New To The Forum, But Not New To Peat - My 8 Years On This Journey

[Scott Andrew]

Hi Everyone.

I love discussing health and wellness, and have followed the work of Ray Peat closely since 2012. I figured I would introduce myself, and share some of my experiences and what I've learned along the way.

When I began "Peating", I had a lot of health issues. Anxiety, major digestive issues, brain fog, depression, and uncontrollable anger. I was under the false impression at the time, that diet and supplements could fix all of my issues. That my issues were somehow ALL diet related. Which wasn't true, but this is what I thought back in 2012.

Ray Peat's recommendations made no sense to me at all at the beginning! I was coming off a raw vegan diet, and SUGAR?! Ice cream!? Aspirin?! Milk?! WTF?! But, I was so desperate, that I decided to give it a try. I would have drank cow pee at the time, if it had known health benefits.

In the 8 years since I began implementing certain Ray Peat techniques towards wellness, I have learned a great deal through trial and error. Here's some of them:

1. A little added white sugar is super beneficial. I have tried organic honey, molasses, "sugar in the raw", and all of these so called healthy sugars. NOTHING is as effective as cheap, white refined sugar. The stuff you pay $3 for a 6 lb bag of.

2. Avoiding gums/thickeners is paramount! This was a game changer for me. I didn't realize how many things have added gums or thickeners in them. Reducing them made an instant impact on my digestive bloat.

3. It was very hard for me to find my balance with milk. It took years of trial and error, and experimentation. I've tried every kind of milk, every kind of way. Lactose free, heavily sugared, not sugared, chocolate milk, fat free, 1%, 2%, whole milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, raw, etc. This is what I learned is the most important thing for me..... heating the milk before consuming. Sounds odd, right? Well, after several years of not having milk totally agree with me, bringing milk to a boil worked like MAGIC. I personally use 2%, but it works with any type. And I usually DON'T sugar my milk at all. Boiled, drank as is.

4. Orange Juice was another one that was VERY hard to find my balance for. What I learned, is what things like Minute Maid are like battery acid in my system. The oranges aren't ripe, so the juice is very acidic. If I consume orange juice, it either has to be fresh, or cold pressed. Otherwise, I don't bother. And I usually always have to add some white sugar to it. Not much. Usually 1/2 teaspoon per 8 oz. I didn't truly understand the power of OJ until I realized how bad the store bought ones were for my body.

5. Go easy on ice cream. I was underweight when I first began Peating, so I was under the impression that I needed all kinds of calories to start gaining weight. I went through a heavy Haagen Dazs phase, and I did not feel my best. I avoid it for the most part these days. I find that it seems to REALLY slow down my bowel transit time, and I just feel better without it. Oh, and by the way, I started gaining a ton of healthy weight (muscle), when my digestive system calmed down, and I began releasing trapped emotions (Read the book "The Emotion Code").

6. I take 1 supplement and 1 supplement only. Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C) Powder. Not a ton, but maybe 1,500 to 2,000 mg a day. I have taken SO MANY supplements over the years. Went through a huge aspirin phase (noticed only negative effects - nothing positive), did the whole Vitamin D/K thing, put Vitamin E oil on my skin. Did that whole thing. The only consistent benefit I've found is from sodium ascorbate in fairly low doses.

7. Don't follow anyone else's advice blindly. We're all unique. What works for you may not work for me. Listen to your body. Stop doing something "Peat recommended", if it makes you feel lousy.

8. The only starch I consume is bread. Brioche french bread. I find that it digests wonderfully, and I buy a brand that has very minimal ingredients. It's made with wheat, but I digest it beautifully, and I feel it nourishes me. Unlike Ezekiel bread, and so many of those "healthy" breads that irritate my gut. I don't consume rice, potatoes, or any other starch. I don't like the taste of them, and I don't like the GI effects they give me. The main thing for me is taste... I just simply do not like starches.

9. Coffee.... this was another one that took me years to get right. This is what I settled on... Cold Brew is what I enjoy the most -- both taste-wise, and the effect on my body. I will drink 1-2 cups a day of coffee. Any more than that, I find it unbalancing. But 1-2 is my sweet spot, and I notice fantastic benefits from it. Contrary to Peat's suggestions, I like consuming my coffee black. 8 years of experimentation lead me to believe black, or with a little warmed milk, is best tolerated by my body and gut.

I think that's all for now.
Cheers!

Great post, welcome! I fairly new myself. Your sugar experience is actually very similar to mine... honey especially I find does not hit nearly as well as plain sugar. I get the organic cane sugar from whole foods to have at home as mostly a psychological thing I think. I get free white sugar for coffee at work and have tons of that every work day though. Also love mexican coke, hard to even go back to the corn syrup stuff at this point.

