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Here is a quote from Peat. The "strained" type he says is safe is greek yogurt:
"A spoonful or two of acidic yogurt isn't harmful, but a cupful of the
acidic type can be enough to deplete the liver's energy stores,
because lactic acid is converted to glucose in the liver, requiring
energy. The "strained" type that isn't acidic is similar to cottage
cheese and is safe." – Ray Peat (Email advice)
Greek yogurt is the epitome of strained.
Strained yogurt, Greek yogurt,[2] yogurt cheese, sack yogurt, or kerned yogurt is yogurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than normal unstrained yogurt, while still preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt.
So strained means strained of excess water, like when making tofu from soy curd. Not all Greek yogurt is strained. In fact I don't know how I could have strained the Greek yogurt I used to make, because it contained very little loose water. However, yogurt I made from other strains did require straining, or the addition of thickening agents.
Fifteen tanker trucks full of acid whey, the yellowish liquid by-product of Greek yogurt production, left Yoplait’s plant in Murfreesboro, Tenn., every day in 2014. The trucks headed to nearby farms, where farmers would spread the whey onto their fields as fertilizer. Similar activity on an even larger scale was taking place in New York, where some of the biggest Greek yogurt makers—Chobani, Dannon, and FAGE—have production facilities.
My 125g Greek yogurt daily is Peat approved! I was going to keep eating it anyway.....Peat says greek yogurt is fine as most of the lactic acid has been strained out. He says greek yogurt is almost the same as cottage cheese.
is anyone familiar with the work of Elie Metchnikoff, who theorized the lactic acid in yogurt is the best way to kill bacteria in the intestine and prevent putrefaction?
Yes! His book prolongation of life is a very good read from a hundred years ago.
According to Metchnikoff, lactic acid and lactic acid bacteria kill other bacteria, leading to net less bacteria and bacterial diversity in the gut. And thus less endotoxin.
I find that there is also a big difference between kinds of lactofermented milk. Yoghurt tastes very sour and not nice to me. But where I live you can buy buttermilk which is not nearly as sour and very tasty (to me at least).
Maybe small amounts can be useful against endotoxin, if a sterile gut is not feasible.
Likely worse, but people tend to eat less (quantity) sour cream than they do yoghurt. So your balance of lactic acid may be equal when one considers serving size.Is it OK to substitute sour cream for yogurt in food prep? I'm talking about a few tablespoons per serving.
How does store bought kefir compare?I'm still going strong with homemade kefir. I have made Viili before, but not Filmjolk or Pima or Amasi, etc.
I just seem to tolerate kefir so much better than plain milk. Lately I've been having 3 cups a day, though I'd like to get a bigger mason jar and bump it up to a quart.
Thanks for your input.FWIW, Peat's advice seems to line up with my experience. A small amount of yogurt is fine, but when I've used larger amounts for meals (even greek yogurt), I start to feel weird and sluggish after a few days. I also get a sort of feeling like my GI tract is slowing down, and not feeling good. Never get this from normal cheese or cottage cheese.
How does store bought kefir compare?
My experience was similar in terms of gut health following peats advice. It basically decreases beneficial bacteria whilst feeding candida which can result in all sorts of symptoms. I feel like the issues that persist when following peats dietary advice too strictly are most likely gut related. Go with your gut ?Ngl, Ray Peat has secured a place in my heart for being a nuanced thinker who freed me of fear of saturated fats and made me realize that I don't need to stuff myself with pufa nuts and seeds, and I sincerely appreciate him for that. But when it comes to the gut microbiome, I am not convinced. Maybe the idea that a sterile gut would be optimal in lab conditions might be true, but in the real world trying to keep a sterile gut is utterly impossible. I am currently listening to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a Russian neurologist and nutritionist who devised the GAPS diet, a diet that aims to heal the gut, and found her approach very interesting. Her recommendations at times are quite similar to Rays, but she differs when it comes to fermented foods. Similar to what was said about Metchnikoff in this thread, she believes that the lactic acid from fermented dairy kills off pathogenic bacteria in the gut. She is against antibiotics because she believes they first and foremost kill the beneficial strains of microbes that control the more pathogenic strains, leaving room for pathogenic microbes to proliferate. She believes that pasteurized dairy is a dead product and possibly harmful and irritating to the gut, while raw and/or fermented dairy are life-giving and healing for the gut.
The thing is, I have been struggling with some health issues coming from my gut. I used to eat a lot of fermented foods and pufas (nuts and seeds) when I came across Ray Peat, and due to Ray, I eliminated all the fermented products and the nuts and seeds out of my diet, started adding pasteurized lowfat milk etc and followed that for a few weeks. My skin conditions noticeably improved at first, but I now attribute that to the reduced consumption of pufa laden nuts and seeds. Other issues however have become worse, my gut especially feels less tolerant to foods, and more sensitive as I am starting to notice in the last couple of days. Something about my current Peat-inspired diet doesn't seem to be working, which is why I will consider what Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has to say. While I will stick to keeping pufa-intake low, I will slowly add in some fermented and/or raw dairy, while eliminating pasteurized dairy from the discounter and see how my body will respond. I know that this is all anecdotal, but that is what I am left with right now.