Filling Snacks on Ozempic, Wegovy or Zepbound: 25 Ideas With Protein or Fiber

On semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro), a good snack is small, easy to tolerate and brings something useful: protein or fiber. Here are 25 ideas from 86 to 185 kcal, calculated food by food: 16 have 7 g of protein or more, and 13 have 3 g of fiber or more.

I built them only from foods in our database, using the USDA FoodData Central values listed on each food page^[14]. The overall eating plan is in my guide to what to eat on GLP-1 medications; here I focus on what you eat between meals. If you’re not on these medications, there are five more snacks in filling lunches, dinners and snacks. On names: Ozempic is semaglutide and Mounjaro is tirzepatide, both approved in the US for type 2 diabetes. Wegovy and Zepbound are the same molecules approved for weight management, so I quote their labels.

Why snacks matter on a GLP-1

You eat less at each meal. The US label for Wegovy says semaglutide decreases calorie intake, and the effects are likely mediated by affecting appetite^[1]. The Zepbound label says the same of tirzepatide: it decreases calorie intake, and the effects are likely mediated by affecting appetite^[2]. With smaller plates, what you eat between meals carries more weight in your day.

The advisory suggests small, frequent meals. The 2025 joint advisory on nutrition and GLP-1 therapy, from four US medical and nutrition societies (I’ll call it “the advisory”), notes that small, frequent meals may work when appetite is low. For nausea, it suggests a small breakfast, then small meals every 3 to 4 hours, with enough fluids. It also suggests eating protein-rich foods first, so they don’t get left on the plate^[4].

Nausea shows up after long stretches without food. The same advisory notes that nausea is the most common digestive side effect and often appears in the morning or after long periods without eating^[4]. An afternoon snack means you don’t reach dinner on an empty stomach since lunch.

Dose increases are the tricky weeks. In the Wegovy label, across three placebo-controlled trials of up to 68 weeks in adults, nausea affected 44% of people on the 2.4 mg weekly injection versus 16% on placebo. The label says gastrointestinal reactions were most frequently reported during dose escalation, and on the injection the dose is stepped up every 4 weeks over 16 weeks^[1]. The Zepbound label reports nausea in 25%, 29% and 28% of people on 5, 10 and 15 mg, versus 8% on placebo, and says most nausea, vomiting and diarrhea occurred during dose escalation and decreased over time^[2]. The US labels don’t say how long nausea lasts^[1,2]. The EU prescribing information for Wegovy does: most gastrointestinal reactions were mild to moderate and short-lived, and the median duration of nausea was 8 days^[3]. There’s a group of gentle snacks for those weeks further down.

Three criteria for choosing the 25

A snack made the list only if it meets all three:

1. 200 kcal at most. This is my own limit, so it stays a snack and not a fourth meal. It isn’t a calorie target.
2. At least 7 g of protein or at least 3 g of fiber. A 2015 review describes at least about 25 to 30 g of protein per meal^[5]; 7 g is roughly a quarter of that. For fiber, the National Academies, which set the US Dietary Reference Intakes, recommend 25 g a day for women and 38 g for men up to age 50 (21 g and 30 g after 50)^[6], and the European Food Safety Authority considers 25 g a day adequate for normal bowel function in adults^[7]. 3 g is 12% of 25 g and 8% of 38 g.
3. Easy to tolerate and to make. Almost all of them come together in five minutes, and none is fried.

How to read the tables: amounts are edible weight; the chicken is already cooked and the tuna drained. For kefir and soup, I count 1 ml as 1 g. Totals add up the exact value of each food and are rounded at the end. Ounces and cups are rounded and approximate; the grams are what I calculated from. In the tags column, “protein” means 7 g or more and “fiber” 3 g or more. “Easy to digest” and “may cause gas” come from the tags in our food database: the first when every food in the snack carries it, the second when any food is tagged as possibly causing bloating. “Strong smell” marks fish, which the US National Cancer Institute lists among smells that can bother you when you’re nauseated^[11].

Quick protein: 8 snacks with almost no cooking

Dairy, eggs, tuna and deli ham: the most direct way to add protein in a small volume.

