Are Peatarians Too Fragile?

[cyclops]

Peat-atarians and Fear of Hormetic Stress

 

[Beastmode]

Having a healthy, robust metabolism doesn't require more exposure to "stressors" that are already present (i.e- radiation, pollution, low quality foods, etc.)

His page: Best Of says a lot more of his mindset.

 

[S-VV]

Imagine not knowing about Seyle’s research and advocating for “hormesis” aka perpetual Resistance Stage to stress, which is only manageable by exposing oneself to ever greater stressors that maintain ACTH tone, until your adrenal cortex enlarges, your thymus atrophies etc...

 

[Arnold Grape]

Peat-atarians and Fear of Hormetic Stress

Yep — my sense of this is that by meticulously constructing a perfect or well thought out diet, no longer am I tolerant to consume foods outside of this protocol. In fact, I’m a downright terrible houseguest. This is what the post must be getting at: in constructing a rigorous environment of any kind it becomes problematic to step outside of that without repercussions.

 

[lampofred]

Raising metabolism consumes vitamin D at a faster rate, low vitamin D makes you more sensitive to changes in environment

 

[LUH 3417]

Humans are fragile. It’s the psychopaths who want to drive everyone to a cliff and see who can survive the fall.

 

[cyclops]

Having a healthy, robust metabolism doesn't require more exposure to "stressors" that are already present (i.e- radiation, pollution, low quality foods, etc.)

Yeah its interesting that he isn't calling for any of the stressors you correctly laid out that are present in our environment, but things like fasting and cold exposure. My feeling is that I would be able to deal with things like cold and missed meals if they happen to come up without needing to train for them, (although I have noticed I dont do well when I miss meals and get hungry lately), but I dont think training yourself to run on stress hormones is the answer. Also I think some people may be more resilient or less sensitive because they are in better health to start.

But I dont think purposely stressing yourself out is the answer. Maybe in the way of some weightlifting with well thought out recovery.

Yep — my sense of this is that by meticulously constructing a perfect or well thought out diet, no longer am I tolerant to consume foods outside of this protocol. In fact, I’m a downright terrible houseguest. This is what the post must be getting at: in constructing a rigorous environment of any kind it becomes problematic to step outside of that without repercussions.

Yeah, I guess thats the thing, not really fragile, but picky or having specific requirements. When you get used to eating a certain way bad food is going to have a more extreme effect on you. Maybe you know someone who could eat a horrible meal and seem unaffected, but once you get used to eating certain foods and running a certain fuel, missing a meal or eating bad food can have a worse effect on you. Its gets more difficult to just go with the flow of what everyone else is eating or doing.

 

[michael94]

hormesis maybe not but as a test of will or courage sure.. Also going with the flow is extremely overrated. Most people irl have been interested in strange diet habits not turned off by them!

 

[Beastmode]

Yep — my sense of this is that by meticulously constructing a perfect or well thought out diet, no longer am I tolerant to consume foods outside of this protocol. In fact, I’m a downright terrible houseguest. This is what the post must be getting at: in constructing a rigorous environment of any kind it becomes problematic to step outside of that without repercussions.

I eat at home mostly, but I don't stress out when I eat something from a restaurant or store. The fragility only occurs in the ones who don't understand the "bigger picture" and are most likely not doing the consistent stuff at home that promotes a healthy system. We bring food out with us most of the time when we know we won't have access to the foods we prefer.

I can "fast" now when out if needed way better than when I used to "fast" as a way to somehow get healthy.

@cyclops eludes to what I just wrote. Being healthier than before I can handle some of those things the blog suggests, but what's the point?

Back in 2016 I was going to do a retreat with Wim Hof in the mountains of Poland where you hike a mountain with a pair of shorts on some shoes. I thought it would be cool to challenge myself and prove how resilient my mind and body were. So happy I didn't go. Plenty of damage from years of being hypothyroid to work on.

One of my favorite things Peat has said and I paraphrase "Estrogen is like cocaine!" I've never done, but I know many who have and they're some of the most estrogen dominant people I know. They replaces one bad thing for another.

 

[schultz]

A small amount of endotoxin constantly leaking into the body and strengthening our immune system could be thought of as hormesis in the context of the world we live in.

 

[cyclops]

I guess these are two different ways of thinking:

The world is stressful, so lets stress ourselves out even more, so the normal world stress pales in comparison, and we can then handle it better
or
The world is stressful, lets eliminate the stress we can and de-stress ourselves, so we are better equipped to handle it.

