Carrot Substitute?

denise

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I hate to sound like a whiner in my very first post, but is there anything I can substitute for the raw carrot? I strongly dislike carrots, and I even more strongly dislike forcing myself to eat something I can't stand. I suppose if I could make a peat-friendly ranch-type dressing to disguise it, I could get it down, but not otherwise. :(

My gut is in serious need of this carrot, though, both for regularity and for serious estrogen dominance. I've got to figure out some way to get this estrogen in check without progesterone for now because I also have a large substernal goiter, and I'm afraid to just start in on the progesterone without guidance and possibly end up in a scary hyperthyroid state.

With that being said, if anyone could point me to someone who could give me guidance, I'd really appreciate it. I'd consult with Peat himself except that his contact information is no longer on his site.

I'm quite new to all this, btw, and trying to incorporate things a bit at a time. It's going well so far, except for the damned carrot!

Thanks for any help!
 

Mittir

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RP recommends raw carrot salad and cooked bamboo shoots.
You can use canned bamboo shoot or you can check local Asian
stores, they may have fresh or dried shoot.
 

pranarupa

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you could try bamboo shoots.

anything that reduces inflammation should reduce estrogen exposure.

Simple things to look into are bag breathing and/or watching your own breath allowing it to become as subtle and imperceptible as possible. Bag breathing and breath work will increase co2 and decrease inflammation.
 
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denise

denise

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I totally forgot about the bamboo shoots! Thanks. I like those well enough. Definitely not as cheap as a bag of carrots, but it'll have to do.

And thanks for the reminder about inflammation. I've been in a high-stress state for most of the last 2 years. It's starting to come down at last, but now I've got a lot of damage to undo. At least breathing is free!
 

pranarupa

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with the breathing just remember the breath should be as subtle as possible, ideally imperceptible, almost like not breathing. Only breathe through your nose, even when exercising.

There's a lot of really bad advice on breath work out there, all kinds of crazy things like big deep breaths being necessary to get "stale" air out the lungs.
 

Dutchie

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I wonder if cooked parsnip migth do the same?....as it's family from the carrot.
 
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denise

denise

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Alas, I dislike parsnips even more than carrots! But I'm going to give the bamboo shoots a go.
 

charlie

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Charcoal is another option you could throw in every now and then.
 

marcar72

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Dates and whole grain wheat cereal, seriously. I've added both back into my diet since I NEED fiber for optimal bowel health. I might cut the wheat again if I can concretely confirm if I have any sort of gluten sensitivity. Since adding both into my diet pretty regularly two weeks ago I've again become "regular". I'm back to a 4 (considered the holy grail) on the Bristol stool chart from a 1 that I had slowly become sticking to a more strict peatish diet. It had me worried that I was heading to a bowel obstruction somewhere down the line. Granted I never did the daily carrot diet all the while, so who knows if that would have helped that out for me or not. I got turned off by the whole "beta carotene acting like PUFA" idea and decided that the small amount of PUFA in wheat was a better option for me. :2cents
 
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denise

denise

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marcar72 said:
Dates and whole grain wheat cereal, seriously. I've added both back into my diet since I NEED fiber for optimal bowel health. I might cut the wheat again if I can concretely confirm if I have any sort of gluten sensitivity. Since adding both into my diet pretty regularly two weeks ago I've again become "regular". I'm back to a 4 (considered the holy grail) on the Bristol stool chart from a 1 that I had slowly become sticking to a more strict peatish diet. It had me worried that I was heading to a bowel obstruction somewhere down the line. Granted I never did the daily carrot diet all the while, so who knows if that would have helped that out for me or not. I got turned off by the whole "beta carotene acting like PUFA" idea and decided that the small amount of PUFA in wheat was a better option for me. :2cents

But isn't the carrot there to help with the endotoxin, not just for fiber/regularity? It seems the mighty carrot (or bamboo shoot) can do both, whereas the cereal cannot (I wish it could--I'd much rather eat oatmeal or something!).

Charlie said:
Charcoal is another option you could throw in every now and then.

I do have some charcoal and will make use of it. Thanks for the reminder. Is there a suggested protocol? I don't want it to interfere with nutrient absorption.
 

HDD

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Here is a post about -


by peatarian » Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:33 pm

jyb wrote:
@peatarian: How do you use the charcoal? You mention using it every 3 days before bed. I have some active charcoal capsule (veg cellulose). Should I open the capsules and drink it raw (its dirty but just manageable)? How many should I aim for? Should I eat anything like raw carrots at the same time?


