Food Layering & Better Digestion

[Jennifer]

Yeah meat is tricky isn't it? If I have a rare cooked flat iron steak at noon I can gobble the whole thing up and feel full of energy. When I eat well cooked meat at night I don't feel the same. I wonder if we really aren't intended to eat meat cooked. Maybe it's the carcinogens in quick cooked meat or the the histamines in longer cooked who knows. I am lucky that I have a strong bladder and never feel the need to get up at night, but my husband's night trips to the bathroom are down to one or none since "Peating". Before when he was limiting his salt he was up several times a night. You said you no longer consume meat, what about seafood?

Yeah, it can be. Maybe whether or not we’re intended to eat meat cooked depends on the individual? I followed a raw meat diet about a decade ago and comparing it to when I ate a cooked meat diet/carnivore, I did better on cooked meat (digested it much better) and taste and texture wise, preferred it cooked. That’s great that your husband’s trips to the bathroom are less frequent since Peating. I have a strong bladder too but had pretty severe hypoglycemia and my sugars would crash during the night. And nope, I no longer consume seafood. Scallops and crab were the only meat I ever cared for but now I find even those off-putting, which I’m totally fine with since dairy and eggs were always the proteins I enjoyed most and now that I’m able to, it’s important to me to only consume foods that I truly enjoy.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Yeah, it can be. Maybe whether or not we’re intended to eat meat cooked depends on the individual? I followed a raw meat diet about a decade ago and comparing it to when I ate a cooked meat diet/carnivore, I did better on cooked meat (digested it much better) and taste and texture wise, preferred it cooked. That’s great that your husband’s trips to the bathroom are less frequent since Peating. I have a strong bladder too but had pretty severe hypoglycemia and my sugars would crash during the night. And nope, I no longer consume seafood. Scallops and crab were the only meat I ever cared for but now I find even those off-putting, which I’m totally fine with since dairy and eggs were always the proteins I enjoyed most and now that I’m able to, it’s important to me to only consume foods that I truly enjoy.

I respect your sense of adventure Jennifer, diving in to find answers in various places. Fortunately my failures, in doing the same seems to have been necessary to get m to this better place instead of worse. I went vegetarian for a short time, only to bond with my son who was really upset about the animals at the time, which gave me my first cellulite and extra fat within months! There was no positive takeaway from that experience, but it did leave me with a deeper compassion for the animals that have their lives taken to feed us. I am now a lot more uncomfortable eating the amount of meat I use to and am relieved that Ray Peat doesn't endorse eating much of it anyways. Like you I favor the sweet shellfish, but the polluted ocean waters, parasites and killer algaes, has my consumption of them heading in the direction of yours. Thank for all the time you spent on this subject!

 

[Jennifer]

Oh, my pleasure, @Rinse & rePeat! And thank you! :) I ate a vegetarian diet from roughly age 11 to 23 for ethical reasons (though, I no longer consider plant-based the most ethical) and didn’t fare so well on it either so I totally understand. I need far more animal protein than I was getting and feel best when the majority of my calories come from it. I’m glad you’re finding what works best for you, and I hope you post more pics of your yummy creations sometime. It’s nice to get inspiration. :)

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Oh, my pleasure, @Rinse & rePeat! And thank you! :) I ate a vegetarian diet from roughly age 11 to 23 for ethical reasons (though, I no longer consider plant-based the most ethical) and didn’t fare so well on it either so I totally understand. I need far more animal protein than I was getting and feel best when the majority of my calories come from it. I’m glad you’re finding what works best for you, and I hope you post more pics of your yummy creations sometime. It’s nice to get inspiration. :)

I will put my mind to that Jennifer!

 

[supercoolguy]

There is a lot of talk on food "pairing" whilst "Peating", but I am finding that food "layering" is a step worth taking farther. With digestion function being the biggest player in how successful we are at being healthy it makes sense to think about these things. Things like having my honeycomb with a steak, let's say, would have me eating that honeycomb as dessert, when all this time it would have served me better to let it go in first, and turn on the "machine" aka liver, to prepare to dismantle that protein and dole it out as needed much more quickly, like getting a running start before jumping. Can you imagine poor liver peacefully resting and suddenly, without notice, is bombarded with meat? How hard that must be for him to get a movin'? No wonder our digesting gets so sluggish, hence why there is so much fat everywhere we look. Even things like having milk and orange juice together can have a happier ending. With one faster to digest than the other, having the faster orange juice in first gives it a headstart to keep far away from milk so there is no curdling to be be done. With sugar being the quickest to digest, carbs next and protein the longest, has anybody found some "layerings" to be highly effective for more efficient digestion?