 

[Lejeboca]

I eat at home mostly, but I don't stress out when I eat something from a restaurant or store. The fragility only occurs in the ones who don't understand the "bigger picture" and are most likely not doing the consistent stuff at home that promotes a healthy system. We bring food out with us most of the time when we know we won't have access to the foods we prefer.

I can "fast" now when out if needed way better than when I used to "fast" as a way to somehow get healthy.

Agreed. I think Peat nutrition (+some pregnenolone ) makes one more flexible towards stressors: Meet prepared those that cannot be avoided and avoid those that can... In other words, we adjust rather than adapt, the latter being a stress reaction per Selye.
For example, I was having dinner at a restaurant in a company of non-peaterian friends. (They already know that I don't eat fresh salads.) Now, fries are to be eaten on the plate. At first, I thought they were fried in a duck fat, just to learn mid-way that they were "healthy" and that the sunflower oil was used . Finished them anyway, out of politeness mostly. Came home and had a double dose of vitamin E without any other consequences..

 

[Lejeboca]

I eat at home mostly, but I don't stress out when I eat something from a restaurant or store. The fragility only occurs in the ones who don't understand the "bigger picture" and are most likely not doing the consistent stuff at home that promotes a healthy system. We bring food out with us most of the time when we know we won't have access to the foods we prefer.

I can "fast" now when out if needed way better than when I used to "fast" as a way to somehow get healthy.

Agreed. I think nutrition à la Peat (+some pregenolone ) makes us more flexible towards stressors: Meet prepared those that are unavoidable and avoid those that can be avoided: Adjust rather than adapt, the latter being a stress reaction per Selye.

 

[opethfeldt]

I've been thinking about this for a while. I think there's way too much avoidance of stress here, including avoidance of eustress like exercise. Ultimately, the goal should be to build up resistance to stress. If the mainstream public overestimates how much stress the human body can take, Peatarians underestimate how much it can take, assuming the body is optimized.

 

[cyclops]

Peatarians underestimate how much it can take, assuming the body is optimized.

This may be true, as I am amazed how most people who dont peat are able to function.

 

[opethfeldt]

This may be true, as I am amazed how most people who dont peat are able to function.

Drugs and alcohol, by my observation.

 

[gaze]

except those who are extremely resistant to stress from exposure are essentially like robots. they have very limited creativity, and their sole function has turned into survival. All you have to do is talk to ex military men and you'll see. Very numb minds, almost like their brain is made up more of scar tissue than anything.

 

[damngoodcoffee]

The straw man Peatarian..
Everybody probably agrees that it's good to be active and stuff. A good low PUFA diet makes it soooo much easier to move and do stuff that it's not really a stress at certain point. Peat has said that too much inactivity activates the same stress hormones than too much activity.
I think there's certain deep self-hate in culture. Masochism.

except those who are extremely resistant to stress from exposer are essentially like robots. they have very limited creativity, and their sole function has turned into survival. All you have to do is talk to ex military men and you'll see. Very numb minds, almost like their brain is made up more of scar tissue than anything.

I agree.

 

[meatbag]

Idk, I think this quote from Peat's latest interview is kind of insightful as too our " sensitivity " :

1:31:00 - "The adrenaline system has been maligned, its the flight or flight immediate response stress hormone. But it does activate other stress hormones cortisol and so on. So it can if it persists, be harmful. But the history of it, maligning that has led to people to over emphasize the opposite parasympathetic part of the nervous system which with severe stress and aging, the paraympatheitc overtakes the other side and creates the degenerative processes. So, the things that momentarily increase the epinephrine or adrenaline side can be very, very helpful if they are stopped soon enough. Sugar and salt happen to be two of the nutrients that will limit uncontrolled production of the adrenaline system. Thyroid; I've seen hypothyroid people who had just hour after hour their blood would be saturated with as much as 40x the normal amount of adrenaline compensating for the low thyroid function. So when you first take thyroid if you've been over producing adrenaline, you'll experience a stress speedy adrenaline reaction. People think that's the thyroid action, but actually thyroid has the relaxing function, you have to adapt to it gradually, getting the adrenaline under control. So having sugary and salty foods while you're adjusting to thyroid will help you keep the adrenaline under control. Once you're thyroid function is good, adrenaline is all good. Speeds your thinking and does everything helpful for adaptation. It's just the overproduction of it (adrenaline) usually from hypothyroidism, becomes a stress problem."

 

[GreekDemiGod]

I'd rather be fragile and NW1 than anything else.