"Sorry, I hadn't seen your post. I always buy 1kg of charcoal because it's cheeper. I use 3 to 5 tablespoons (I think that means more in mainland Europe than in UK or US) in Water. I usually mix it in a glass bottle.
Eating or drinking anything but water with it would be wasting it since the charcoal will absorb everything, even nutrients. It is used as first aid treatment of poisoning."


You might search a little more on the forum for any other instructions.
 

charlie

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denise said:
Is there a suggested protocol? I don't want it to interfere with nutrient absorption.
In between meals just like the carrot salad should help lower nutrient loss.
 

marcar72

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denise said:
marcar72 said:
Dates and whole grain wheat cereal, seriously. I've added both back into my diet since I NEED fiber for optimal bowel health. I might cut the wheat again if I can concretely confirm if I have any sort of gluten sensitivity. Since adding both into my diet pretty regularly two weeks ago I've again become "regular". I'm back to a 4 (considered the holy grail) on the Bristol stool chart from a 1 that I had slowly become sticking to a more strict peatish diet. It had me worried that I was heading to a bowel obstruction somewhere down the line. Granted I never did the daily carrot diet all the while, so who knows if that would have helped that out for me or not. I got turned off by the whole "beta carotene acting like PUFA" idea and decided that the small amount of PUFA in wheat was a better option for me. :2cents

But isn't the carrot there to help with the endotoxin, not just for fiber/regularity? It seems the mighty carrot (or bamboo shoot) can do both, whereas the cereal cannot (I wish it could--I'd much rather eat oatmeal or something!).

Carrots supposedly have antimicrobial properties or maybe it's the ability of carrots to carry coconut oil which has the antimicrobial properties through the intestine. From what I gather most endotoxin is formed when intestinal bacteria die and break apart. Endotoxin is actually a part of the bacterial cell membrane. The sooner one "excretes" that bacteria on a regular basis, the better. If one can do that with carrots then according to Ray Peat that's ideal. I know Ray Peat is definately not a proponent of wheat by any means. I've heard he thinks it is toxic to everyone who eats it. Dates are good for the most part, although they are supposedly kind of high in serotonin. I just personally have a very hard time wrapping my head around "carrots, bamboo shoots, and charcoal" being my only options for fiber. I wish there would be some extrapolation out further on less ideal but acceptable fiber sources. Oatmeal would be much higher in PUFA than a wheat based cereal would contain, but wheat by no means is very likable around these parts! :lol: I just had to personally run some fiber through me ASAP and will be needing more fiber on a regular basis or lest I get stopped up. Chronic constipation isn't a Peat ideal by no means, either... :2cents
 

loess

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marcar72 said:
I NEED fiber for optimal bowel health.
It is a tricky juggling game to hit the healthy functioning bowel bullseye but consider the following:

- Do you drink milk? It is a good bulking agent if you tolerate dairy
- Consume enough salt on a daily basis?
- Get adequate magnesium? (Magnesium helps to keep stools moist)
- Drink coffee? Drink cascara tea?
- Spend enough time outdoors in the sun and/or do red light therapy?
- Supplement thyroid?

You said you didn't like the beta carotene acting like PUFA in the carrot...you could grate it and squeeze the fibers under running water to minimize the amount of carotene

Dates are good for the most part, although they are supposedly kind of high in serotonin.
I keep hearing concerns about dates and frankly I think this is blown out of proportion, possibly there are negative reactions to dates because they digest slowly when they are not fresh, so they sit there and become food for bacteria. Soaking them so they are gooey and moist, and peeling the skins makes all the difference in the world for me.
 

jaa

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I have also found I tolerate dates much better after skinning them.

Could you explain the soaking process please loess?
 

loess

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Oh, I just drop them in a glass or bowl of water and let them soften up. Depends on how dry the date is to begin with but I usually leave them for about 6 or 8 hours. Any longer than that and I will usually put it in the fridge because it can start to ferment at room temperature after a day or so. I just use regular filtered water but you could even up the ante with Gerolsteiner, or water collected from a spring, or an equally good mineral water if you wanted to go to the trouble. I use the soak water to make sugar syrup or honey syrup
 

natedawggh

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Yes, activated charcoal! It's amazing at sopping up endotoxin and depressing the growth of bacteria. Plus it can help chelate toxic metals. Don't take daily, however, just to make sure you're not inhibiting some vitamins and minerals, but rather take at occasional intervals or when symptoms present themselves. (You don't have to be exact with this)

Do not use grains, especially wheat. Wheat will cause a host of other problems and undo any benefit of trying to eat healthy, and the kind of starch and gluten it contains is like steroids to gut flora and endotoxins while at the same time causing inflammation if the intestinal tissues.
 

