Can PUFA Be The Cause Of My Symptoms?

Pinetreefire

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Hello everyone,

I´ve had chronic sinusitis for 3.5 years. It´s a constant sinus pressure day in and day out, non stop, but without runny/stuffy nose. This is accompanied by brain fog, blurry vision, dizziness, head twitching, lifeless look in my eyes, difficulty walking straight etc. I got this sinusitis verified through a neurologist and MRI scan of my head. The doctor said it is a mild one, and that it is harmless and should go away by itself. But it never does.

I´m also super sensitive to stress, have high social anxiety, depression, apathy, no emotions but sometimes extreme aggression and frustration. Stress can cause me to have bouts of extreme anxiety to the point where I feel like I´m going insane. Confusion. Puffy nipples. It gets worse the more I try to fix this. I found Ray Peat some 40 days ago. Began drinking coffee around 20 days ago, and had a huge stress response + insomnia for 8 days. Usually 5-6 cups of normal brew everyday. One day I had the same amount, but 4x stronger, and had an extreme stress response, to the point where I felt psychotic.

I tried Jack Kruse´s stuff for 10 months and it only made me worse. I occasionally had extreme reactions to some types of fish and DHA, like vomiting and allergic reactions.

When I was 21 yo I had a lot of acne and because of this started experimenting with diets. Eventually found Paleo, and my acne vanished like magic, with very little scarring too. So I was convinced that low carb / Paleo was the answer and doubled down. I got into some bodybuilding stuff and found a guy who ate raw meat and raw eggs, and started doing the same thing. So for a long time I used to consume from 10 to, believe it or not, up to 30 raw eggs a day. For the most part the cheapest, lowest quality supermarket eggs. I also ate a lot of fatty raw meat, the cheapest stuff too. I did low carb for around 4 years, also tried zero carb for a year, and ketogenic diets here and there. This completely ****88 up my glucose tolerance too.

I´m now convinced low carb / ketogenic is dangerous long term, and I can´t fathom how I could be so stupid and not being able to think more critically. It´s like I was in some kind of a trance.

I suspect that my symptoms are caused by PUFA accumulation in my liver and tissue, from the eggs and the meat I consumed, and that this creates endotoxins or something, and this leads to me having chronic sinusitis. I also think I have high serotonin and estrogen because of this. Last year when I was on a camping trip in the mountains, there was very strong sun, and I got some acne formation on the skin right above my liver, and also got really bad sunburn with blisters and skin scaling. These days I feel some kicking in my liver, the more coffee I drink.

I also haven´t had a fever/flu in over a year now. Can the PUFA also suppress my immune system? Maybe immunosuppression can lead to this chronic sinusitis? The low carb probably suppressed my immune system too. I have now for over a month switched to a high sugar/carb, medium protein, low fat diet.

My diet is mainly 1% milk, orange juice, white sugar, honey, grapes, 200-400g low fat minced beef, coffee, butter, sea salt, soda. Sometimes potatoes.

Can PUFA overload be the reason for my symptoms, and mainly chronic sinusitis?

I´m a 26 year old male, otherwise lean and healthy. I had blood tests two months ago which showed Vit D and Folate deficiency, and a little bit high blood sugar. (vit D was 65, should be 75 to 100+)(folate was 9, should be 20-40 according to the doctor).

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading.
 

Hans

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Hello everyone,

I´ve had chronic sinusitis for 3.5 years. It´s a constant sinus pressure day in and day out, non stop, but without runny/stuffy nose. This is accompanied by brain fog, blurry vision, dizziness, head twitching, lifeless look in my eyes, difficulty walking straight etc. I got this sinusitis verified through a neurologist and MRI scan of my head. The doctor said it is a mild one, and that it is harmless and should go away by itself. But it never does.

I´m also super sensitive to stress, have high social anxiety, depression, apathy, no emotions but sometimes extreme aggression and frustration. Stress can cause me to have bouts of extreme anxiety to the point where I feel like I´m going insane. Confusion. Puffy nipples. It gets worse the more I try to fix this. I found Ray Peat some 40 days ago. Began drinking coffee around 20 days ago, and had a huge stress response + insomnia for 8 days. Usually 5-6 cups of normal brew everyday. One day I had the same amount, but 4x stronger, and had an extreme stress response, to the point where I felt psychotic.

