Spices!

[jyb]

Don't most, if not all, spices increase serotonin in the gut? And at the opposite, bitterness is good (ultra-bitterness, in the case of cascara...). They are often recommended as "brain boosters" as increasing serotonin. They also say that the gut can "tell" when there is spice, just like the mouth, and I would find it intuitive that "hot" in the gut means serotonin or inflammation.

 

[pboy]

Im pretty sure anything bitter or spicy is toxic...but in such small amounts it might not be a big deal. Salt + Fat + Soft and moist...no spices needed at that point

 

[sladerunner69]

Caffeine is also considered to be a natural insect repellant. Obviously, most here wouldn't translate this to meaning coffee and caffeine are toxic...

How To Make An Insect Repellent With Vanilla Extract
http://www.ehow.com/how_2257484_make-insect-repellent-vanilla-extract.html

- Vanilla extract
- Shallow container
- Water

1) Get a clean, shallow small container and add 1 tbs. of pure, clear, sugarless vanilla extract.
2) Add 1 tbs of water to the container. Stir the mixture so that the vanilla extract and water mix thoroughly.
3) Dip a cotton ball or another absorbent material into the mixture and wipe it on your skin. Make sure to treat all exposed areas.
4) Apply undiluted drops of vanilla extract to your neck, wrists and other pulse points.
5) Reapply the solution and undiluted vanilla extract drops at the first sign of its effectiveness diminishing.

Using vanilla extract as an insect repellent usually works for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Tips & Warnings
- Look for pure vanilla in health food stores if you can't find it in your regular grocery store. Regular grocery stores often stock the kind that doesn't help repel insects.
- High concentrations of vanilla may cause skin irritation.
- Vanilla extract applied to the face or other areas that have thin skin may cause irritation. Try using as much water as you need to guard against skin irritation. Some people may need to use up to 1 c. of water when mixing 1 tbs. of vanilla sugar into a mixture.
- Don't use vanilla extract as an insect repellent if you are allergic to vanilla. Rub a bit of vanilla extract on your skin as a test before applying this insect repellent.

 

[mt_dreams]

Ray's outlook on spices stems a lot from the fact he avoids seeds & leaves.

Seed spices like cumin, mustard, etc, will, by Ray's standards be bad. The fact that spices often sit for long periods of time further oxidizing the PUFA, makes these spices even worse (aka never by ground up spices that contain PUFA).

Root-spices (turmeric, ginger, etc) come from underground, so by Peat standards, can be used more liberally than above ground plant-spices. Someone above mentioned that turmeric contains a compound akin to chemo, which is probably why it's so valuable as an anti-cancer medicine.

weed-like spices (basil, cilantro, etc) are in the same category as above ground veggies as in they produce compounds to prevent them from being eaten. It would be nice if someone could find if Ray has mentioned any of these spices firsthand in any of this interviews regarding if they don't pose the same kind of risk as above ground veggies do. I recall him mentioning basil with regards to tomato sauce, but that's about it.

I have not come across Ray saying anything bad about barks. The above post about type of cinnamon is quite crucial, as all the favorable medical studies have to do with ceylon, not the potential harmful variety that is table cinnamon aka cassia. Imo, as long as they don't promote estrogen, contain pufa, or any other toxic compounds like cassia, they should be doable (though i'm probably cherry picking on this one as I recently used pine bark to balance out my Th1&2 ratios with great results)

Hot pepper & pepper spice are from two different plant categories. Pepper spice is a plant seed, so it's already a peat no-no. On top of that it's also fermented, which makes it even worse. Hot pepper (chillies, cayenne, etc) is considered a fruit in the nightshade family. So if you don't have problems with nightshades, you can use in moderation. One note is to make sure you only use the flesh part of the hot pepper, and not the seed which contains pufa. Many store bought hot sauces seems to contain the seeds. The easiest option is to grow/buy hot peppers and make sure to scrape away all the seeds before using.

Garlic & onions are great in their natural state. The problem with powders is that over time they oxidize, and also increase the potential of mold. If you use these powders, opt for mini-contains over the larger tub like containers, as this would reduce the risk of this happening.