Yes, ive been doing sugars/carbs first for years now. I just have them while im prepping protein.

But I will have them together, esp if they are quick carbs. ex: Rinsed Cottage Cheese w/a blob of sweetened Greek yogurt or Apple Sauce mixed in. Honey, Pears....ect ect.

Milk & Collegen Shake w/Ripe Fruit. or Juice & Gelatin is great in the morning.

Best of luck.

 

[Gavino]

Interesting topic. In my younger years I didn’t worry much about what to eat or when, but when the 40s hit, it was time to pay attention. I was starting to think I was lactose intolerant, and even tried the soy milk, almond milk, etc. Didn’t like them, I want to avoid soy, and my stomach now limits my nut intake. Raw milk was such a game changer. I can drink it anytime of the day with no ill feelings. I find it even helps digestion when paired with meats.

 

[jet9]

The best digestion I ever had in my life was when I did Omad high carb. 20 hours in I’d break my fast with fruit... then eat ground beef, potatoes avocado you name it. Unsustainable due to blood sugar fluctuation

Interesting, i am doing very similar and it's done wonders for my blood sugars / insulin sensitivity.

 

[AndrewGesell]

Interesting, i am doing very similar and it's done wonders for my blood sugars / insulin sensitivity.

Hard for me to believe as its opposite to my experience. If thats working for you awesome. Maybe your liver is really healthy then

 

[bavy]

There is a lot of talk on food "pairing" whilst "Peating", but I am finding that food "layering" is a step worth taking farther. With digestion function being the biggest player in how successful we are at being healthy it makes sense to think about these things. Things like having my honeycomb with a steak, let's say, would have me eating that honeycomb as dessert, when all this time it would have served me better to let it go in first, and turn on the "machine" aka liver, to prepare to dismantle that protein and dole it out as needed much more quickly, like getting a running start before jumping. Can you imagine poor liver peacefully resting and suddenly, without notice, is bombarded with meat? How hard that must be for him to get a movin'? No wonder our digesting gets so sluggish, hence why there is so much fat everywhere we look. Even things like having milk and orange juice together can have a happier ending. With one faster to digest than the other, having the faster orange juice in first gives it a headstart to keep far away from milk so there is no curdling to be be done. With sugar being the quickest to digest, carbs next and protein the longest, has anybody found some "layerings" to be highly effective for more efficient digestion?

I am so grateful for your curiosity and your posts. I look forward to reading them every week <3

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I am so grateful for your curiosity and your posts. I look forward to reading them every week <3

Now that serious made my eyes well up bavy! It makes me more excited to think out loud knowing you are there to hear it. Thank you so SO much for reaching out to tell me that :)

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“The researchers found eating chocolate in the morning or evening did not lead to weight gain but could actually act as an appetite suppressant.

In the morning, eating chocolate was found to help with fat burn while reducing glucose levels in the blood. Meanwhile, at night, it was found to alter metabolism and lead to better, more regular, sleep patterns.

Frank A.J. L. Scheer, a neuroscientist with the division of sleep and circadian disorders, who worked on the study said: "Having chocolate in the morning or in the evening/night results in differential effects on hunger and appetite, substrate oxidation, fasting glucose, microbiota (composition and function), and sleep and temperature rhythms.

"Our findings highlight that not only ‘what’ but also ‘when’ we eat can impact physiological mechanisms involved in the regulation of body weight."