I tried Jack Kruse´s stuff for 10 months and it only made me worse. I occasionally had extreme reactions to some types of fish and DHA, like vomiting and allergic reactions.

When I was 21 yo I had a lot of acne and because of this started experimenting with diets. Eventually found Paleo, and my acne vanished like magic, with very little scarring too. So I was convinced that low carb / Paleo was the answer and doubled down. I got into some bodybuilding stuff and found a guy who ate raw meat and raw eggs, and started doing the same thing. So for a long time I used to consume from 10 to, believe it or not, up to 30 raw eggs a day. For the most part the cheapest, lowest quality supermarket eggs. I also ate a lot of fatty raw meat, the cheapest stuff too. I did low carb for around 4 years, also tried zero carb for a year, and ketogenic diets here and there. This completely ****88 up my glucose tolerance too.

I´m now convinced low carb / ketogenic is dangerous long term, and I can´t fathom how I could be so stupid and not being able to think more critically. It´s like I was in some kind of a trance.

I suspect that my symptoms are caused by PUFA accumulation in my liver and tissue, from the eggs and the meat I consumed, and that this creates endotoxins or something, and this leads to me having chronic sinusitis. I also think I have high serotonin and estrogen because of this. Last year when I was on a camping trip in the mountains, there was very strong sun, and I got some acne formation on the skin right above my liver, and also got really bad sunburn with blisters and skin scaling. These days I feel some kicking in my liver, the more coffee I drink.

I also haven´t had a fever/flu in over a year now. Can the PUFA also suppress my immune system? Maybe immunosuppression can lead to this chronic sinusitis? The low carb probably suppressed my immune system too. I have now for over a month switched to a high sugar/carb, medium protein, low fat diet.

My diet is mainly 1% milk, orange juice, white sugar, honey, grapes, 200-400g low fat minced beef, coffee, butter, sea salt, soda. Sometimes potatoes.

Can PUFA overload be the reason for my symptoms, and mainly chronic sinusitis?

I´m a 26 year old male, otherwise lean and healthy. I had blood tests two months ago which showed Vit D and Folate deficiency, and a little bit high blood sugar. (vit D was 65, should be 75 to 100+)(folate was 9, should be 20-40 according to the doctor).

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for reading.
Your symptoms sound like a combination of endotoxins (sinus problems and acne especially), high adrenaline, glutamate and cortisol and low androgens. PUFAs do play a big role in increasing the bad hormones, but I would rather blame your symptoms on the low carb than the PUFA.

Your diet looks good and it will take time to improve as you have only been doing it for 1 month now and need to reverse the damage of 4 years or so. Luckily you're still young and can recover fast.

Do you by any chance track your calories and macros?

Also, a vit D level of 65 isn't deficient at all.
 
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Pinetreefire

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Your symptoms sound like a combination of endotoxins (sinus problems and acne especially), high adrenaline, glutamate and cortisol and low androgens. PUFAs do play a big role in increasing the bad hormones, but I would rather blame your symptoms on the low carb than the PUFA.

Your diet looks good and it will take time to improve as you have only been doing it for 1 month now and need to reverse the damage of 4 years or so. Luckily you're still young and can recover fast.

Do you by any chance track your calories and macros?

Also, a vit D level of 65 isn't deficient at all.

Thank you Hans, I really appreciate your response.

Is there anything I can do to speed up the healing process? Would increasing caffeine intake be a good idea? No starch at all?

Macros:
Protein: around 80-100g, from milk and beef.
Fats: around 50g from grass fed butter, milk and cheese.
Carbs: consumed to taste at least every hour throughout the day to mitigate stress. Usually milk and OJ, combined with white sugar, sometimes grapes and honey, and soda.

Total kcal in a day is probably around 2500. I notice that my hunger is really suppressed, I usually have to force down meat protein (200g burger everyday) because I don´t want to lose more muscle mass. I´m 6 foot 4, 200lbs. I do have a craving for sugar though. I´d say at least 350g of carbs in a day.

Last night was the first night in a long time I could sleep 8 hours without interruptions, like for instance needing to eat something. This could mean my liver´s ability to store glycogen is improved, right?

