Minimalist Ray Peat Diet

[RayPeat123]

Hi! I am new to this forum, though Ive been reading a bit on my own. I was just wondering if a diet consisting of eggs, grass-fed, low-fat milk, orange juice and some carrots would be sufficient in the long run? I like to keep it as simple as possible, but just want to assure that I get all the nutrients I need. :)

 

[Brian]

A high liquid diet generally only works for people who sweat large amounts daily. To reduce liquids you can try sugared milk or yogurt. But then you will need to make sure to have enough B vitamins for the refined sugar, probably through supplement.

In addition to those foods you also need some kind of zinc and copper source. Beef, oysters, and liver can work for that.

 

[mt_dreams]

nutrients lacking in the food mentioned above will be niacin, manganese, vitamin e,k, & D (unless there's added D in the low fat milk). You will probably only get 10mg of zinc, which might be a bit low long term, but some can make than amount work.
If you want to lower the amount of liquid, you can also use oj frozen concentrate or condensed milk.
you may need to add in a bit of sodium as the milk may not provide enough.
More than 3 eggs will probably put you over 4g in pufa.

How many cups of oj & milk a day? To hit the rest of the nutritional targets you will need to be taking 8-10 cups of both milk & oj, plus 3 eggs. The extra liquid may not be ideal during cold temp months.

 

[RayPeat123]

post 103617 nutrients lacking in the food mentioned above will be niacin, manganese, vitamin e,k, & D (unless there's added D in the low fat milk). You will probably only get 10mg of zinc, which might be a bit low long term, but some can make than amount work.
If you want to lower the amount of liquid, you can also use oj frozen concentrate or condensed milk.
you may need to add in a bit of sodium as the milk may not provide enough.
More than 3 eggs will probably put you over 4g in pufa.

How many cups of oj & milk a day? To hit the rest of the nutritional targets you will need to be taking 8-10 cups of both milk & oj, plus 3 eggs. The extra liquid may not be ideal during cold temp months.

Thank you for answering!

I am currently having one glass of orange juice, three glasses of milk, two eggs, 20 grams of dark chocolate and one raw carrot daily. I think the chocolate covers the manganese as well as the copper? Not sure how to get vitamin e and k, though. Maybe include some low fat cottage cheese and mango instead of OJ and milk for more solid foods and some vitamin k? Only problem with that is the added cultures in the cheese and the fiber in the fruit.

 

[NathanK]

Id include some shellfish for more copper and zinc

 

[tara]

RayPeat123

post 104216 I am currently having one glass of orange juice, three glasses of milk, two eggs, 20 grams of dark chocolate and one raw carrot daily.

For breakfast?
Depending on your age, gender, height, activity levels, current health state, etc, my guess is you would need 4-7 times this much just to meet energy needs.
If you mean this is it for the day, then I'm sure it's not enough to sustain health long term for any adult, even if your glass is like my 1/2 litre handle. I hope you haven't been starving yourself like this for too long.

post 104216 Maybe include some low fat cottage cheese and mango instead of OJ and milk for more solid foods and some vitamin k? Only problem with that is the added cultures in the cheese and the fiber in the fruit.

By all means eat more solid foods as well (not instead of). Cottage cheese and fruit may be good. The fibre and cultures are only a problem if they are a problem - if they don't bother you, go for it. I think it's the cultures in cheese that make the vit-K.
Peat warns against carrageenan as hard on the gut lining. It is in many commercial dairy foods - I can't buy cottage cheese without it where I am.
Other's suggestions above look good too.
If you are drinking any other fluids, maybe replace them with juice and/or milk too.

Want to give an idea of what you are trying to achieve and what your diet was like before this recent change?

Take care.

 

[tara]

Peat has suggested that 1litre of OJ and 2litres of milk and a couple of eggs can be a good basis for a minimal diet. Not enough on its own for most people for long periods, though.

 

[RayPeat123]

RayPeat123

post 104216 I am currently having one glass of orange juice, three glasses of milk, two eggs, 20 grams of dark chocolate and one raw carrot daily.

For breakfast?
Depending on your age, gender, height, activity levels, current health state, etc, my guess is you would need 4-7 times this much just to meet energy needs.
If you mean this is it for the day, then I'm sure it's not enough to sustain health long term for any adult, even if your glass is like my 1/2 litre handle. I hope you haven't been starving yourself like this for too long.

post 104216 Maybe include some low fat cottage cheese and mango instead of OJ and milk for more solid foods and some vitamin k? Only problem with that is the added cultures in the cheese and the fiber in the fruit.

By all means eat more solid foods as well (not instead of). Cottage cheese and fruit may be good. The fibre and cultures are only a problem if they are a problem - if they don't bother you, go for it. I think it's the cultures in cheese that make the vit-K.
Peat warns against carrageenan as hard on the gut lining. It is in many commercial dairy foods - I can't buy cottage cheese without it where I am.
Other's suggestions above look good too.
If you are drinking any other fluids, maybe replace them with juice and/or milk too.

