{
  "id": 13045650,
  "title": "Recipe of the day: After weight-loss meds, gut-friendly pasta salad",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/recipe-of-the-day-after-weight-loss-meds-gut-friendly-pasta-salad",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-09T06:03:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Citizen",
    "slug": "the-citizen",
    "url": "https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/food-and-drink/recipe-of-the-day-after-weight-loss-meds-gut-friendly-pasta-salad/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro have revolutionized the weight-loss landscape. However, the impact fades once the injections cease, as Dr Linia Patel, a seasoned dietitian and women's health expert, highlights in her latest book, Life After Weight-Loss Medication: Nourish Your Body and Keep the Weight Off. Patel, with over two decades of clinical experience, delves into the science behind these GLP-1 medications, their efficacy, and the challenges of maintaining weight loss post-medication. She addresses issues such as muscle loss, nutritional deficiencies, returning cravings, and the psychological struggle that follows the cessation of appetite-suppressing medication. Patel, who holds a PhD and has a background in public health, performance nutrition, and clinical dietetics, also authored Food for Menopause. Her new book serves as a comprehensive guide, blending scientific insights with practical advice. It emphasizes the significance of protein, fiber, gut health, exercise, sleep, and emotional wellbeing, offering strategies to rebuild healthier eating habits without fixating on calorie counting. The book includes 40 recipes and four weekly meal plans to facilitate the transition to these new habits. One such recipe is the Gut-friendly Pasta Salad, a versatile dish that can serve as a main or side, easily adaptable to seasonal vegetables and protein sources like chicken or prawns. Traditional pasta meals are often low in protein, making red lentil pasta an excellent protein boost. Wholegrain pasta offers three to five times more fiber compared to regular pasta. The salad serves four, takes about 45 minutes to prepare, and includes ingredients such as squash, garlic, thyme, olive oil, wholegrain or red lentil pasta, frozen peas, kefir, Parmesan, sunflower seeds, sea salt, and black pepper. The process involves roasting the squash, cooking the pasta, combining it with roasted squash, defrosted peas, kefir, Parmesan, and seeds, and adjusting seasoning before serving warm or at room temperature.",
  "summary": "This warm, fibre-loaded pasta salad is so versatile.",
  "key_points": [
    "Weight-loss meds like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro impact fades post-injection",
    "Dietitian Dr Linia Patel's book 'Life After Weight-Loss Medication' guides post-medication nutrition",
    "Gut-friendly Pasta Salad recipe included with 40 meal plans and strategies for healthier habits"
  ],
  "editors_take": "This gut-friendly pasta salad recipe offers a healthier alternative to traditional pasta meals, providing a boost of protein and fiber to support sustainable eating habits after weight-loss medication.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}