Regarding the vit D; I´m not worried about it. I have gotten a lot of sun exposure the last months.


Thank you for your time.
 
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Pinetreefire

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Actually, when I think about it, I don´t think I´m eating nearly as much as 350g carbs in day. It´s probably more like maximum 250g. So it looks like I´m undereating despite not restricting myself. But my hunger is really low, though.
 

somuch4food

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Total kcal in a day is probably around 2500. I notice that my hunger is really suppressed, I usually have to force down meat protein (200g burger everyday) because I don´t want to lose more muscle mass. I´m 6 foot 4, 200lbs. I do have a craving for sugar though. I´d say at least 350g of carbs in a day.

Soups, or stews can be easier to gobble down than a burger. I find variety is important when in need of a lot of calories. 2500 cals for a 6'4 guy is most probably way too low. I eat about the same and I am a 5'9 female.

I generally find warm foods and liquids more satisfying and nourishing. Maybe, eating more meals and drinking less liquid at the beginning could help build your hunger back. You could stew fruits for example instead of drinking juice.
 
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Pinetreefire

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Soups, or stews can be easier to gobble down than a burger. I find variety is important when in need of a lot of calories. 2500 cals for a 6'4 guy is most probably way too low. I eat about the same and I am a 5'9 female.

I generally find warm foods and liquids more satisfying and nourishing. Maybe, eating more meals and drinking less liquid at the beginning could help build your hunger back. You could stew fruits for example instead of drinking juice.

Thank you for your input.

Yes, it´s low. Should I force-feed myself a little bit? How much calories should I consume in my situation, like 3500+?
The fruit stews sound good. What kind of fruit do you recommend I use for that?

Thanks
 

somuch4food

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Thank you for your input.

Yes, it´s low. Should I force-feed myself a little bit? How much calories should I consume in my situation, like 3500+?
The fruit stews sound good. What kind of fruit do you recommend I use for that?

Thanks

It depends on what kind of force feed. You must avoid overfeeding in one sitting because undigested food that reach your intestines will feed bacteria which leads to more endotoxins which could worsen your situation. Maybe 5-6 meals of 600 cal+ could work as a starting point until you recover your hunger signals. Liquid calories must not be gulped down, but sipped slowly, or taken with a solid meal to prevent feeding bacteria too. That's my main problem personally I have a habit of eating rapidly and overeating when food is presented in front of me. I eat because it's there and not because I'm hungry. Chewing a lot helps also to ease digestion further down.

As for fruit stews, my personal favorites are berries: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Applesauce is great, too. I do think though that most fruits are delicious turned into a stew. I prefer homemade stews to store bought jams and use them on buttery toasts, with plain yogourt or cottage cheese. It would also be great in a milk shake.

My current go to to make stews is a sauce pan. I put any frozen fruits I have, turn on the heat, add a bit of water (optional) and to thicken it up I add a mixture of flour and sugar in a ratio of 1:1 as it starts to bubble up. This creates more of a sauce, but I prefer this texture.
 

somuch4food

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Also, I think it's important to start tuning into your body more. If you feel the urge to eat something particular, please oblige even if it's not Peaty. Not following Peat's ideals once in a while is not a step back. I think we have lost the connection with our body. The body knows what it needs.

Gelatin is often cited as a must on the forums and by Ray Peat, but each time I tried it, I felt like it didn't serve me well, I wasn't craving it at all. Today I find myself wanting to gobble down homemade jello all day long. I think there's a time for each food and that forcing yourself to eat something that is totally unappealing to you is not promoting a good metabolism.

Liver is another thing often heavily promoted. I bought some liver pate and ate it once or twice a week and after some time, it wasn't as delicious anymore, so I stopped. I will eat it again when I start to crave it again.

In other words, we must not forget to enjoy the food on our recovery to health. Our mental state also influence hormone levels, I find it's a 2-way system. Thankfully, I never went full out on low carbs, but I have a history with clean eating that resulted in too much weight lost and insomnia from undereating. That's why I'm compelled by your story.
 