I'm curious if you have ever tried A2 milk? I was in a similar spot trying to figure out milks that would agree with me best, and A2 milk, either the Snowville A2 brand or the A2 brand itself turned to be breakthroughs for me.

 

[Steven Bussinger]

Great post, Mark. I have also had to find my own path.

I actually think most people would do themselves some good by getting off the forum. Most of the things that I have found really beneficial for me are things that have been strongly warned against or never explored to any significant degree here. Plus, the forum and similar places are largely filled with people that would be best helped by doing a consultation with someone. There are probably at least a dozen Peat-friendly health consultants now. They will save people a lot of time and wasted effort because they've already worked with lots of people, so they have perspective for the process and variety of problems. None of them comment here so you won't gain from their experience.

At this point, I think people stand to gain the most by reading the accounts of people like you, Nathan Hatch, VoS, etc. That way, they have the inspiration to do their own experimentation.

There are almost no things that I like cold, anymore. Something like soda or lemonade is good cold. Everything else I eat heated up or lukewarm.

A year ago I noticed that drinking soda would often make me feel cold. That's when I stopped drinking soda with any regularity. I used to think that I craved the carbonation in soda, but now that I get plenty of sugar in my coffee and tea, I never have any desire to drink soda. Though, it just so happened that last night I really wanted soda. So I grabbed the Whole Foods Cream Cherry soda that has been sitting in the back of the fridge for 3 months and it was perfect. And I didn't feel cold. I guess my body knew what it was doing; I almost refused it.

"Small" signs that people can look for when deciding which foods are negative for them: feeling cold, feeling low blood sugar or needing to eat again, nasal drip, frequent urination, lightly-colored urination.

 

[Steven Bussinger]

Valuable post, thanks for writing.

What would you say are common products / foods that contain gums/thickeners?

Any kind of product with dairy. Cottage cheese, ice cream, chocolate milk, etc.

Doesn't ordinary white sugar have glyphosate? Or do you mean regular table sugar (but still organic) vs raw sugar, brown sugar, all the fancier stuff?

C&H and the 365 Brand at Whole Foods are both certified non-GMO.

 

[Runenight201]

Your username reads like an election campaign. Will you be running for president under the Peatarian party?

 

[BingDing]

I'll add my welcome to the forum too, it's always good to read a success story.

Added gums and emulsifiers have been a pet peeve of mine for a long time. In a study with mice they used two different gums, polysorbate 80, and carrageenan. All of them act somewhat like soap and reduce the mucous layer in the small intestine, exposing the endothelial cells more directly to gut bacteria. I think the dosage used was more than a normal human equivalent but all the mice developed IBS.

And it is in all kinds of food. I've always liked sweet pickle relish in egg salad and on burgers. You cannot find a jar of US made pickles or pickle relish that doesn't have some kind of gum or emulsifier in it. It's insane, IMO. When I really want it I buy a German brand of pickles and make my own relish.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Any kind of product with dairy. Cottage cheese, ice cream, chocolate milk, etc.

So commercial dairy products.
But you said you consume plenty of dairy

 

[GreekDemiGod]

A year ago I noticed that drinking soda would often make me feel cold

Coke is the only soda I consume, it really warms me and raises my pulse.

 

[Cameron]

I agree with warm dairy I think that gets overlooked a lot especially if milk is being consumed upwards of half a gallon the warmed milk digest much easier. As far as fruit I think it is better cooked or room temp. Cold oj would make me tired and cold but fresh squeezed room temp oj or pineapple does wonders. Temperature of food is often overlooked.if something like coke or ice cream has enough sugar it may protect from its cold temperature wich can provide a refreshing feeling in the moment.

 

[Arnold Grape]

So commercial dairy products.
But you said you consume plenty of dairy

Check the label, dog?! My intuitive sense tells me that gums are in things, snuck in: even the ice cream that I buy from a coop, I don’t know if they are obligated to list if the cream has additives, and so on.

Meanwhile, it’s difficult to find things without, but look at toxinless if you’re at a loss.

 

[Lollipop2]

Makes sense to me too. This post got me thinking about how...when I would go to Europe during the summer as a child and we had milk in Tetrapaks, I would end up eating corn flakes with room temperature milk most of the time, and how much I loved that.
So I warmed up milk and had it with cornflakes just now, and I realized that when I eat cereal with cold milk I get a feeling of cold or stuck energy moving through my legs, it’s as if my blood is coagulating, but when I have warm milk, it’s like a warm flowing sensation through my body. I think Chinese and Indian medicine is very sophisticated, and they really emphasize ice cold food as being a problem.