Want to give an idea of what you are trying to achieve and what your diet was like before this recent change?

Take care.

Thank you :)

I was eating paleo for a while, but didn't feel good with so much meat, vegetables and little fruit/carbohydrates. I've missed milk and fruit, and a Ray Peat way of eating makes a lot of sense to me. So I've recently cut out all vegetables, fish and nuts and things that didn't agree with me. My only concern now is getting enough nutrients, which is a lot more difficult with low fat foods and liquids.

I'll try adding some shellfish for copper and zinc to begin with, and then gradually increase the liquids.

Thanks again!

 

[ATP]

I am also new to this forum and Ray Peats work. Is there a good source such as a particular book of his where all these ideas are because I feel like all of his stuff is scattered everywhere and I'm struggling to find much information. Where did the whole orange juice, milk and coffee thing come from?

 

[Ulla]

post 104301 I am also new to this forum and Ray Peats work. Is there a good source such as a particular book of his where all these ideas are because I feel like all of his stuff is scattered everywhere and I'm struggling to find much information. Where did the whole orange juice, milk and coffee thing come from?

I think this book is good for a start.

 

[tara]

post 104301 I am also new to this forum and Ray Peats work. Is there a good source such as a particular book of his where all these ideas are because I feel like all of his stuff is scattered everywhere and I'm struggling to find much information. Where did the whole orange juice, milk and coffee thing come from?

The Ray Peat Resources section of this forum (viewforum.php?f=18)gathers quite a lot of his articles, interviews (audio and some transcripts), and a few of his advice emails to individuals.
The interviews are usually easier reading/listening than the articles, but I've found I understand the articles better the more I read. I recommend reading/listening to him, rather than just relying on people's interpretations here (which vary quite widely). I was initially hooked by the way his articles challenged my views on sugar, and then fats.

There is some summary information/interpretation in a sticky topic at the top of the Diet section.

Peat has written a few books, which some here have read. He has sold them directly, but I think he removed his contact details from his website, so not sure how to get them now. The books are older than many of his articles, and some of his ideas may have changed since then. He also puts out a newsletter for a subscription fee. Many of his articles are on his website too. http://raypeat.com

He has talked about fruit, milk and cheese being a good basis for a diet, and has suggested that 2l of milk, a litre of fresh strained OJ, and a couple of eggs a day can provide lot of the nutrients people need. He wrote an article specifically on coffee, which you can find on his site.
He strongly favours saturated fats over PUFA, and he generally favours at least 80-100g protein, sugars (eg from fruit and milk) over starches, esp. sugars along with all the minerals requited to metabolise them, getting more calcium than phosphorus, gelatine to balance the amino acids in muscle meat, regular raw carrot or cooked bamboo shoots to help remove excess estrogen and endotoxin from the gut, avoiding foods that unnecessarily irritate the gut, ...
He also says he eats some (non-oily)fish and meat himself, and has talked about both pros and cons of vegetables and green vege broths.

I have not seen him say that every body should have a completely liquid diet, or a very low fat diet.

He's written about the importance of nutrition, but also of water balance, red light, carbon dioxide, and the importance of meaning and purpose in people's lives.

But he also communicates a philosophy, best gleaned from his writing and interviews, that includes encouraging people to take charge of their own health, pay attention to how foods affect us, eat for a high metabolism, think for ourselves.

 

[tara]

post 104299 My only concern now is getting enough nutrients, which is a lot more difficult with low fat foods and liquids.

You don't necessarily have to suddenly eat a very low fat diet, esp. if this makes it difficult for you to get in enough food. There may be some advantages in lower fat diets, but there are people here who eat a range from moderate to low fat.

If you are not up to drinking more liquid yet, then you can add more solid food. There are lots of options. Notice what effects foods have on you, and choose ones that work for you.
Some people do better with little or no starch, but others do well with lots of potatoes, or a bit of white rice.
You may be able to get fruit juice concentrate.
You can turn some of your milk into fresh home-made cheese very easily (heat, add vinegar to curdle, strain, salt). If you can buy cheese that agrees with you, that can be good too. (Peat recommends avoiding carrageenan, a gum commonly added to commercial cottage cheese and other dairy products, and is sceptical about some bacterial cultures, and about excess lactic acid in n large quantities of yogurt).
Some people find condensed milk good.
Jelly made with fruit juice and added sucrose.
Honey
Chocolate (Peat warns about the estrogenic effects of soy, and many here avoid chocolate made with soy lecithin.)
Fresh and dried fruit.
You can also add sucrose to juice and milk to increase calorie density.
If a smaller amount of meat (preferably ruminant) and fish (non-oily) agree with you, you can balance that with some jelly, or focus on getting really gelatinous cuts for the collagen.
There are lots of useful minerals in some veges (as well as some anti-nutrients). You don't have to eliminate them altogether if they agree with you. The fruit-veges (eg courgettes, tomatoes etc) may be fine, if they don't bother you personally. Some people have trouble with nightshades, but many don't.

