Dietician reveals 5 simple diet swaps that could act like 'natural' Ozempic

Dieters have been searching far and wide for 'natural' ways to mimic the miraculous slimming effects of wonder-drug Ozempic. 

Now, experts are increasingly highlighting the one key nutrient that they say has powerful hunger-curbing effects that are almost as potent as the injections.

Fiber is a natural component of many foods, found in abundance in fruits, vegetables and oats, and has been shown to slow your digestion, Melissa Rifkin, a registered dietitian who practices in Connecticut said.

'If weight loss is your goal, the satiety fiber provides is a great reason to incorporate it into your meals and snacks,' Ms Rifkin, wrote for Eat This, Not That!

Ozempic works by imitating hormones in your body that tell you when you're full. 

Eating 10 more grams of fiber daily can decrease your likelihood of gaining belly fat by 3.7 percent, according to a 2012 study from Wake Forest University.

Yet, up to 95 percent of American's don't get the daily recommended amount of fiber, one study suggested.

But it's not about adding endless bowls of oats into your daily diet. A few simple swaps can do the trick. Below, Ms Rifkin recommends five of the easiest.

Pack some punch into pasta 

You might think that the only way to get more fiber into your diet is by eating more fruits and veggies, but if you're smart about how you shop, you can get it in in all kinds of unexpected avenues, Ms Rifkin said. 

This includes everyone's favorite - pasta. Swapping a traditional wheat based pasta for one that's crafted from beans or legumes will up your fiber content considerably. 

For example, one serving of Banza chickpea pasta has eight grams of fiber, which is more than double the amount of fiber that you'd get if you had a serving of barilla- with three grams per serving. 

Swap your protein shake for a smoothie

Two cups of frozen berries will already yield about 6 grams of fiber, Ms Rifkin said. Adding more ingredients, like oatmeal and chia seeds, will push it even higher. 

Protein shakes are a favorite for people trying to bulk up in the gym, but often these shakes contain little to no fiber, Rifkin wrote.

Instead of reaching for a pre-packaged protein shake, Ms Rifkin recommends blending up a fruit smoothie - which at a baseline, has about 6 grams of fiber.

For example, Core Power high protein chocolate milk shake only has 1 gram of fiber. One homemade smoothie recipe from registered dietitian Jamie Nadeau- made with frozen berries, almond milk, Greek yogurt, oats, banana and chia seeds- has 13 grams of fiber, which will help you stay full for longer. 

Chuck out the croutons for crispy chickpeas

Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a great source of fiber. Dietitians have previously recommended them as a great source of fiber for a midnight snack to help ease constipation. 

Croutons are a popular addition to salads to make them more texturally interesting and flavorful- but you can get that crunch elsewhere, Ms Rifkin said. Adding roasted chickpeas will give you a similar sensation to croutons that's bursting with fiber. 

New York Crouton's Texas Toast flavor contains 0 grams of fiber per 7 gram serving, compared to 17 grams of fiber per 100 gram serving of roasted chickpeas. 

To make homemade crunchy chickpeas, you can rinse and dry a can of chickpeas, season them based on your preferences and roast for 25 minutes at 425 degrees. 

But if you're more low-effort, there are multiple companies now manufacturing crispy chickpeas that you can pick up at most grocery stores- like Saffron Road or Biena.

Add in Avocado instead of mayo

Avocado is a natural source of fat, but also contains about 4 grams of fiber per serving, making it a more robust option to get creamy flavors from. 

Even your creamy, fatty, more indulgent flavors can be working for you. Instead of using mayo on your sandwiches, you can try adding a smear of avocado, Ms Rifkin recommended. 

Mayo is made with oil, eggs and lemon juice- none of which provide much in the way of fiber. On top of that, many Mayo brands use seed oils to make their products, like canola oil, which are high in 'unhealthy' fats, and have been linked to adverse health events, like heart disease. 

By contrast, avocado is a vegetable that though high in fat, is also full of other nutrients, like fiber, Vitamin C, potassium and folate, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

All told, eating 100 calories of mayo would yield little to no fiber, but eating 100 calories of avocado, which is equivalent to roughly half the fruit, would give you four grams of fiber. 

'The combination of fiber and healthy fats allows avocado to be a great food for weight loss as these nutrients increase satiety,' Ms Rifkin said. 

Opt for quinoa over white rice

Quinoa is a seed that when cooked, tastes like a grain. It's packed full of nutrients, like fiber and protein. 

There's more than one way to add fiber to your grains. Instead of using rice for a side dish, Rifkin recommends opting for quinoa. 

Quinoa, a darling of the diet-conscious world, is actually a seed, which means it's high in protein and fiber, like other seeds and nuts. But when it's cooked, it's fluffy texture and mild taste make it seem more like a grain. 

There's roughly half a gram of fiber in a one cup portion of white rice. There's about ten times the amount of fiber in a one cup portion of quinoa- with 5 grams of fiber per serving. 

Also, Rifkin noted, quinoa has about eight grams of protein per serving, which can help you stay full for longer and is good fuel for muscle building.