What Thanksgiving foods should I avoid if I’m taking a weight loss drug?

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What Thanksgiving foods should I avoid if I’m taking a weight loss drug?

Injectable medications used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have skyrocketed in popularity during the last few years.

If you’re taking it as a weight loss drug, food-centric holidays like Thanksgiving might make you panic about what you can — or can’t — eat.

Medical professionals urge you to enjoy your favorite festive fixings, but also said fried, greasy foods, along with anything high in carbohydrates and/or sugar, are among the worst for anyone using a GLP-1 medication.

These foods take longer to digest, experts say, so overindulging this Thursday might lead to uncomfortable side effects like nausea or vomiting.

Plus, there are some beverages — in addition to alcoholic drinks — that might be counterproductive.

“Thanksgiving is all about food, eating, and over-indulgence: Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie,” Dr. Chris McGowan, a gastroenterologist, obesity medicine specialist, and the founder of True You Weight Loss in North Carolina, told Healthline. “For many, eating to the point of discomfort is the highlight of the holiday and a way of showing appreciation to the host and chef.”

He said your holiday will be much more satisfying if you limit your intake of the following fixings:

  • Stuffing
  • Candied yams or sweet potato casserole
  • Green bean casserole
  • Mashed potatoes with gravy
  • Pecan pie
  • Canned cranberry sauce
  • Macaroni and cheese

According to McGowan, it’s best to fill your plate with foods that aren’t slathered with butter or packed with sugar such as roasted or steamed vegetables.

It’s also wise to look out for calories in cocktails.

“Alcohol contains a large amount of carbohydrate calories and can cause more nausea and reflux,” Kylie Bensley, a dietitian who founded the women’s nutrition company, Sulinu, told PEOPLE.

The millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning.

The costly proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services immediately sets the stage for a showdown between the powerful pharmaceutical industry and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken opponent of the weight-loss drugs who, as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the agency, could block the measure.

While the rule would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some have labeled them miracle drugs, it would cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade.

The rule would not be finalized until January, days after Trump takes office.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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