Peat-a-tarianism

I'm honestly not sure why I find Ray Peat so interesting. Perhaps it's because he eats a quart of ice cream a day, or that I really have never seen a clear picture of him, or maybe it's that he is unintentionally really funny in interviews with Josh Rubin. Whatever it is, I feel like Ray is the grandpa I've always wanted.

Incorporating Peat's ideas hasn't been all fun and games however. He has made my life exponentially more difficult in one area.

When the inevitable "Well Danny, what diet are you doing now?" question arises, explaining "Peat-a-tarianism" is difficult, if not impossible.

I usually attempt to get the individual to retract the statement or end up being a gigantic douche and explaining that it is probably over their heads. 

Anyways... In a recent post I went over Ray Peat's dietary philosophy and compared it to the ever-popular paleo movement.

In this post I wanted to go over foods I've been consuming in my Peatatarianism adventure. I hope that this will be a resource for others who attempt to emulate Peat's diet. 

Milk & Cheese

I've already done some writing on this, but Peat loves milk and cheese. Dairy, especially raw dairy, contains an abundance of vitamin A, which together with thyroid and cholesterol kick off the hormonal cascade to produce the "mother hormone" pregnenolone. To my knowledge, besides liver, which contains too much cysteine, which may "turn off" the thyroid, raw dairy is the best source of Vitamin A around.

Casein, the predominant protein found in dairy has caused quite the tizzy in the paleosphere and vegetarian communities. The claim that IGF-1 and casein are carcinogenic is touted by the devil himself and many other more intelligent people.

Peat is unflappable in the face of these claims. He believes that casein is beneficial in the fight against stress and never addresses IGF-1 directly, but since he consumes so much milk and cheese, I'm sure he isn't worried about it.

Peat recommends that everyone have at least 32 oz. of milk a day (1 quart) and has some suggestions if you are intolerant to it. Peat digs raw milk if you can get it, but in a recent interview explained that some do better on the superheated pasteurized variety.

Shellfish, Eggs & Ruminants

80-100 grams of protein from dairy is not an easy or cheap accomplishment. Enter shellfish. Oysters, crab, and clams contain an abundant amount of vitamin A, zinc, copper and selenium, which are all needed for proper hormone synthesis. Besides being, for the most part, more nutrient-dense than muscle meat, shellfish boast a slightly more desirable amino acid profile.

Peat also consumes eggs, but warns that they should be eaten sparingly due to their insulinogenic effect and higher-than-optimal PUFA content. 

While he doesn't talk about it on his site, Peat is said to consume quite a bit of grass-fed beef and lamb. This is interesting because Peat is not a fan of cysteine, which ruminant muscle meats are filled with.

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby you're in luck. Trader Joe's is a great source for wild shrimp, wild-crab, clams, grass-fed ruminants, and eggs. Peat recommends 80-100 grams (or more) of protein for everyone with thyroid issues. Matt Stone just wrote a great article on this.

Sucrose & Orange Juice

Peat, unlike the entire paleosphere (including me at one point) does not fear fructose, instead he suggests that "the poison" has desirable effects on insulin sensitivity and blood sugar.

In an interview, Peat questions the histaria around fructose and does not understand what the hubbub is about. He explains that John Yudkin's research revealed that sugar consumption increased cholesterol. In Yudkin's time (and now) people were under the impression that heart disease was caused by an excess of cholesterol.

Of course, we know that cholesterol is good stuff. As long as our thyroid is humming, our bodies will break cholesterol down into desirable sex hormones. Peat believes that sex hormones and cholesterol promote the ability of the organism to be resilient in the face of stress. I believe that sex hormones and cholesterol promote the ability of the organism to engage in some serious love making. 

In contrary to sugar, which contains no nutrients, orange juice contains a hefty amount of potassium, magnesium and of course an ass load of vitamin C. Peat believes that orange juice is pro-thyroid and like sucrose probably increases glucuronic acid.

I've read that Peat consumes about 32 oz. of pulp-free orange juice a day (pasteurized or raw). Someone who consulted with Peat claimed that he consumed 300-400 carbohydrates a day in the form of sucrose, orange juice, and ice cream.

Salt, Baking Soda, Gelatin, Coconut Oil, Ice Cream, & Raw Carrots

Miscellaneous "supplements" to Peat's dream diet are sea salt, baking soda, gelatin, coconut oil, ice cream and raw carrots.

As I've mentioned earlier, Peat is a fan of salt in the aid of decreasing aldosterone as well as cortisol. He avoids Himalayan salt (filled with iron), Celtic salt (filled with dirt) and favors Morton's canning salt.

Peat also likes using baking soda for the purposes of increasing CO2, which may be pro-thyroid and anti-serotonin.

I have already covered gelatin in depth here. Peat makes his own oxtail soup, but approves of the commerical gelatin from Great Lakes.

Peat is a big fan of coconut oil. He believes refined coconut oil is anti-serotonin, anti-stress and pro-thyroid. Peat believes that coconut oil can create a temporary hyperthyroid condition in some while displacing PUFAs in the tissue.

Peat consumes a quart of Häagen-Dazs ice cream a day. If you are going to emulate Peat on this one you'll want to avoid any product with excess fillers. You can purchase Strauss and Häagen-Dazs, which are both gum-less.

Peat is a strong advocate of consuming a raw carrot a day. Peat believes that the fiber is a natural antibiotic, which will suppress unfriendly microorganisms in the gut. Peat also suggests that a raw carrot a day can decrease cortisol and increase progesterone.