Guest: Ashley Koff, RD — registered dietitian, founder of the Better Nutrition Program, author of Your Best Shot Host: Elizabeth Stein, founder & CEO of Purely Elizabeth Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | iHeart Radio
Ashley Koff has been a registered dietitian for over 25 years and is the founder of the Better Nutrition Program. Her upcoming book, Your Best Shot: The Personalized System for Optimal Weight Health — GLP-1 Shot or Not, takes a grounded, science-backed look at a conversation that most people are getting wrong: what GLP-1 hormones actually are, how they work in the body, and why the question isn't really about the medication at all.
In this conversation, Ashley and Elizabeth talk about "weight health" as a concept that reframes how we think about the body, why our own GLP-1 hormones are designed to work as a motion detector rather than a force field, what hydration actually means (hint: drinking more water doesn't mean you're hydrated), and why Ashley believes healthy nutrition is powered by boredom. She also introduces the "better be delicious" test — a practical way to use the body's satisfaction signal to stop eating meh food.
Key Takeaways
Weight health is not the same as weight — total weight on a scale is close to a meaningless number for health purposes; what matters is the composition of bone, muscle, and fat and how it's distributed
GLP-1 is a hormone your body already makes — it's produced in the lining of the digestive tract and switches on and off in two to five minutes; GLP-1 medications create a version that stays active for seven days, which is why the effects and side effects are different from your body's own hormone
The motion detector analogy — your body's GLP-1 switch was designed for a pre-industrialization world where food signals were infrequent; today there are millions of food signals hitting your nervous system daily, overwhelming the switch
Hydration is not the same as drinking water — water has to get into the cells to hydrate; many people are hoses not sponges, meaning water moves through without being absorbed; electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, sodium) are key to actual cellular hydration
The "better be delicious" test — eating food that scores a 7 or higher on a personal deliciousness scale triggers the body's satisfaction signal, which is part of the hormone system working properly; eating mediocre food doesn't give you that signal and often leads to looking for more
Minerals matter more than macros — magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium are more likely to be the nutrient gap that's affecting your metabolism than protein or carbohydrate ratios
Products Mentioned
-Purely Elizabeth Protein Oatmeal — Maple Cinnamon Roll, Apple Harvest Crumble, and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread; available at purelyelizabeth.com and coming soon to Albertsons, Publix, Whole Foods, and Target
→ Shop Purely Elizabeth Protein Oatmeal
Episode Highlights
On what "weight health" actually means:
For most of Ashley's childhood and career, "weight" and "health" were treated as separate — or oppositional — concepts. You could be told you were healthy while also being told to eat less and exercise differently to change your weight. What Ashley is advocating for is understanding weight as a health signal: not the total number on a scale, but the composition of bone, muscle, and fat, and where fat is distributed in the body. Visceral fat — fat stored around organs — is a sign the body is doing something it isn't designed to do, and it's a meaningful health marker that total weight doesn't capture.
On GLP-1 as a hormone, not just a medication:
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is one of at least four to six weight health hormones naturally produced in the lining of the digestive tract. These hormones regulate hunger, fullness, blood sugar, and metabolism — they signal other hormones to go to work. GLP-1 medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide) are biosimilar versions of this hormone that stay active for approximately seven days rather than the two to five minutes of the body's own hormone. That's why both the benefits and the side effects of the medications are more pronounced — the hormone is working longer and more continuously than the body is designed for.
On why the body's switch is overwhelmed today:
Ashley uses a motion detector analogy. Your body's GLP-1 hormone system was designed as a motion detector — switching on when food was available, switching off when satisfied. In a pre-industrialization world, food signals came at appropriate times. Today the system is being hit by millions of food signals constantly — food imagery, smells, ads, social media — and the switch doesn't know which signals to respond to. This overwhelm is part of why the system breaks down, and why optimizing your own hormone function (shot or not) matters.
On the "better be delicious" test:
Ashley developed this for patients during the holidays to help them evaluate whether what they were eating was actually satisfying them. If food scores a 7 or above on a personal deliciousness scale, the body gets a genuine satisfaction signal — a sign the hormones are doing their job. If you're eating something that's mediocre or "meh," you don't get that signal, and you keep looking for more. The practical application: stop eating things you don't actually enjoy, and when you eat something indulgent, if it's genuinely delicious, the body often self-regulates.