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Pinetreefire

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It depends on what kind of force feed. You must avoid overfeeding in one sitting because undigested food that reach your intestines will feed bacteria which leads to more endotoxins which could worsen your situation. Maybe 5-6 meals of 600 cal+ could work as a starting point until you recover your hunger signals. Liquid calories must not be gulped down, but sipped slowly, or taken with a solid meal to prevent feeding bacteria too. That's my main problem personally I have a habit of eating rapidly and overeating when food is presented in front of me. I eat because it's there and not because I'm hungry. Chewing a lot helps also to ease digestion further down.

As for fruit stews, my personal favorites are berries: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. Applesauce is great, too. I do think though that most fruits are delicious turned into a stew. I prefer homemade stews to store bought jams and use them on buttery toasts, with plain yogourt or cottage cheese. It would also be great in a milk shake.

My current go to to make stews is a sauce pan. I put any frozen fruits I have, turn on the heat, add a bit of water (optional) and to thicken it up I add a mixture of flour and sugar in a ratio of 1:1 as it starts to bubble up. This creates more of a sauce, but I prefer this texture.

Thanks a lot.

I look forward to try out the fruit stew.
So, the milk/OJ/sugar can feed bacteria too? And do you think I should stay away from starches or not in my particular situation?

The thing is, I think Hans is right about it being the low carb and not really the pufa that is the reason for my current symptoms, and that low carb dieting for many years has made me hypothyroid. And that this in turn has led to intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which in turn has led to the sinus inflammation. I have some oral thrush, and notice that whenever there is less thrush on my tongue, the less sinus pressure I have.
 
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Pinetreefire

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Also, I think it's important to start tuning into your body more. If you feel the urge to eat something particular, please oblige even if it's not Peaty. Not following Peat's ideals once in a while is not a step back. I think we have lost the connection with our body. The body knows what it needs.

Gelatin is often cited as a must on the forums and by Ray Peat, but each time I tried it, I felt like it didn't serve me well, I wasn't craving it at all. Today I find myself wanting to gobble down homemade jello all day long. I think there's a time for each food and that forcing yourself to eat something that is totally unappealing to you is not promoting a good metabolism.

Liver is another thing often heavily promoted. I bought some liver pate and ate it once or twice a week and after some time, it wasn't as delicious anymore, so I stopped. I will eat it again when I start to crave it again.

In other words, we must not forget to enjoy the food on our recovery to health. Our mental state also influence hormone levels, I find it's a 2-way system. Thankfully, I never went full out on low carbs, but I have a history with clean eating that resulted in too much weight lost and insomnia from undereating. That's why I'm compelled by your story.

Yes, I totally agree and have come to the same conclusion. I have forced myself to do all kinds of crazy ***t throughout my life, like for instance the raw eggs. I didn´t even like it, but somehow I rationalized in my head that what I read on the internet was more correct than what my body told me. And also fasting to the point that it hurts like crazy.

But the worst thing I did by far must be the fatty fish I forced down, because I was convinced Jack Kruse had the answers to my problems. I fricking hated it! Sometimes I even vomited, and afterwards I craved sugar like never before (and did indulge). And I felt guilty about it too, because I was so convinced of the low carb.

I´m glad I have come to my senses, and I´m wary of following any sort of guru now. Especially self-proclaimed.
 

somuch4food

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Thanks a lot.

I look forward to try out the fruit stew.
So, the milk/OJ/sugar can feed bacteria too? And do you think I should stay away from starches or not in my particular situation?

The thing is, I think Hans is right about it being the low carb and not really the pufa that is the reason for my current symptoms, and that low carb dieting for many years has made me hypothyroid. And that this in turn has led to intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which in turn has led to the sinus inflammation. I have some oral thrush, and notice that whenever there is less thrush on my tongue, the less sinus pressure I have.

Everything I share is based off more on anecdotal evidence and personal experience and deduction. I always take the science with a grain of salt since there always seem to exist a study that contradicts the other. I think the body is far too complex to be understood completely by science atm. I wanted to make this clear. I like to engage in discussions and I am never prescribing anything to anyone. You are the captain of your own boat.