Very interesting n=1.

 

[RWilly]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[Marco]

Hi to all, I am new to the forum. Trying to implement Peat's advices in my diet after 2+ years of keto/carnivore that alleviated many bad symptoms but put me in a fatigued, low energy state and constant bloating and weightgain even at low calories. Wanted to reply to this very interesting thread that resonates with my shorter experience. I immediatly had great improvements after adding back carbs to my diet, as one who does daily workouts. The so much feared bread ... I digest it easily, better than the whole foods as potatoes. I solved the bloating and recuperated a lot of energy. Two months later, now, I started to implement things as the fresh oranges, the carrots and the daily aspirine. But, surprisingly I faced a return of the nasal congestion (it had ameliorated during the carnivore years but never completelly went away) and also a very uncommon cutaneous rush, starting 2 days ago and still here. Not terribly itchy but diffuse, as a kind of hypersensitive skin with small red dots. Less itchy if shirtless. I wondered whether these symptoms can be ascribed to an allergic reaction to the salicylates. My mother had it too, certified. Seems oranges, carrots and o.c. aspirine are high in salicylates. Maybe this is the reason why some people, as the poster and I, don't tolerate those foods that are so good to not allergic people?

 

[Hopeyj19]

Hi Everyone.

I love discussing health and wellness, and have followed the work of Ray Peat closely since 2012. I figured I would introduce myself, and share some of my experiences and what I've learned along the way.

When I began "Peating", I had a lot of health issues. Anxiety, major digestive issues, brain fog, depression, and uncontrollable anger. I was under the false impression at the time, that diet and supplements could fix all of my issues. That my issues were somehow ALL diet related. Which wasn't true, but this is what I thought back in 2012.

Ray Peat's recommendations made no sense to me at all at the beginning! I was coming off a raw vegan diet, and SUGAR?! Ice cream!? Aspirin?! Milk?! WTF?! But, I was so desperate, that I decided to give it a try. I would have drank cow pee at the time, if it had known health benefits.

In the 8 years since I began implementing certain Ray Peat techniques towards wellness, I have learned a great deal through trial and error. Here's some of them:

1. A little added white sugar is super beneficial. I have tried organic honey, molasses, "sugar in the raw", and all of these so called healthy sugars. NOTHING is as effective as cheap, white refined sugar. The stuff you pay $3 for a 6 lb bag of.

2. Avoiding gums/thickeners is paramount! This was a game changer for me. I didn't realize how many things have added gums or thickeners in them. Reducing them made an instant impact on my digestive bloat.

3. It was very hard for me to find my balance with milk. It took years of trial and error, and experimentation. I've tried every kind of milk, every kind of way. Lactose free, heavily sugared, not sugared, chocolate milk, fat free, 1%, 2%, whole milk, goat's milk, sheep's milk, raw, etc. This is what I learned is the most important thing for me..... heating the milk before consuming. Sounds odd, right? Well, after several years of not having milk totally agree with me, bringing milk to a boil worked like MAGIC. I personally use 2%, but it works with any type. And I usually DON'T sugar my milk at all. Boiled, drank as is.

4. Orange Juice was another one that was VERY hard to find my balance for. What I learned, is what things like Minute Maid are like battery acid in my system. The oranges aren't ripe, so the juice is very acidic. If I consume orange juice, it either has to be fresh, or cold pressed. Otherwise, I don't bother. And I usually always have to add some white sugar to it. Not much. Usually 1/2 teaspoon per 8 oz. I didn't truly understand the power of OJ until I realized how bad the store bought ones were for my body.

5. Go easy on ice cream. I was underweight when I first began Peating, so I was under the impression that I needed all kinds of calories to start gaining weight. I went through a heavy Haagen Dazs phase, and I did not feel my best. I avoid it for the most part these days. I find that it seems to REALLY slow down my bowel transit time, and I just feel better without it. Oh, and by the way, I started gaining a ton of healthy weight (muscle), when my digestive system calmed down, and I began releasing trapped emotions (Read the book "The Emotion Code").

6. I take 1 supplement and 1 supplement only. Sodium Ascorbate (Vitamin C) Powder. Not a ton, but maybe 1,500 to 2,000 mg a day. I have taken SO MANY supplements over the years. Went through a huge aspirin phase (noticed only negative effects - nothing positive), did the whole Vitamin D/K thing, put Vitamin E oil on my skin. Did that whole thing. The only consistent benefit I've found is from sodium ascorbate in fairly low doses.

7. Don't follow anyone else's advice blindly. We're all unique. What works for you may not work for me. Listen to your body. Stop doing something "Peat recommended", if it makes you feel lousy.