Eating chocolate for breakfast can actually help you LOSE weight, scientists claim

Don't go stocking up on Dairy Milk just yet though...

www.irishpost.com

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

“Now that hog farmers' use of antibiotics to stimulate growth has been discouraged, they have sought vegetables that have a natural antibiotic effect, reducing the formation and absorption of the intestinal toxins. The human diet can be similarly adjusted, to minimize the production and absorption of the bacterial toxins.“ -Ray Peat

 

[ReSTART]

most advanced civilisations evolved their cultures to have meal times with guidelines on what to eat first, second, etc, and people then were restricted to local cuisine of the era.

now all that is gone in 2022 westernised countries, so you can eat processed food all day in your new york city apartment, instead of eating barramundi at 6pm at the dinner table, because that’s what your father caught today and 6pm is the set dinner time.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

UPDATE:

I haven’t thought enough about this important subject for awhile, food layering and timing. I spend more time on the nutritional benefits of food, and this year on the timing, with what to eat and not to eat for good sleep, but have neglected thinking about how I might improve my digestion. It is not that my digestion is bad, as I don’t get bloated anymore, and have no stomach upset whatsoever and can eat anything. I think my stomach is made of steel. I just would like to speed things up. A light bulb went off in my head, from reading so many posts last week with people having problems with their magnesium supplements, which I don’t supplement. I realized that my food layering is off. One thing that came to mind, was why do people have so many problems with milk, when in the olden days they didn’t use to. No doubt milk quality and pasteurization is a big one, but especially for Ray “Peater’s” who drink more of it, like myself, than the average person, it can be stagnating, and even bloating for some, and then the supplementation of magnesium compounds the situation. So I started upping my magnesium rich food intake, having those foods BEFORE my milk drinking, and having other dairy, and what a difference, in only 4 days! I start my magnesium mission by having my morning coffee with chocolate. Then I eat a few more other magnesium foods, things I have on my self-made list, and after I get a good dose of magnesium, I then enjoy all of my milk. Be choosy about your chocolate choice though and avoid the ones with soy lecithin.

 

[jet9]

UPDATE:

I haven’t thought enough about this important subject for awhile, food layering and timing. I spend more time on the nutritional benefits of food, and this year on the timing, with what to eat and not to eat for good sleep, but have neglected thinking about how I might improve my digestion. It is not that my digestion is bad, as I don’t get bloated anymore, and have no stomach upset whatsoever and can eat anything. I think my stomach is made of steel. I just would like to speed things up. A light bulb went off in my head, from reading so many posts last week with people having problems with their magnesium supplements, which I don’t supplement. I realized that my food layering is off. One thing that came to mind, was why do people have so many problems with milk, when in the olden days they didn’t use to. No doubt milk quality and pasteurization is a big one, but especially for Ray “Peater’s” who drink more of it, like myself, than the average person, it can be stagnating, and even bloating for some, and then the supplementation of magnesium compounds the situation. So I started upping my magnesium rich food intake, having those foods BEFORE my milk drinking, and having other dairy, and what a difference, in only 4 days! I start my magnesium mission by having my morning coffee with chocolate. Then I eat a few more other magnesium foods, things I have on my self-made list, and after I get a good dose of magnesium, I then enjoy all of my milk. Be choosy about your chocolate choice though and avoid the ones with soy lecithin.

What are your magnesium rich foods? (besides chocolate)

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

What are your magnesium rich foods? (besides chocolate)

Recently I have compiled myself a list, to be mindful about making good quick decisions in the morning and here is what I have so far for good magnesium sources…

*chocolate
*macadamias
*bone broth
*sprouted oats
*defatted peanut powder


All of these below I am growing:
*raspberries
*guava
*figs
*banana
*sweet potato leaves
*white and purple sweet potato
*stinging nettle
*artichoke
*mango
*pineapple
*kiwi

There are plenty more sources, but these are just the ones I am willing to eat. The defatted peanut powder is really high. I make a peanut butter with it, adding refined coconut oil and some roasted salted macadamias. A big spoonful is fun to have with a little raspberry jelly!

EDIT: cashews have 20% magnesium in just one ounce. Ray Peat said macadamias were the best choice for nuts, but earlier this year I heard, or read, that he said cashew nuts are not so bad of a choice too.

FoodData Central

fdc.nal.usda.gov

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

most advanced civilisations evolved their cultures to have meal times with guidelines on what to eat first, second, etc, and people then were restricted to local cuisine of the era.

now all that is gone in 2022 westernised countries, so you can eat processed food all day in your new york city apartment, instead of eating barramundi at 6pm at the dinner table, because that’s what your father caught today and 6pm is the set dinner time.

