Back home in India, there is a huge emphasis on life which is balanced with food elements and rest. The entire Hindu philosophy lives in every household as small routines of food habits to have a life which is balanced.
I wake up every day to routines which are of drinking a spoon of ghee on an empty stomach after 2 glasses of water-only to enable great gut health.
These aren't rituals performed for tradition's sake. They're embedded wisdom about metabolic harmony that predates our understanding of GLP-1, insulin sensitivity, and gut microbiome diversity by old traditions which are now classified as either alternate medicine or naturopathy.
What if the entire longevity industry is solving a problem that Indian kitchens solved centuries ago? But at scale?
Ozempic is the current darling of metabolic intervention. A GLP-1 receptor agonist that hijacks your hunger signals, delivering rapid weight loss and blood sugar control. The clinical data is compelling. The side effects? Also compelling, just in the opposite direction.
But here's what fascinates me: we already produce GLP-1 naturally. It's a peptide hormone secreted by intestinal L-cells, which is capable of triggering pretty interesting metabolic actions:
- slowing gastric emptying
- stimulating insulin
- suppressing glucagon
- crossing the blood-brain barrier to modulate hunger in the hypothalamus.
Elegant. Integrated. Self-regulating.
This is somehow decoded in ancient wisdom- but in another language. Ayurveda has a concept called Agni—digestive fire. When Agni is weak, Ama accumulates. Ama is toxins, undigested material, metabolic debris. The modern scientific translation? Disrupted gut microbiome, inflammatory markers, insulin resistance, leptin insensitivity. Ayurveda or Naturopathy aims to treat the root cause, not the symptom. However, under pharmaceutical implications- we treat the symptom and not the cause.
What My Morning Ghee Ritual Actually Does
That spoon of ghee I drink every morning? It's not superstition. It's butyrate delivery.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid-a short-chain fatty acid that feeds colonocytes (the cells lining your colon), reduces inflammation, enhances gut barrier function, and stimulates L-cells to produce GLP-1. The same L-cells that Ozempic is trying to activate, except this approach doesn't bypass your body's regulatory systems. It supports them.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid-a short-chain fatty acid that feeds colonocytes (the cells lining your colon), reduces inflammation, enhances gut barrier function, and stimulates L-cells to produce GLP-1. The same L-cells that Ozempic is trying to activate, except this approach doesn't bypass your body's regulatory systems. It supports them.
The timing matters too. Empty stomach, after water. You're priming your digestive fire- in another language: your Agni (Ayuvedic representation of the gut) before anything else enters the system. You're setting the metabolic tone for the day.
The Indian Spice Box: A Longevity Pharmacy Hidden in Plain Sight? Just not scaled!
Walk into any Indian kitchen, and you'll find a masala dabba—a round steel container with seven compartments, each holding a different spice. This isn't about flavor alone. It's a metabolic toolkit that's been validated by peer-reviewed research, though no one bothered to brand it as such.
Longevity hacks in your rituals and kitchen:
Fenugreek contains a compound (N55) that enhances GLP-1 receptor signaling. In diabetic models, it improves insulin secretion by up to 30%. It also balances Kapha dosha, the Ayurvedic principle governing structure, heaviness, and cravings. Excess Kapha manifests as weight gain, lethargy, and metabolic sluggishness. Fenugreek corrects this.
Curcumin activates GPR40/120 receptors on L-cells, stimulating GLP-1 secretion and improving glucose tolerance. This has been validated in both animal and clinical studies. Indian households have been using turmeric in milk (Golden mikl) for inflammation, in kadha for immunity, in dal for digestion.
Curcumin activates GPR40/120 receptors on L-cells, stimulating GLP-1 secretion and improving glucose tolerance. This has been validated in both animal and clinical studies. Indian households have been using turmeric in milk (Golden mikl) for inflammation, in kadha for immunity, in dal for digestion.
Cinnamon activates gut receptors to increase GLP-1 by 20-25%. It contributes to glycemic control and balances Pitta dosha-the metabolic fire. Too much Pitta causes inflammation, acidity, and blood sugar spikes.
Ginger upregulates GLP-1 via cAMP and PKA pathways, suppressing hunger while enhancing insulin activity. In Ayurveda, it's considered the universal medicine. It stimulates Agni.
Whey protein outperforms casein by stimulating GLP-1 release and inhibiting the DPP-4 enzyme that degrades GLP-1, effectively prolonging the hormone's activity.
Bitter foods—dark chocolate, arugula, coffee, neem-activate intestinal bitter taste receptors that induce GLP-1 release by 15-20%.
Fermented foods—kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and traditional Ayurvedic ferments like kanji and Takra—foster beneficial gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids. SCFAs stimulate L-cells to release GLP-1.
These foods produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-acetate, propionate, butyrate-that stimulate GLP-1 release, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and strengthen gut barrier function. The same mechanisms that Ozempic is trying to trigger, except this approach simultaneously feeds beneficial bacteria, enhances nutrient absorption, and regulates immune function and is on a scale of effect much slower as the amounts of absorption and bioavailability much lesser.
These foods produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-acetate, propionate, butyrate-that stimulate GLP-1 release, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, and strengthen gut barrier function. The same mechanisms that Ozempic is trying to trigger, except this approach simultaneously feeds beneficial bacteria, enhances nutrient absorption, and regulates immune function and is on a scale of effect much slower as the amounts of absorption and bioavailability much lesser.
Rituals as Metabolic Intelligence
What strikes me most about these practices is how they're embedded as rituals, not "biohacks." You don't wake up and think, "I need to optimize my butyrate levels." You drink ghee because your grandmother did, and her grandmother before her. You don't calculate, "I need to activate GPR120 receptors." You add turmeric to your dal because that's how dal is made. You don't strategize about "improving gut microbial diversity." You make fresh dahi every day because it's part of the household rhythm.
The wisdom is embedded in culture, which makes it sustainable. It doesn't require willpower or discipline. It requires showing up to the rituals that constitute a balanced life.
The wisdom is embedded in culture, which makes it sustainable. It doesn't require willpower or discipline. It requires showing up to the rituals that constitute a balanced life.
The question isn't whether Ozempic works. It clearly does.
The question is: what are we optimizing for?
And sometimes, the most advanced longevity science looks a lot like your grandmother's kitchen.