 

[Blinkyrocket]

I'm a huge fan of cinnamon so hopefully I can find the better version of it... Also someone here said ginger lowers serotonin, and it's promoted as a way to solve digestion problems.

 

[robertf]

<Pepper. This seems to include all kinds of pepper...i'm gonna miss you cayenne pepper.>

black pepper aka piper nigrum is not in the same family as capsicum. Preground packaged black pepper can be more prone to mold than grinding yourself. Also how you prepare it, ie raw vs cooked can have an effect on tolerance. Black pepper is high in chromium, also a very strong anti-parasitic, so you can have a herx reaction and confuse it for intolerance, or not.

Cinnamon. (i'm still having problems with accepting this....)

cinnamon is bark, and all barks are high in salicylate. Cinnamon also has a strong effect on blood sugar. It's a strong anti-parasitic as well. Also make sure you differentiate between ceylon cinnamon and cassia, two different substances. Ceylon is sweeter and better tolerated imo.

Mustard seeds.

goitrogen. it's always cooked in oil in ayurveda (could use ghee)

Safe:

Salt.

Vanilla.

Like mustard, a lot of spices need to be tempered so they are not aggravating, and used in appropriate doses. I always boil turrmeric and make a paste. A lot of herbs are bitter in their raw state and will be irritating if not tempered. Some are sensitive also to burning and must be cooked in the appropriate way.

If you delve into ayurveda, there are classes of spices appropriate for different body types. Kapha does ok with heating/pungent, vata with savory/salt and pitta with cooling/bitter.

Seasonal/weather changes also come into play as in the summertime most people will not want to heat their bodies so much.

In the winter I am a spice freak, as soon as the warm weather hits I instinctively stop them. Especially a fan of ginger garlic paste in the winter for curries.

 

[Blinkyrocket]

What about Lifesaver wintergreen mints?

 

[sm1693]

How To Make An Insect Repellent With Vanilla Extract
How to Make an Insect Repellent With Vanilla Extract | eHow

- Vanilla extract
- Shallow container
- Water

1) Get a clean, shallow small container and add 1 tbs. of pure, clear, sugarless vanilla extract.
2) Add 1 tbs of water to the container. Stir the mixture so that the vanilla extract and water mix thoroughly.
3) Dip a cotton ball or another absorbent material into the mixture and wipe it on your skin. Make sure to treat all exposed areas.
4) Apply undiluted drops of vanilla extract to your neck, wrists and other pulse points.
5) Reapply the solution and undiluted vanilla extract drops at the first sign of its effectiveness diminishing.

Using vanilla extract as an insect repellent usually works for approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Tips & Warnings
- Look for pure vanilla in health food stores if you can't find it in your regular grocery store. Regular grocery stores often stock the kind that doesn't help repel insects.
- High concentrations of vanilla may cause skin irritation.
- Vanilla extract applied to the face or other areas that have thin skin may cause irritation. Try using as much water as you need to guard against skin irritation. Some people may need to use up to 1 c. of water when mixing 1 tbs. of vanilla sugar into a mixture.
- Don't use vanilla extract as an insect repellent if you are allergic to vanilla. Rub a bit of vanilla extract on your skin as a test before applying this insect repellent.

Belated thank you for this comment. I struggled to find the source of gut irritation from chocolate bars before I read your comment and had to go to the baking chips without vanilla.

 

[ecstatichamster]

How much of a cumin or capsicum seed do you really get pufas from if you eat it whole. I wonder if it just passes through.

 

[Erowin]

This is such and old post but I find it disturbing. Are people actually worried about tiny amounts of spice in a recipe? If RP says something like "cinnamon can be allergic" then some seem to jump on the "OMG it's bad throw it out" bandwagon.

I see this all the time - seems neurotic and kinda UN Peat like.

I get the attraction - when I first started this I kept searching for everything to see what i could put in my mouth. What I did was feed my control issues and stress around eating. BLAH - not good. This is the same kind of behavior that gets one searching all over the internet for medical conditions that could be attributed to the tiny pain in a toe or new spot on the skin.

SMH waiting to be flamed.

 

[daIllu]

Yea and pufa in a few tiny chili seeds, if you eat cheese you get plenty more from that, or probably even from low fat milk, unless it's 0%.