This is true. People don’t eat seasonally either. They eat watermelon in the winter and root vegetables in the summer, when nature designed things to grow according to the weather, and what our bodies need through those seasons. People eat salads now as a meal, when a few greens before a meal, for the bitter leaves, were intended to stimulate digestion before ingesting the harder to digest proteins and starchy carbs. Bread in Italy was suppose to be eaten at the end of the meal, to sop up the leftover sauce on the plate, but now without any thought it is served at the beginning of the meal, as well as chips and salsa and other heavy greasy foods.

 

[mimipt]

This is true. People don’t eat seasonally either. They eat watermelon in the winter and root vegetables in the summer, when nature designed things to grow according to the weather, and what our bodies need through those seasons. People eat salads now as a meal, when a few greens before a meal, for the bitter leaves, were intended to stimulate digestion before ingesting the harder to digest proteins and starchy carbs. Bread in Italy was suppose to be eaten at the end of the meal, to sop up the leftover sauce on the plate, but now without any thought it is served at the beginning of the meal, as well as chips and salsa and other heavy greasy foods.

Dear Rinse & rePeat

Thanks very much for your interesting and helpful posts! I have learned very much reading you, and will keep searching back in your posts which are a well of great info!

I would like to ask you about the food layering you mention work well for you, I was wondering if eating magnesium-rich food at the beginning would not stop the stomach acid secretion, because I remember to have read that magnesium does this. Do you experience good digestion with this order of food intake? Or it is only before milk?

Thanks very much in advance!

Mimi

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Dear Rinse & rePeat

Thanks very much for your interesting and helpful posts! I have learned very much reading you, and will keep searching back in your posts which are a well of great info!

I would like to ask you about the food layering you mention work well for you, I was wondering if eating magnesium-rich food at the beginning would not stop the stomach acid secretion, because I remember to have read that magnesium does this. Do you experience good digestion with this order of food intake? Or it is only before milk?

Thanks very much in advance!

Mimi

Hi Mimi! Thank you for your encouraging words. I get what you are saying with the stomach acids, and I don’t know about magnesium supplements, but magnesium foods like chocolate, macadamias and coffee don’t squelch my stomach acids, but to your point magnesium is in milk and milk seems to calm my stomach acids, but thinking about that now, maybe it is just diluting my stomach acids. Having raw honey away from food instead of as a condiment, before coffee or hours away from food before bed is helpful to me, so is taking a digestive enzyme at bedtime. Having my milk throughout the day in smaller increments seems to be a better way for me too. All the liquids are counterproductive in my digestion, and I am not sure why. I am still always experimenting.

 

[mimipt]

Hi Mimi! Thank you for your encouraging words. I get what you are saying with the stomach acids, and I don’t know about magnesium supplements, but magnesium foods like chocolate, macadamias and coffee don’t squelch my stomach acids, but to your point magnesium is in milk and milk seems to calm my stomach acids, but thinking about that now, maybe it is just diluting my stomach acids. Having raw honey away from food instead of as a condiment, before coffee or hours away from food before bed is helpful to me, so is taking a digestive enzyme at bedtime. Having my milk throughout the day in smaller increments seems to be a better way for me too. All the liquids are counterproductive in my digestion, and I am not sure why. I am still always experimenting.

HI Rinsie!

Many thanks for the quick reply!


I have exactly the same issue of feeling perturbed digestion if I take too much liquid. Even water makes me feel bloated sometimes. The same applies to me having a sweet breakfast with lots of coffee, it causes the feeling that I lack some salt to make HCL acid and get bloated some time later.... (my own explanation, not sure if this is correct).
I will try your suggestion for the honey before bed, or before the coffee and will post my update. Should I eat it just before the coffee, or some time before?

Regading the digestive enzyme, I have nevered tried them because I remember having read somewhere that if you took them regularly, the body stops producing its own enzymes, and this got me scared....what is your opinion on this?

Thanks again, I am reading and enjoying your post and the great info you share A LOT!