• The tuna (5) fills a plate: 260 g (9.2 oz) of food for 103 kcal. It smells, though, so it’s not one for queasy days.
• The cottage cheese with pineapple (2) and the ham roll-ups (6) have step-by-step recipes in the recipe section.
• The plain Greek yogurt in our database is whole milk, with 5 g of fat per 100 g. With nonfat Greek yogurt, the same 125 g gives 12.8 g of protein for 74 kcal^[14].
• Deli ham is a processed meat with quite a bit of salt; use it as an add-on, not as an everyday base.

Fiber and volume: 6 snacks you chew

Whole fruit, raw vegetables and a few nuts. They fill the plate more and help if you’re dealing with constipation.

• The guava with queso fresco (13) is the only one in this group that meets both criteria: 8.0 g of protein and 5.4 g of fiber.
• Popcorn vs. nuts. In Holt’s satiety index, which compared 240 kcal servings with white bread set at 100, popcorn scored 154 and peanuts 84^[8]. The popcorn in the table is air-popped: with butter or caramel, it’s a different food.
• Nuts, measured out. Almonds have 579 kcal per 100 g^[14], which is why they come in at 15 g (0.5 oz) next to a piece of fruit here, not as a big handful.
• Go slowly at first. The advisory notes that avoiding fatty or very high-fiber foods in the first days of treatment may ease symptoms^[4]. The jicama with pepitas (8.3 g of fiber) or the hummus may fit better later on.

For dose-increase weeks: 6 gentle snacks

When your stomach is unsettled, what usually sits best is mild, low in fat and without a strong smell. The MedlinePlus bland diet includes exactly these kinds of foods: applesauce, bananas, broth, low-fat dairy, poultry, and bread or crackers made with refined flour^[10]. The advisory adds that cottage cheese and soups are often easier to face than heavy foods^[4].

• The chicken and vegetable soup (18) has the most protein in this group: 15.6 g in a 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) bowl, because it has chicken in it. Vegetable broth on its own, with nothing else, barely reaches 0.6 g of protein and 13 kcal^[14]. Both add fluid; I explain why that matters in hydration on GLP-1 medications.
• The rice cakes (15) in our database are brown rice, and the MedlinePlus bland diet prefers refined grains^[10]. If they feel heavy, swap them for the white toast in number 20.
• The applesauce (17) is calculated from a raw 180 g (6.3 oz) apple, with the skin, and no added sugar. If you buy it ready-made, check the label for “unsweetened”.
• Cold, if warm food bothers you. The National Cancer Institute suggests trying cold foods such as yogurt^[11]. Kefir (19) and ricotta can go straight from the fridge.

On the go: 5 snacks that travel well

For work, school or a trip: they keep in an airtight container or a small bag and don’t need a fork.

• Nuts go in a small bag, measured in advance: 25 g (0.9 oz) of almonds is already 145 kcal^[14], and this way you don’t eat from the package.
• The hard-boiled eggs (4) and the roll-ups (6) also travel well in a container with an ice pack.

When to have your snack

• Between meals, not right next to them. For nausea, the advisory talks about small meals every 3 to 4 hours^[4], and MedlinePlus about 6 to 8 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones^[9]. My way of applying this, which isn’t a rule from either source: keep the snack at least 2 to 3 hours from the meal before and the one after. For example, between lunch at noon and dinner at 7 p.m. there are 7 hours; a snack around 3:30 p.m. leaves 3½ hours on each side.
• Protein first. If the snack combines two things, start with the yogurt, cheese or egg. If you fill up halfway, that part is already in.
• Not right before bed. The MedlinePlus bland diet advises against eating within 2 hours of going to bed^[10]. If you have reflux, the NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) says that eating at least 3 hours before lying down or going to bed may improve symptoms^[12].
• With reflux, go easy on acidic foods. The NIDDK lists citrus and tomatoes, chocolate, caffeine, mint, spicy foods and high-fat foods among those that can make it worse^[12]. If they bother you, swap snacks 4, 5, 8 and 23 for ones without tomato or tangerine. I cover this in acid reflux on GLP-1 medications.
• Sit up afterward. MedlinePlus advises against lying down after eating when you’re nauseated^[9].