8. The only starch I consume is bread. Brioche french bread. I find that it digests wonderfully, and I buy a brand that has very minimal ingredients. It's made with wheat, but I digest it beautifully, and I feel it nourishes me. Unlike Ezekiel bread, and so many of those "healthy" breads that irritate my gut. I don't consume rice, potatoes, or any other starch. I don't like the taste of them, and I don't like the GI effects they give me. The main thing for me is taste... I just simply do not like starches.

9. Coffee.... this was another one that took me years to get right. This is what I settled on... Cold Brew is what I enjoy the most -- both taste-wise, and the effect on my body. I will drink 1-2 cups a day of coffee. Any more than that, I find it unbalancing. But 1-2 is my sweet spot, and I notice fantastic benefits from it. Contrary to Peat's suggestions, I like consuming my coffee black. 8 years of experimentation lead me to believe black, or with a little warmed milk, is best tolerated by my body and gut.

I think that's all for now.
Cheers!

This is awesome

 

[Mark2020]

Great post, Mark. I have also had to find my own path.

I actually think most people would do themselves some good by getting off the forum. Most of the things that I have found really beneficial for me are things that have been strongly warned against or never explored to any significant degree here. Plus, the forum and similar places are largely filled with people that would be best helped by doing a consultation with someone. There are probably at least a dozen Peat-friendly health consultants now. They will save people a lot of time and wasted effort because they've already worked with lots of people, so they have perspective for the process and variety of problems. None of them comment here so you won't gain from their experience.

At this point, I think people stand to gain the most by reading the accounts of people like you, Nathan Hatch, VoS, etc. That way, they have the inspiration to do their own experimentation.

There are almost no things that I like cold, anymore. Something like soda or lemonade is good cold. Everything else I eat heated up or lukewarm.

A year ago I noticed that drinking soda would often make me feel cold. That's when I stopped drinking soda with any regularity. I used to think that I craved the carbonation in soda, but now that I get plenty of sugar in my coffee and tea, I never have any desire to drink soda. Though, it just so happened that last night I really wanted soda. So I grabbed the Whole Foods Cream Cherry soda that has been sitting in the back of the fridge for 3 months and it was perfect. And I didn't feel cold. I guess my body knew what it was doing; I almost refused it.

"Small" signs that people can look for when deciding which foods are negative for them: feeling cold, feeling low blood sugar or needing to eat again, nasal drip, frequent urination, lightly-colored urination.

This post was written ages ago, but I’m just logging on again now.

I see a lot of bad advice on this forum. Real bad. A lot of sick people looking for guidance, and they’re having people regurgitate studies to them, or isolate something Ray Peat said out of context, or something that works for Ray personally, and treat it like gospel. I know. I’ve been there myself.

We all need to listen to our bodies and experiment. See what works for us and what doesn’t. When I drink coffee black, I digest it TERRIFIC. When I put milk and sugar in it, it acts like poison in my system. It’s 100% contrary to what Ray Peat says, but it works for me personally. It’s just little things like that.

I heat up milk when I drink it. Cold milk paralyzes my digestive system. Warm milk nourishes my body and soul.

Pure aspirin powder is a wonderful supplement, as is pure powdered cascara sagrada. Both when I’ve taken both in pill form, they irritated my gut and decreased my wellness.

I’ve been Peat-ing like 8 years now. I’ve picked up some tricks of the trade over the years. :) Everyone else should do the same.

 

[gaze]

@Mark2020 Id be interested to know, do you find white rice digests worse than brioche bread or is there another reason why you exclude it? simply doesn't add anything of use?

 

[deeper]

This post was written ages ago, but I’m just logging on again now.

I see a lot of bad advice on this forum. Real bad. A lot of sick people looking for guidance, and they’re having people regurgitate studies to them, or isolate something Ray Peat said out of context, or something that works for Ray personally, and treat it like gospel. I know. I’ve been there myself.

We all need to listen to our bodies and experiment. See what works for us and what doesn’t. When I drink coffee black, I digest it TERRIFIC. When I put milk and sugar in it, it acts like poison in my system. It’s 100% contrary to what Ray Peat says, but it works for me personally. It’s just little things like that.

I heat up milk when I drink it. Cold milk paralyzes my digestive system. Warm milk nourishes my body and soul.

Pure aspirin powder is a wonderful supplement, as is pure powdered cascara sagrada. Both when I’ve taken both in pill form, they irritated my gut and decreased my wellness.

I’ve been Peat-ing like 8 years now. I’ve picked up some tricks of the trade over the years. :) Everyone else should do the same.

I have to ask now, can you let me know where you ordered your aspirin powder and Cascara? Thanks