GLP-1 medications are reshaping the weight-management landscape—and their impact is beginning to extend far beyond the pharmaceutical category.
As more consumers use GLP-1 and related therapies, food, beverage and supplement manufacturers are facing a new formulation challenge: How do you deliver meaningful nutrition to consumers who may be eating significantly less?
GLP-1 receptor agonists can substantially reduce appetite and overall food intake. Research has reported reductions in energy intake ranging from approximately 16% to 39%.¹ While reduced caloric intake is central to their effectiveness, eating less can also mean consuming less protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients.²˒³
That creates an emerging opportunity for the nutrition industry: developing nutrient-dense products designed to make smaller amounts of food count for more.
The Nutritional Challenge Behind Reduced Appetite
Consumers using GLP-1 therapies may experience significant changes in appetite, portion size and food intake. As total food intake falls, maintaining a nutritionally adequate diet can become more challenging.¹˒²
A 2025 joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Society for Nutrition, Obesity Medicine Association and The Obesity Society identified several nutrients of concern among people using GLP-1 therapies, including iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1 and B12.¹ Fiber and adequate protein intake are also important considerations.²˒³
But the nutritional challenge may actually begin before GLP-1 therapy. A 2026 analysis of nationally representative U.S. data found that adults meeting eligibility criteria for GLP-1 anti-obesity medications had lower diet-quality scores for nutrient-dense foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plant proteins. The study also found modestly higher inadequacy for several nutrients, including vitamins A, C, D, E and K, magnesium, potassium and fiber.⁴
GLP-1 use therefore presents a unique nutritional equation:
Less food + existing dietary gaps = a greater need for nutrient density.
For product developers, the goal isn’t necessarily to create larger servings or add more calories. It is to develop smarter products that deliver more nutritional value within convenient, manageable serving sizes.
Green Nutrition for the GLP-1 Consumer
This is where RFI Ingredients’ broad portfolio of clean, plant-based ingredients offers significant formulation potential.
RFI’s fruit, vegetable, and botanical ingredients can help manufacturers build products around a simple concept: more nutrition in every serving.
Fruit and vegetable powders can bring naturally occurring phytonutrients and other plant compounds into powders, beverages, bars, gummies and nutritional formulations without requiring consumers to dramatically increase portion size.
Greens and cereal grasses can similarly provide an efficient way to broaden the plant-based nutritional profile of products intended for consumers focused on wellness, weight management and healthier eating patterns.
Rather than asking consumers with reduced appetites to eat a large plate of additional foods, manufacturers can explore ways to incorporate nutrient-rich plant ingredients into products consumers already use.
Think smaller, smarter nutrition.
Fiber and Digestive Wellness Matter, Too
Nutrition during GLP-1 use isn’t limited to vitamins and minerals. Reduced overall food intake may also make adequate fiber consumption more challenging. Recent research examining nutrition during GLP-1 therapy has identified low fiber intake as one of several potential nutritional concerns.²
That creates opportunities for formulations combining plant-based nutrition with fiber and digestive-support ingredients.
From drink mixes and smoothies to nutrition bars, greens powders and functional beverages, formulators can develop products that deliver nutrition while fitting comfortably into the consumer’s changing eating habits.
The key is creating solutions that are easy to consume, convenient and nutritionally meaningful.
Plant Diversity Can Be Part of the Solution
Another consideration is dietary variety.
When total food consumption decreases, maximizing the nutritional quality of the foods that are consumed becomes increasingly important. The 2025 joint advisory recommends emphasizing a diverse range of nutrient-dense, minimally processed foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, lean proteins, nuts and seeds, to help support nutrient adequacy during GLP-1 therapy.¹
RFI’s portfolio gives manufacturers the ability to incorporate a broader spectrum of clean, plant-based ingredients into a single formulation, including:
- Fruit and vegetable powders
- Green food ingredients
- Cereal grasses
- Botanical teas and extracts
- Mushroom ingredients
- Tea, coffee and cacao extracts
These ingredients can be combined to create formulations targeting the evolving nutritional priorities of today’s weight-management consumer.
From “Weight Loss” to “Nutrition During Weight Loss”
Recent scientific reviews have emphasized the importance of adequate protein, micronutrients and overall dietary quality during GLP-1 therapy, particularly as researchers examine nutritional adequacy and preservation of lean mass during significant weight loss.²˒³
For brands, that opens opportunities across nutritional shakes, greens powders, functional beverages, stick packs, bars, gummies and daily wellness products designed around nutrient density, plant diversity, digestive wellness and convenient nutrition.
The objective should not be to position foods or supplements as replacements for individualized medical or nutritional guidance. Instead, the opportunity is to develop better nutritional tools for a population whose dietary habits may be changing dramatically.
Helping Brands Formulate for the GLP-1 Era
RFI Ingredients brings together a broad ingredient portfolio with formulation and technical expertise to help brands translate this emerging nutritional need into commercially viable products.
From fruit, vegetable and green powders and botanical extracts to cereal grasses, mushrooms and customized ingredient systems, RFI can help manufacturers develop smart, nutrient-dense formulations across a wide variety of delivery formats.
As GLP-1 therapies continue to transform the weight-management landscape, the nutrition industry has an important role to play.
The question is no longer simply, “How can we help consumers eat less?”
It’s becoming:
“How can we help consumers get more from what they do eat?”
For food, beverage and supplement innovators, that may be one of the biggest formulation opportunities of the GLP-1 era.
References
- Mozaffarian D, Agarwal M, Aggarwal M, et al. Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity: A joint advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2025;122(1):344–367. doi:10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.04.023.
- Mogna-Peláez P, Guasch-Ferré M. Avoiding Malnutrition in the Era of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Medications: Emerging Evidence and Opportunities for Integrated Nutrition Care. Journal of Nutrition. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101684.
- Arslan S. Medical nutrition in the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) era: Protein strategies, micronutrient monitoring, and lean mass preservation. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN. 2026;73:103305. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2026.103305.
- Babazadeh D, Zhong H, Steinberg FM. Diet Quality and Micronutrient Intake Among U.S. Adults Eligible for GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Anti-Obesity Medications: A Nationally Representative Analysis. Journal of Nutrition. 2026. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101753.