NooMoahk

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The whole point is that the carrot(raw) and bamboo shoots are not easily fermentable. Whole grains( like wheat) and dates both ferment pretty easily, at least they do in my gut, so they wouldn't seem like candidates for a "carrot replacement". Parsnips may work, or perhaps even beets, but I would advise you to try them raw because cooking would increase the chance of fermentation. If you aren't in need of a non-fermentable fiber then feel free to use other fibers(fruit?) for regularity if that's the only way you can eliminate regularly.

The fiber choices are limited because, if you agree with Peat's and other similar philosophies, fiber is generally not a good thing. In general, you don't want to ingest things that are indigestible. Fiber could even be the cause of irregularity by stretching the colon and creating a fiber dependency which ultimately creates excess endotoxin. Check out the website of Konstantin Monastyrsky for some more information. I highly suggest the glycerin enema recommendation to get your bowels moving as opposed to ingesting more bulk(fiber). I have had years of experience with this problem and my lower intestine is still somewhat stretched and fairly sensitive after 10 months of Peat rehab. Keep in mind I'm only 20 years old.

For me, regularity happens when I decrease the amount of bacteria(or perhaps just the harmful bacteria I have) in my intestines. Unless I notice overgrowth symptoms, I generally eat a pretty fiber free diet and that is what keeps me pooping 1-3 times a day: avoiding indigestible, fermenting things. Carrots(especially carrot salad) do a great job of decreasing the fermentation for me. I truly believe in this approach because this is the first time in my life I have been regular. Sometimes I feel like the carrot saved my life! I don't see any reason why you can't put a delicious dressing on your non-fermentable fibers, assuming it's what you consider healthy. Bamboo shoots don't seem to cause me any fermentation but I haven't tested them thoroughly yet.
 

NooMoahk

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loess said:
marcar72 said:
I NEED fiber for optimal bowel health.
It is a tricky juggling game to hit the healthy functioning bowel bullseye but consider the following:

- Do you drink milk? It is a good bulking agent if you tolerate dairy
- Consume enough salt on a daily basis?
- Get adequate magnesium? (Magnesium helps to keep stools moist)
- Drink coffee? Drink cascara tea?
- Spend enough time outdoors in the sun and/or do red light therapy?
- Supplement thyroid?

You said you didn't like the beta carotene acting like PUFA in the carrot...you could grate it and squeeze the fibers under running water to minimize the amount of carotene

Dates are good for the most part, although they are supposedly kind of high in serotonin.
I keep hearing concerns about dates and frankly I think this is blown out of proportion, possibly there are negative reactions to dates because they digest slowly when they are not fresh, so they sit there and become food for bacteria. Soaking them so they are gooey and moist, and peeling the skins makes all the difference in the world for me.

I have had decent results digesting dates once I peel them as well, but it isn't consistent. I will try soaking them, thanks for that tip!
 

jyb

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NooMoahk said:
The fiber choices are limited because, if you agree with Peat's and other similar philosophies, fiber is generally not a good thing. In general, you don't want to ingest things that are indigestible. Fiber could even be the cause of irregularity by stretching the colon and creating a fiber dependency which ultimately creates excess endotoxin. Check out the website of Konstantin Monastyrsky for some more information. I highly suggest the glycerin enema recommendation to get your bowels moving as opposed to ingesting more bulk(fiber). I have had years of experience with this problem and my lower intestine is still somewhat stretched and fairly sensitive after 10 months of Peat rehab. Keep in mind I'm only 20 years old.

Never heard of glycerin enema. Note that you could also try some cascara to get it moving, because it has a sound theoretical ground (see RP article about how it works) and it doesn't seem to induce a dependency from testimonials. This wouldn't be the same as fibre given the small amount that you need (a fraction of a teaspoon) to get bowels moving very regularly. I went down that route because I noticed that on a day I was not doing well, that my bowels were not moving much that day despite the daily carrot salad.
 

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