Some of us use cronometer from time to time to assess whether we are more or less covering our bases nutrient wise. (But ignore it's calorie recommendations - they are usually too low for health.)

 

[tara]

You know one of Peat's key ideas is to eat for a high metabolism, and that severe undereating tends to result in lowered metabolism?

Have you come across the Minnesota semi-starvation experiment? WWII experiment to see the effects of semi-starvation on a group of young men over a few months. The effects were severe. In the semi-starving phase, they ate more than twice what you described as your current diet. In the initial stabilising phase, before the starvation phase, they ate about double that. And afterwards, they needed more again to recover.

 

[ATP]

post 104358

post 104301 I am also new to this forum and Ray Peats work. Is there a good source such as a particular book of his where all these ideas are because I feel like all of his stuff is scattered everywhere and I'm struggling to find much information. Where did the whole orange juice, milk and coffee thing come from?

The Ray Peat Resources section of this forum (https://www.raypeatforum.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=18)gathers quite a lot of his articles, interviews (audio and some transcripts), and a few of his advice emails to individuals.
The interviews are usually easier reading/listening than the articles, but I've found I understand the articles better the more I read. I recommend reading/listening to him, rather than just relying on people's interpretations here (which vary quite widely). I was initially hooked by the way his articles challenged my views on sugar, and then fats.

There is some summary information/interpretation in a sticky topic at the top of the Diet section.

Peat has written a few books, which some here have read. He has sold them directly, but I think he removed his contact details from his website, so not sure how to get them now. The books are older than many of his articles, and some of his ideas may have changed since then. He also puts out a newsletter for a subscription fee. Many of his articles are on his website too. http://raypeat.com

He has talked about fruit, milk and cheese being a good basis for a diet, and has suggested that 2l of milk, a litre of fresh strained OJ, and a couple of eggs a day can provide lot of the nutrients people need. He wrote an article specifically on coffee, which you can find on his site.
He strongly favours saturated fats over PUFA, and he generally favours at least 80-100g protein, sugars (eg from fruit and milk) over starches, esp. sugars along with all the minerals requited to metabolise them, getting more calcium than phosphorus, gelatine to balance the amino acids in muscle meat, regular raw carrot or cooked bamboo shoots to help remove excess estrogen and endotoxin from the gut, avoiding foods that unnecessarily irritate the gut, ...
He also says he eats some (non-oily)fish and meat himself, and has talked about both pros and cons of vegetables and green vege broths.

I have not seen him say that every body should have a completely liquid diet, or a very low fat diet.

He's written about the importance of nutrition, but also of water balance, red light, carbon dioxide, and the importance of meaning and purpose in people's lives.

But he also communicates a philosophy, best gleaned from his writing and interviews, that includes encouraging people to take charge of their own health, pay attention to how foods affect us, eat for a high metabolism, think for ourselves.

Thank you very much for all of this information, it is a great start and a lot of information for me to read through. I just kept hearing about Ray through different people and I feel like his work has a lot to offer to peoples health.

 

[RayPeat123]

post 104359

post 104299 My only concern now is getting enough nutrients, which is a lot more difficult with low fat foods and liquids.

You don't necessarily have to suddenly eat a very low fat diet, esp. if this makes it difficult for you to get in enough food. There may be some advantages in lower fat diets, but there are people here who eat a range from moderate to low fat.

If you are not up to drinking more liquid yet, then you can add more solid food. There are lots of options. Notice what effects foods have on you, and choose ones that work for you.
Some people do better with little or no starch, but others do well with lots of potatoes, or a bit of white rice.
You may be able to get fruit juice concentrate.
You can turn some of your milk into fresh home-made cheese very easily (heat, add vinegar to curdle, strain, salt). If you can buy cheese that agrees with you, that can be good too. (Peat recommends avoiding carrageenan, a gum commonly added to commercial cottage cheese and other dairy products, and is sceptical about some bacterial cultures, and about excess lactic acid in n large quantities of yogurt).
Some people find condensed milk good.
Jelly made with fruit juice and added sucrose.
Honey
Chocolate (Peat warns about the estrogenic effects of soy, and many here avoid chocolate made with soy lecithin.)
Fresh and dried fruit.
You can also add sucrose to juice and milk to increase calorie density.
If a smaller amount of meat (preferably ruminant) and fish (non-oily) agree with you, you can balance that with some jelly, or focus on getting really gelatinous cuts for the collagen.
There are lots of useful minerals in some veges (as well as some anti-nutrients). You don't have to eliminate them altogether if they agree with you. The fruit-veges (eg courgettes, tomatoes etc) may be fine, if they don't bother you personally. Some people have trouble with nightshades, but many don't.

Some of us use cronometer from time to time to assess whether we are more or less covering our bases nutrient wise. (But ignore it's calorie recommendations - they are usually too low for health.)

Thank you for all of this information and good advice!

I found some organic cottage cheese without added calcium sorbate, so I'm gonna give that a go. I'll also eat more mango, eggs, and keep drinking milk and orange juice.