I invite you to experiment with starch/no starch. Personally, I can't feel satiated on fruits only, especially since too much plant fibers seem to somewhat exacerbate my digestive issues and insomnia. Also, too much fructose/plain sugar makes me feel more tired. Fibers from starchy foods seem to be less aggravating, I don't know why. I think that starch vs fruit is a difficult subject because it depends on the gut microbiome.

Yes, I totally agree and have come to the same conclusion. I have forced myself to do all kinds of crazy ***t throughout my life, like for instance the raw eggs. I didn´t even like it, but somehow I rationalized in my head that what I read on the internet was more correct than what my body told me. And also fasting to the point that it hurts like crazy.

But the worst thing I did by far must be the fatty fish I forced down, because I was convinced Jack Kruse had the answers to my problems. I fricking hated it! Sometimes I even vomited, and afterwards I craved sugar like never before (and did indulge). And I felt guilty about it too, because I was so convinced of the low carb.

I´m glad I have come to my senses, and I´m wary of following any sort of guru now. Especially self-proclaimed.

I'd say you're on the right path. It's easier to live in harmony with the body than to go against it using willpower, way less stress.

As for myself, I like fish quite a lot and I'm not even from a family with a history of eating a lot of fish. I've always found it interesting that many people don't like it while others enjoy it. There's definitely something going on with taste buds. They should be trusted more.
 
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Pinetreefire

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Everything I share is based off more on anecdotal evidence and personal experience and deduction. I always take the science with a grain of salt since there always seem to exist a study that contradicts the other. I think the body is far too complex to be understood completely by science atm. I wanted to make this clear. I like to engage in discussions and I am never prescribing anything to anyone. You are the captain of your own boat.

I invite you to experiment with starch/no starch. Personally, I can't feel satiated on fruits only, especially since too much plant fibers seem to somewhat exacerbate my digestive issues and insomnia. Also, too much fructose/plain sugar makes me feel more tired. Fibers from starchy foods seem to be less aggravating, I don't know why. I think that starch vs fruit is a difficult subject because it depends on the gut microbiome.



I'd say you're on the right path. It's easier to live in harmony with the body than to go against it using willpower, way less stress.

As for myself, I like fish quite a lot and I'm not even from a family with a history of eating a lot of fish. I've always found it interesting that many people don't like it while others enjoy it. There's definitely something going on with taste buds. They should be trusted more.

I´ve had very little starch now for three weeks, and I don´t really feel any negatives from it. My glucose tolerance is improving day by day, and if I consume a lot of white sugar I feel energized. Whereas when I used to eat for example white rice, I felt sluggish and tired afterwards. I also don´t really eat much fruit right now, so I do consume a lot of liquids in a day, but I don´t feel any negatives from it yet beside the symptoms I already have. But I´m not religious about diet anymore, I have some pizza and wine if I want to.

Regarding listening to your body; for me it more and more comes down to how I want to live my life. Do I really want to restrict myself all the time? It´s a miserable life, especially when it doesn´t improve my life at all. I´d rather live to 40 and have an enjoyable life, than live to 100 and every day worry about what I eat etc. But I´ve of course tried different things because I want to get rid of this horrible sinus pressure, and I hope I am on the right track now.

BTW: making a stew now with apples and some berries I had in the freezer.
 

somuch4food

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Regarding listening to your body; for me it more and more comes down to how I want to live my life. Do I really want to restrict myself all the time? It´s a miserable life, especially when it doesn´t improve my life at all. I´d rather live to 40 and have an enjoyable life, than live to 100 and every day worry about what I eat etc. But I´ve of course tried different things because I want to get rid of this horrible sinus pressure, and I hope I am on the right track now.

That's also what I aim for. What's the point of searching for eternal youth if you don't live the present? If only I could stop my roller coaster of energy levels, I could undertake the projects I have in mind. Most of the projects I have started in my life end up on the shelf when I find myself running low on energy. It's akin to a depression and I'm leaning towards too much refined sugar and/or gut dysbiosis at the origin of the problem. I might try low to no starch sometime soon. I find myself craving more starch in winter while I love more fruits and liquids in the summer.
 

Cirion

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Your symptoms sound like a combination of endotoxins (sinus problems and acne especially), high adrenaline, glutamate and cortisol and low androgens. PUFAs do play a big role in increasing the bad hormones, but I would rather blame your symptoms on the low carb than the PUFA.

