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If you’ve ever struggled with bloating, anxiety, fatigue, weight challenges, or mood swings, this article and this test are for you.

Most people don’t realize that the health of their gut affects almost everything, from how well they think and sleep to how easily they lose weight. Your gut is more than a digestion center; it’s your second brain, a home for trillions of microorganisms called the gut microbiota (often referred to as the gut microbiome) that control inflammation, metabolism, and even mood (Salvadori et al., 2024).

With all the new buzz around gut health, you’ve probably heard about GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. These medications mimic a natural hormone in your body called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), which helps lower blood sugar, reduce appetite, and support weight loss.

But here’s what most people don’t know: GLP-1 has a partner called GLP-2, and both are made naturally in your gut. They’re produced by the same intestinal cells, called L-cells, which line your small intestine (Estaki et al., 2023). When you eat the right foods, your body can naturally release both hormones, no injections required.

The Connection Between GLP-1 and GLP-2

Both GLP-1 and GLP-2 are released after you eat, especially after meals that include protein, fiber, healthy fats, and plant-based nutrients.

• • GLP-1 helps lower blood sugar, curb appetite, and improve insulin sensitivity.
  • GLP-2 helps repair and protect the gut lining, improve nutrient absorption, and reduce inflammation (Baldassano & Wang, 2021).

In simple terms, GLP-1 supports metabolism, while GLP-2 restores gut health. They work together like teammates, one helps manage blood sugar and weight, and the other rebuilds the foundation that keeps your digestive system strong.

Recently, many supplement companies have started promoting products that claim to “naturally activate GLP-1.” The problem is that most of these supplements focus on mimicking the hormone’s effects, not on helping your body produce it naturally.

The truth is that your body already knows how to make GLP-1 and GLP-2; you just have to feed it properly. These hormones are released naturally by the same intestinal L-cells in response to what you eat. When your diet includes protein, fiber, omega-3 fats, and plant nutrients, you’re stimulating these hormones in the most natural, safe, and effective way possible.

In contrast, supplements that promise to “boost GLP-1” often lack real science, may only provide short-term effects, and don’t address the root issue: an unhealthy gut. When your gut is inflamed or out of balance, no pill can replace what food, and a healthy microbiota can do.

The best part? The same foods that support your gut health can also naturally boost GLP-1 and GLP-2, leading to better metabolism, digestion, and long-term health, without side effects or dependency.

How the Gut Health Test Works

The Gut Health Test is a simple at-home dried blood spot test that gives you a deep look at your gut health from the inside out. Just a few drops of blood from your fingertip can reveal detailed information about your body’s internal environment and how your gut is functioning.

Unlike stool tests that only look at bacteria, this blood-based test measures biomarkers that indicate how well your gut and metabolism work together.

Here’s what the test reveals:

✅ Inflammation markers: show if your gut barrier is leaky or inflamed.
✅ Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio: reflects how much inflammation is present and how easily your body can repair.
✅ Arachidonic Acid (AA) to EPA ratio: a global marker of inflammation that affects gut cell health.
✅ Fatty acid balance: reveals how well your gut is absorbing and using nutrients.
✅ Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) activity: indicates how well your gut microbiota are feeding your intestinal L-cells to release GLP-1 and GLP-2.

These results give you a true picture of what’s happening inside your gut, something you can’t guess or see from the outside. Once you have this data, we can design a plan that uses food to restore your gut balance, support natural GLP-1 and GLP-2 function, and help your body heal.

A Food as Medicine Approach

Your body already knows how to heal. It just needs the right nutrition to activate its natural systems.

When you eat the right foods, you feed the good bacteria in your gut. These bacteria make short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that strengthen your intestinal wall, reduce inflammation, and stimulate GLP-1 and GLP-2 production (Facchin et al., 2024).

That’s what a Food as Medicine approach is all about: it’s using food to turn on your body’s own healing hormones, instead of replacing them with drugs.

