Making smart food choice help you reach your weight loss goals while on Mounjaro
Although Mounjaro can help you to lose weight sustainably, eating healthily can help achieve your desired results and avoid side effects. Looking for some healthy swaps? We outline a breakdown of the foods you should avoid and suggest some alternatives.
Published: April 2025
Next review: April 2026
Reviewed by: Amy Anand, Clinical Pharmacist and Independent Prescriber
Although fat is generally thought of as unhealthy, you do need some in your diet.
Unsaturated fats are generally considered healthy and are found in foods such as avocados, olive oil, nuts and seeds. Eating healthy fats can also help minimise your risk of heart disease.
Saturated fats are unhealthy fats and should be avoided in your diet, especially when taking Mounjaro. This is because fat contains more calories per gram than other food groups like carbohydrates.1
Saturated fats are found in foods like chips, cake, chocolates and cheese.2 You can check food labels to see how much fat they contain.
Eating food and drinks high in sugar, like sweets, chocolate, biscuits and cakes can cause blood sugar spikes. This can make Mounjaro less effective leading to reduced weight loss or weight gain.3
You should try to have no more than 30 grams of sugar a day. This doesn’t count foods with naturally occurring sugar like fruits, vegetables and milk.
Food labels do include natural sugars in their total sugar value. Some labels will tell you how much natural sugar is included but some may not.4
Sweet foods like honey and maple syrups make up part of your daily allowance, even though they are naturally occurring.4
Alcoholic drinks tend to be high in calories. It is easy to forget how many calories you’re consuming from drinks like wine, beer or vodka especially if you are celebrating or socialising.5
Alcohol also causes blood sugar spikes that can reduce the efficacy of Mounjaro.5
If you are taking Mounjaro, you don’t have to stop drinking but you should try to limit yourself as much as possible. The NHS recommend you drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week but drinking less can benefit your weight loss when on Mounjaro.1
Volunteering to be a designated driver or opting for alcohol-free versions of your preferred drink can help you manage your alcohol intake.
Some non-alcoholic drinks can be high in sugar and should be avoided where possible. Check to see if there are sugar-free or reduced-sugar versions available.
If you want to avoid unhealthy foods while using Mounjaro, simple food and ingredient can help. The table below shows how you can incorporate healthy food options into your diet.
| Food | Healthy swap | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Processed cereals like frosted flakes, chocolate cereals or croissants | Wholegrain cereals, porridge, overnight oats or yoghurt and fruit | Reduced sugar and fat |
| Crisps |
Plain popcorn, rice cakes |
Lower salt and saturated fat |
| Juices and fizzy drinks | Sugar-free fruit juice, water with fresh fruit or cold-brew teas | Reduced sugar and caffeine |
| Ready-made meals like sandwiches, soups or microwave meals | Homemade meals, fresh soups and sandwiches | Home cooking can make it easier to control levels of sugar, salt and fat |
| Processed meat like sausages and bacon | Chicken or turkey | Lean mean, low fat and high in protein |
| Condiments like ketchup or mayonnaise | Low-fat ketchup or mayonnaise | Reduced fat |
| Milk or white chocolate | Dark chocolate 70% or higher | Lower sugar content |
| Cakes and cake bars | Malt loaf or fruit loaf | Reduced sugar |
| Cheese spread | Low-fat or reduced fat cheese | Reduced fat |
| Whole milk | Skimmed or semi-skimmed milk | Reduced fat |
- If Mounjaro has no diet plan, what food should you eat? Drugs.com https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/mounjaro-diet-plan-what-you-eat-3578942/. Accessed February 13, 2025.
- Facts about fat. nhs.uk February 23, 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/different-fats-nutrition/. Accessed February 13, 2025.
- MPH CF. What Foods to Avoid on Mounjaro. Diabetes Strong May 23, 2024. https://diabetesstrong.com/foods-avoid-mounjaro/. Accessed March 4, 2025.
- Sugar: the facts. nhs.uk March 3, 2022. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/. Accessed February 13, 2025.
- Mounjaro and Alcohol/Food Interactions. Drugs.com https://www.drugs.com/food-interactions/tirzepatide,mounjaro.html. Accessed March 4, 2025.