Your diet looks good and it will take time to improve as you have only been doing it for 1 month now and need to reverse the damage of 4 years or so. Luckily you're still young and can recover fast.

Do you by any chance track your calories and macros?

Also, a vit D level of 65 isn't deficient at all.

This is pretty much right on. High carb (especially high sugar) is ideal. some starch is OK but best to keep them limited relative to sugar as in my experience they exasperate endotoxin problems. In my experience, more than 4-5 gram PUFA a day always results in weight gain for me, and tryptophan is also another major issues. So basically:

- Limit starch, PUFA, and tryptophan rich foods. For me, these three types of foods cause me the most problems.
- Get lots of carbs, ideally sugar. This is the most anabolic source of calories you can get.

PUFA is absolutely part of the problem, but tryptophan and starch are two other major contributors to most issues IMO.

My opinion on tryptophan slightly deviates from Ray Peat, because he is a fan of milk. But (personally) I would ditch the milk or at least see how you feel without it vs. with it, as milk is super rich in trypophan.
 
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Pinetreefire

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This is pretty much right on. High carb (especially high sugar) is ideal. some starch is OK but best to keep them limited relative to sugar as in my experience they exasperate endotoxin problems. In my experience, more than 4-5 gram PUFA a day always results in weight gain for me, and tryptophan is also another major issues. So basically:

- Limit starch, PUFA, and tryptophan rich foods. For me, these three types of foods cause me the most problems.
- Get lots of carbs, ideally sugar. This is the most anabolic source of calories you can get.

PUFA is absolutely part of the problem, but tryptophan and starch are two other major contributors to most issues IMO.

My opinion on tryptophan slightly deviates from Ray Peat, because he is a fan of milk. But (personally) I would ditch the milk or at least see how you feel without it vs. with it, as milk is super rich in trypophan.

Thanks Cirion

After starting this thread I have increased my sugar intake by a lot, including the fruit stew which was really good, and the sinus pressure is already 80% gone! My energy and mood is also a lot better. I notice that if I don´t have a constant supply of sugar, the sinus pressure comes back a little bit more.

I´ve started drinking a lot of milk since finding Peat, like 1-2 L a day, after not having had any for probably 6 years. I would hate to give it up, because I really love it, and it is also a nice source of calories and especially protein. I find myself craving muscle-meat less and less now, so I wouldn´t know how to get enough protein if I cut the milk. What sources of protein do you recommend?

I´ll try upping my calories with a lot of sugar/carbs, and also keep starch consumption very low, in the next days and weeks. If I find it doesn´t fix or improve my state any more, I´ll try cutting out the milk.

Thanks for chiming in.
 

Cirion

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Thanks Cirion

After starting this thread I have increased my sugar intake by a lot, including the fruit stew which was really good, and the sinus pressure is already 80% gone! My energy and mood is also a lot better. I notice that if I don´t have a constant supply of sugar, the sinus pressure comes back a little bit more.

I´ve started drinking a lot of milk since finding Peat, like 1-2 L a day, after not having had any for probably 6 years. I would hate to give it up, because I really love it, and it is also a nice source of calories and especially protein. I find myself craving muscle-meat less and less now, so I wouldn´t know how to get enough protein if I cut the milk. What sources of protein do you recommend?

I´ll try upping my calories with a lot of sugar/carbs, and also keep starch consumption very low, in the next days and weeks. If I find it doesn´t fix or improve my state any more, I´ll try cutting out the milk.

Thanks for chiming in.

I think some people do well on milk, so if you do well on it, don't feel like you need to ditch it. I am just saying that for me, and based upon my experiences with tryptophan. Keep in mind that some people do convert tryptophan to niacin, and for them, tryptophan is (mostly) harmless, so if that's you, then you're fine. I do think most people (something like 80%) do not convert tryptophan to niacin, however, and should probably watch the milk intake. So, just be aware of that.

My case is a bit more extreme than others here, as I have lots of health issues to sort out, and thus have to be more extreme with my eating. I pretty much can only tolerate beef (low fat) and gelatin for my protein, and I can't over-do even the beef, since I'm aiming for < 0.5 gram tryptophan a day at this point (just my personal choice). Beef is very low in tryptophan. Most other meats are quite high in it, and is why Ray speaks disfavorably towards most meats. He thinks the calcium in milk counter-acts the tryptophan in milk though, but that hasn't been my personal experience.
 