On hydration being more than drinking water:
Drinking more water doesn't equal being hydrated. Water has to get into the cells, stay outside cells in the right amounts, move toxins, and circulate in the bloodstream — all different jobs. Many people are "hoses" — water goes in and comes right back out because electrolytes aren't in place to help the body absorb it. Key electrolytes for cellular hydration: potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, fluoride. Ashley also calls out common dehydrators that people don't recognize as such: alcohol, sugar, and caffeine.
On mineral intake and why it matters more than macros:
The RDA for magnesium hasn't been updated since 1997 and was based on a 135-pound woman and 166-pound man. Ashley points out that magnesium helps turn off the stress response — and suggests that telling women they need 20% less magnesium than men implies women experience 20% less stress, which is obviously not supported by reality. Mineral optimization (magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium) is more likely to move the needle on metabolism and weight health than adjusting protein or carbohydrate ratios.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is weight health?
Weight health is the concept that our weight is a health signal, not just a number on a scale. Ashley Koff defines it as understanding the composition of bone, muscle, and fat in the body — and where fat is stored — rather than tracking total weight. Total weight doesn't differentiate between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle, or between fat stored under the skin and visceral fat stored around organs. Weight health reframes weight as information about how the body is functioning rather than a goal to reach.
What is GLP-1 and how does it work in the body?
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) is a hormone naturally produced in the lining of the digestive tract. It's part of a group of weight health hormones that regulate hunger, satiety, blood sugar, and metabolism. In the body, GLP-1 switches on and off within two to five minutes — it acts like a motion detector, turning on in response to food and turning off once the body has what it needs. GLP-1 medications (semaglutide, tirzepatide) are biosimilar versions that stay active for approximately seven days, producing stronger and longer-lasting effects than the body's own hormone.
What is the difference between GLP-1 medications and the body's own GLP-1 hormone?
The body's GLP-1 hormone is active for two to five minutes and works in short bursts. GLP-1 medications stay active for about seven days, meaning the hormone is continuously activating receptor sites in the brain, pancreas, arteries, and heart for a much longer period. This is why GLP-1 medications produce effects (and side effects) that the body's own hormone doesn't — they delay gastric emptying longer, keep the body metabolically active during sleep, and can impact heart rate variability. The medications are tools for people whose own GLP-1 hormones aren't functioning optimally — but they work because of the body's own hormone system, not separately from it.
What is the "better be delicious" test?
The better be delicious test is a practical tool developed by Ashley Koff. Before eating something, especially something indulgent, rate it on a personal scale of 1 to 10 for how delicious it genuinely is to you. If it scores a 7 or above, eating it gives your body a satisfaction signal — the weight health hormones respond to genuine sensory pleasure and communicate that you've been satisfied. If the food is mediocre (a 4 or 5), you don't get that signal, which means the system keeps looking for satisfaction, often resulting in eating more. The practical takeaway: eat things you actually enjoy, and stop eating things that don't genuinely satisfy you.
What does Ashley Koff mean by "are you a hose or a sponge"?
This is a simple self-test for hydration. Drink a small amount of water and notice how quickly you need to urinate. If water moves through quickly — you're drinking all day and urinating all day — you may be a hose: water is coming in but not being absorbed into your cells. This can happen when electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium) aren't present to help water cross into cells. True hydration means water getting into cells, staying in the right compartments, and being available for circulation and toxin removal — not just total water consumed.
What is the Better Nutrition Program?
The Better Nutrition Program is Ashley Koff's practice and resource hub. It includes a clinical assessment tool for weight health hormones — a questionnaire that goes beyond typical quizzes to evaluate the body's signals, lived experience, lab work, and lifestyle factors. The program also connects people with health coaches and practitioners to help interpret results and create personalized plans. More information at betternutritionprogram.com.
Topics: Weight Health · GLP-1 · Metabolism · Hormones · Hydration · Minerals & Electrolytes · Digestion · Personalized Nutrition · Better Nutrition Program