 

[mt_dreams]

This is such and old post but I find it disturbing. Are people actually worried about tiny amounts of spice in a recipe? If RP says something like "cinnamon can be allergic" then some seem to jump on the "OMG it's bad throw it out" bandwagon.

I see this all the time - seems neurotic and kinda UN Peat like.

I get the attraction - when I first started this I kept searching for everything to see what i could put in my mouth. What I did was feed my control issues and stress around eating. BLAH - not good. This is the same kind of behavior that gets one searching all over the internet for medical conditions that could be attributed to the tiny pain in a toe or new spot on the skin.

SMH waiting to be flamed.

I'm not sure if this would classify as un-peat like. He uses hydrogenated coconut oil instead of the refined stuff sold in most supermarkets just to avoid the small amount of pufa in the refined version. I'm not that hardcore, but I do see an issue with oxidated ground up spices that have been sitting on the shelf for a long time. also there's the estrogenic & serotonin issues with some spices that would eventually have an effect if used often.

 

[tara]

If RP says something like "cinnamon can be allergic" then some seem to jump on the "OMG it's bad throw it out" bandwagon.

I tend to take 'can be allergenic' as a reason to watch out for reactions, and to consider avoiding if one has reactions. It's not workable to avoid everything that is allergic for some people - that would leave nothing to eat.

For other issues, like tendencies to be estrogenic or serotinergic, I see it more as a matter to consider how much one eats and not overdo it. Having a little now and then being different from lot every day.

For cinnamon specifically, Haidut has posted some studies showing Ceylon cinnamon to be potentially useful as a tactic for some particular purposes.
And ginger.

 

[Peaterpeater]

I tried using organic ceylon cinnamon to reduce lactic acid from the previous days exercise. I was in a hurry and placed about 1 full teaspoon of cinnamon into my smoothie and OMG, DID I SUFFER FOR IT. I had a terrible reaction, endotoxic possibly, not completely sure but about an hour or so later I couldn't breath (like having air-hunger) and the base of my neck hurt along with the area of my back between my shoulder blades as it something was attacking it from inside my body. I don't know what happened exactly but I felt completely awful and looked awful the next day (today). Has anyone else had a similar experience with cinnamon? Please share.

 

[paymanz]

Ray Peat Email Advice Depository

Good job raypeatclips,

It was my questions as well.so peppers are OK in ray's opinion.surprise, I thought opposite.

So hotness of pepper is OK, what about black peppers?
Hav he ever talked about this in an interview?!

Also I wonder if cloves have similarity to lidocain?

 

[nikolabeacon]

Interesting.He seems to have similar conclusions here regarding seed spices and its toxicity. Cloves are flower buds, cinnamon is bark, turmeric is root , and paprika is fruit. But i think freshness and way in wich these are stored have influence on bacterial development in them.Dried powdered sweet or hot Paprika can cause gas and irritation if it is not fresh. He said he stopped using black pepper because it causes gas. I found that to be true. It is because it is in fact a seed . Only outer membrane is thin flesh(black), inside is a seed( white pepper).

 

[raypeatclips]

Interesting.He seems to have similar conclusions here regarding seed spices and its toxicity. Cloves are flower buds, cinnamon is bark, turmeric is root , and paprika is fruit. But i think freshness and way in wich these are stored have influence on bacterial development in them.Dried powdered sweet or hot Paprika can cause gas and irritation if it is not fresh. He said he stopped using black pepper because it causes gas. I found that to be true. It is because it is in fact a seed . Only outer membrane is thin flesh(black), inside is a seed( white pepper).

I think you might be onto something with the spices from seed link there. His response about spices shows his opinions are not as strict as people on here imagine they are. You can make many delicious meals with the spices he mentions, (and others not mentioned) and still be doing the "Peat diet" which doesn't actually exist. Drinking quarts of milk and oj, when you don't react well to them, is not "more Peaty" than someone eating spices and improving in health.

 

[lollipop]

Just saw this on licorice: Not recommended for pregnant women and toxicity levels are unknown.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170203101542.htm

 

[Amazoniac]

- Lead Poisoning and Some Commonly used Spices: An Indian Scenario