What to avoid as a snack if you’re nauseated

The details are in nausea on GLP-1 medications: what to eat and what to avoid; here’s what applies to snacks:

• Greasy, fried or highly processed food. The advisory and MedlinePlus advise against it; MedlinePlus names pastries, fried foods and potato chips^[4,9]. A 60 g (2.1 oz) butter croissant has 244 kcal, 12.6 g of fat and only 4.9 g of protein^[14].
• Very sweet or spicy food, if it makes you feel sick afterward, according to the National Cancer Institute^[11]. 25 g (0.9 oz) of milk chocolate is 134 kcal and 1.9 g of protein; 30 g (1 oz) of butter cookies, 140 kcal and 1.8 g^[14]. The rice cakes with ricotta (15) have similar calories and 8.3 g of protein.
• Strong smells. The same institute names coffee, fish, onions and garlic^[11]. On those days, save the tuna (5 and 24) for later.
• Caffeine and carbonated drinks, which MedlinePlus suggests avoiding with nausea^[9].

Printable shopping list

With this, you can make all 25 snacks. If you print this page, the list comes out with boxes to check off.

Dairy and eggs

• Plain Greek yogurt, whole-milk or nonfat
• 2% cottage cheese
• Part-skim ricotta
• Queso fresco
• Part-skim mozzarella
• Low-fat plain kefir
• Eggs

Canned, deli and frozen protein

• Light tuna canned in water
• Sliced deli ham
• Chicken breast to cook and shred
• Frozen edamame

Fruit

• Strawberries
• Kiwifruit
• Pineapple
• Apples
• Pears
• Guavas
• Bananas
• Tangerines

Vegetables

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Red bell pepper
• Jicama

Pantry

• Almonds, raw or roasted, unsalted
• Walnuts
• Dry-roasted peanuts, unsalted
• Pepitas (pumpkin seeds), unsalted
• Peanut butter, no added sugar
• Popcorn kernels
• Brown rice cakes
• Hummus
• Whole-wheat and white sandwich bread
• Chicken broth, or chicken and vegetables to make soup

To plan the whole week, the weekly menu for small appetites spreads protein across small meals and can be printed too. If you want to try other combinations, the filling foods finder sorts foods by protein or fiber per serving, and the filling snacks ranking lists single foods that work as a snack.

Eating well, not as little as possible

These snacks are for getting what you need when your appetite is small, not for eating the bare minimum. Eating very little for a long time isn’t an achievement or the goal of treatment.

If you’ve gone days without covering the basics, food has become a source of anxiety, or you skip meals to make up for eating, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian. The advisory recommends screening for eating disorders in people on these medications^[4]. MedlinePlus describes eating disorders as serious mental health conditions and stresses that seeking help matters^[13].

Frequently asked questions

What can I snack on with Ozempic?

Something small with protein or fiber: Greek yogurt with strawberries (12.3 g of protein and 3.0 g of fiber for 169 kcal), two hard-boiled eggs with tomato, or an apple with 15 g (0.5 oz) of almonds. If you’re nauseated, something mild and cold is a better bet, like kefir or ricotta.

Do I have to eat a snack if I’m not hungry?

Talk it over with your doctor or a registered dietitian, because it depends on what you eat the rest of the day. As general information, the advisory notes that nausea often appears after long stretches without eating, and for people with nausea it suggests small meals every 3 to 4 hours^[4].

Which snack on the list has the most protein?

Tuna on whole-wheat toast: 20.3 g for 170 kcal. Without bread and without cooking anything, tuna with tomato and cucumber gives 16.8 g for 103 kcal. If you’d rather skip fish, the cottage cheese with pineapple has 16.0 g, and the chicken and vegetable soup 15.6 g.

What should I snack on the week my dose goes up?

The six gentle snacks on this page: banana, applesauce, chicken soup, kefir, rice cakes with ricotta, or white toast with chicken. The Wegovy and Zepbound labels report more digestive side effects during dose escalation^[1,2].

Are nuts a good snack on a GLP-1?

Yes, in measured portions. They bring protein and fiber in a small volume, but they have more than 500 kcal per 100 g (3.5 oz)^[14], and in Holt’s index, calorie for calorie, peanuts were less filling than white bread^[8]. Paired with fruit, as in numbers 9 and 10, they go further.

Can I have a protein shake as a snack?

It can be an option: the advisory lists smoothies made with fruit and milk or yogurt among the foods people often find easier^[4]. My guide to high-protein shakes without protein powder has versions made with regular foods. If you have kidney disease, ask first how much protein is right for you.