Here’s how to naturally boost GLP-1 and GLP-2 through food:

• • Eat fiber-rich foods like vegetables, beans, lentils, and oats.
  • Include omega-3 fats from wild-caught fish or BalanceOil+.
  • Add polyphenol-rich foods like berries, olives, and green tea.
  • Reduce processed foods that damage gut cells and disrupt your microbiota.
  • Manage stress and sleep, since both affect gut hormones and digestion.

When your gut is balanced, you feel lighter, more energized, and calmer, and your metabolism works the way it should.

The Truth About GLP-1 Supplements

With the popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, many supplement companies are now selling pills and powders that claim to “naturally activate GLP-1.”

Here’s what you should know before you buy:

✅ GLP-1 is made inside your gut; it’s produced by the same intestinal L-cells that release GLP-2. These cells respond to what you eat, not to synthetic ingredients in a capsule.

❌ Most “GLP-1 supplements” don’t fix the real problem – they may try to mimic the hormone’s effect, but they don’t heal your gut, balance your microbiota, or calm inflammation, which is what your body truly needs.

🌿 Food is the real activator. Fiber, omega-3 fats, and polyphenols from real food signal your gut to release both GLP-1 and GLP-2 naturally. This creates long-term balance without side effects or dependency.

💡 You don’t need a pill to tell your body what it already knows how to do; you just need to give it the right food environment.

📩 To learn how to support natural GLP-1 and GLP-2 production, get your Gut Health Test and a personalized Food as Medicine plan.

Contact the person who shared this article or email robert@dietfreelife.com to get started.

GLP-1 vs. GLP-2: What’s the Difference?

You’ve probably heard of GLP-1 because of popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro. But GLP-2 is equally important for long-term gut health and metabolic balance.

Where They Come From

Both are made by L-cells in your small intestine and released after eating.

How They Work

When you eat the right foods, you naturally activate hormones that help your body balance blood sugar, heal the gut, and reduce inflammation without medication.

Why Testing Beats Guessing

You can’t fix what you don’t measure. The Gut Health Test provides measurable data so you can see how your gut is doing and what steps to take next.

Once you know your results, we can create a personalized, science-based plan that improves digestion, supports GLP-1 and GLP-2 production, and restores your health from the inside out, through real food, not pharmaceuticals.

Your Next Step

If you’re ready to understand what’s really happening inside your gut, don’t guess, get your gut tested.

Once you have your results, we’ll show you how to take a Food as Medicine approach to restore balance, reduce inflammation, and support your body’s natural GLP-1 and GLP-2 hormones.

📩 Contact the person who shared this article with you,
📧 Email me at robert@dietfreelife.com, or
📅 Schedule a free consultation to get your Gut Health Test and start your personalized plan today.

References

1. 1. Baldassano, S., & Wang, G. X. (2021). Glucagon-like peptide-2: Functional roles and therapeutic potential. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 12, 707893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.707893
   2. Estaki, M., Pither, J., Baumeister, P., Little, J. P., Gill, S. K., & Gibala, M. J. (2023). GLP-2 and the gut–brain axis: Emerging insights into metabolism and inflammation. Nutrients, 15(2), 254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15020254
   3. Facchin, S., Vitulo, N., & Castagliuolo, I. (2024). Short-chain fatty acids and human health: From metabolic effects to clinical applications. Nutrients, 16(2), 345. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020345
   4. Gribble, F. M., & Reimann, F. (2021). Function and mechanisms of enteroendocrine cells and gut hormones in metabolism. Physiological Reviews, 101(2), 695–747. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00022.2019
   5. Jeppesen, P. B. (2022). Teduglutide and other glucagon-like peptide-2 analogues in the management of short bowel syndrome. Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, 38(2), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOG.0000000000000801
   6. Salvadori, M., Monari, E., & Losurdo, G. (2024). Update on the gut microbiota in health and diseases.

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Robert Ferguson is a California- and Florida-based single father of two daughters, clinical nutritionist, Omega Balancing Coach™, researcher, best-selling author, speaker, podcast and television host, health advisor, NAACP Image Award Nominee, creator of the Diet Free Life methodology, and Chief Nutrition Officer for iCoura Health. He also serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association and the Health and Product Advisory Board for Zinzino, Inc.

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