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Pinetreefire

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I think some people do well on milk, so if you do well on it, don't feel like you need to ditch it. I am just saying that for me, and based upon my experiences with tryptophan. Keep in mind that some people do convert tryptophan to niacin, and for them, tryptophan is (mostly) harmless, so if that's you, then you're fine. I do think most people (something like 80%) do not convert tryptophan to niacin, however, and should probably watch the milk intake. So, just be aware of that.

My case is a bit more extreme than others here, as I have lots of health issues to sort out, and thus have to be more extreme with my eating. I pretty much can only tolerate beef (low fat) and gelatin for my protein, and I can't over-do even the beef, since I'm aiming for < 0.5 gram tryptophan a day at this point (just my personal choice). Beef is very low in tryptophan. Most other meats are quite high in it, and is why Ray speaks disfavorably towards most meats. He thinks the calcium in milk counter-acts the tryptophan in milk though, but that hasn't been my personal experience.

So you mostly eat muscle-meat beef or is it organ meat like liver too? I haven´t tried the gelatin yet. How much protein do you eat a day, and how much of that is from beef?

Do you think that the negative effects many people claim to experience from dairy consumption, like bad skin, low energy, brain fog etc, are the results of excess tryptophan?

Thank you for your time.
 

Cirion

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So you mostly eat muscle-meat beef or is it organ meat like liver too? I haven´t tried the gelatin yet. How much protein do you eat a day, and how much of that is from beef?

Do you think that the negative effects many people claim to experience from dairy consumption, like bad skin, low energy, brain fog etc, are the results of excess tryptophan?

Thank you for your time.

I mostly eat beef nowadays but sometimes grass-fed liverwurst. I have found excess protein intake is also problematic due to not only tryptophan but also methionine and cysteine, histidine..., but so is too little, so my sweet spot of depleting problematic amino acids while not becoming protein deficient has put me at roughly 100-150 gram of protein a day. Generally about half from beef and half from gelatin. Half a pound of beef, and 36 gram of gelatin.

I think there are three main problems with dairy

- Tryptophan is one
- Other contaminants, like carrageenan gum, added hormones etc.
- Added vitamin A and D (some people are vitamin A toxic)

You can avoid #2 and #3 by trying raw milk, and this might be one way to see if tryptophan is the problem or if its the specific milk you tried out (most commercial store milks are garbage).

Also dairy fat can be very fattening due to the hormones, and Ray admits that whole milk can be quite fattening compared to low fat or skim milk.
 
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Pinetreefire

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I mostly eat beef nowadays but sometimes grass-fed liverwurst. I have found excess protein intake is also problematic due to not only tryptophan but also methionine and cysteine, histidine..., but so is too little, so my sweet spot of depleting problematic amino acids while not becoming protein deficient has put me at roughly 100-150 gram of protein a day. Generally about half from beef and half from gelatin. Half a pound of beef, and 36 gram of gelatin.

I think there are three main problems with dairy

- Tryptophan is one
- Other contaminants, like carrageenan gum, added hormones etc.
- Added vitamin A and D (some people are vitamin A toxic)

You can avoid #2 and #3 by trying raw milk, and this might be one way to see if tryptophan is the problem or if its the specific milk you tried out (most commercial store milks are garbage).

Also dairy fat can be very fattening due to the hormones, and Ray admits that whole milk can be quite fattening compared to low fat or skim milk.

Raw milk is really good, my uncle has a dairy farm 130 miles from where I live. But I actually think that the commercial store milk is better in regards to PUFA (in my case), because the cows are fed commercial feed anyway, and the raw milk contains 4% fat. Farms that do 100% grass-fed (and hormone-free etc) are very rare here in Norway. It would be better in the summer though, since I know the cows are fed mostly fresh grass then. The only benefit I could see would be that the protein are not denatured from the pasteurization maybe, but personally I haven´t noticed any difference. Maybe there are long term consequences that manifest gradually though, I´m not sure.
 

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