fits that framework's rules. Every food on FoodRef carries eleven separate scores precisely because "healthy" is not one question. We publish all eleven and index how much they disagree.

Why does the GLP-1 Friendly framework disagree with Keto or Carnivore?

Because they optimise for different things. The GLP-1 pattern is high protein and high fiber and lower fat; Keto rewards fat and penalises carbohydrate; Carnivore excludes plants entirely. A high-fat food can sit at the top of Carnivore's range and in the avoid band here. FoodRef's Controversy Index measures exactly this spread.

Who reviewed these ratings?

Liz Cook, MS, RD reviewed all eleven framework rubrics line by line and vets individual ratings on an ongoing basis. Our methodology, including what has and has not been vetted, is published in full.

Is this medical advice?

No. FoodRef reports how published dietary frameworks rate foods. It is not medical advice, it is not personalised, and it is not a substitute for talking to a qualified healthcare professional — especially if you take medication or have a medical condition.

Every rating, in one list

1,168 foods scored against the GLP-1 Friendly framework, ranked from best to worst.

Browse all 1,168 ratings →