Dr. Ray Peat’s Carrot Salad
BiochemNordic
The carrot salad is one of Dr. Ray Peat’s most famous diet recommendations – It might sound stupid to recommend raw carrots for severe health problems, such as chronic inflammation, liver problems, and hormonal imbalances.
This blog post explains the biochemistry behind Dr. Ray Peat’s carrot salad and how it can help improve not just your digestive system but also your thyroid function and hormonal balance in general.
Dr. Ray Peat explains Intestinal inflammation
The intestine is the body’s direct contact with its environment and generally, nutritionists are aware of the connection between the digestive system and the overall health of the body.
Bacterial and fungal overgrowth:
Dr. Ray Peat explains that many people have problems with bacteria and fungus (candida) overgrowth in the intestine, resulting in intestinal inflammation, which can cause symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and or diarrhea.
Intestinal inflammation connected to health problems:
Dr. Ray Peat describes how intestinal inflammation can become so severe that the intestine leaks endotoxins and inflammatory mediators into the bloodstream.
According to Dr. Ray Peat endotoxins and inflammatory mediators from the intestine poison the liver as well as the energy-producing system of our cells, resulting in chronic inflammation and hormonal problems such as estrogen dominance and low thyroid function.
The central role of the digestive system for general health makes cleaning the intestine an important focus of the “Ray Peat Diet“.
Why Does Ray Peat Recommend Raw Carrots?
According to Dr. Ray Peat, it is very important that your daily diet contains fibers that can suppress the overgrowth of bad bacteria and fungus.
One of Dr. Ray Peat’s most known diet recommendations is a daily carrot or carrot salad. According to Dr. Ray Peat raw carrots are extremely good at cleaning the intestine, because they contain fibers with anti-microbial properties.
How do Raw carrots clean the intestine?
Carrots are fibrous vegetables that grow underground. In order, to protect themselves from the moist environment, carrots produce anti-bacterial and anti-fungal substances. It is these anti-microbial compound of carrot fibers, which helps prevent bacterial and fungal overgrowth of the intestine.
In addition, the fibers of raw carrots bind toxins such as estrogen and endotoxins and carry them out from the body through the digestive system.
Intestinal health and liver function:
Cleaning the intestine with raw carrots helps prevent overloading the liver with toxins. A healthy liver is important, as the liver, detoxifies estrogen and converts the storage thyroid hormone T4 to the active thyroid hormone T3. Learn more about the importance of the liver for good hormonal balance in our Hypothyroid Treatment Program.
Why you should not cook Juice carrots?
It is important to use raw carrots and not cooked or juiced carrots. Cooking and juicing the carrots will destroy the fibers, but also release the carotene in the carrots, and carotene has anti-thyroid effects. You can learn more about anti-thyroid substances in our Hypothyroid Treatment Program.
How Dr. Ray Peat eats his carrots?
Dr. Ray Peat explains that just eating 1-2 raw carrots per day has a beneficial effect on your intestinal health
Even better than eating 1-2 daily raw carrots is Dr. Ray Peat’s famous carrot salad. This salad has the ability to greatly improve your health by thoroughly cleaning your intestine.
Dr. Ray peat’s Carrot salad Recipe?
- A big carrot shredded lengthwise
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt and garlic to taste
Dr. Ray Peat’s carrot salad consists of raw carrots, grated lengthwise so that long fibers are created.
The grated carrot is eaten with olive oil and vinegar dressing.
It is best if the vinegar is without additives, for instance, Apple cider vinegar. Salt, pepper, and maybe garlic can be added to taste.
The Germicidal effect of Ray Peat’s Carrot salad
The combination of the saturated fat of the olive oil and the acetic acid of the vinegar increases the germicidal effect of the carrot fibers.
It is very important that oils that are high in polyunsaturated fats are not used. Olive oil only contains 10 % unsaturated fats. According to Dr. Ray peat unsaturated fats, strongly suppress thyroid function. You can learn more about this subject in our blog post: “The Truth About Polyunsaturated Fats” as well as our Hypothyroid Treatment Program, which goes into detail about Dr. Ray Peat’s diet recommendation.
variations of the Ray Peat Carrot salad?
Dr. Ray Peat’s carrot salad sweet version:
1. A big carrot shredded lengthwise
2. Fresh strawberries and or raisins,
3. A ripe banana
4. Lemon juice for freshness
The raw carrot fibers clean the intestine and improve digestion. The fruit contains fructose which supports thyroid function and promotes stable blood sugar, lemon juice like vinegar is germicidal.
Dr. Ray Peat’s carrot salad meal version:
You can make the carrot salad into a meal with eggs and cheese, it could include:
- A big carrot shredded lengthwise
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt and garlic to taste
- 1-2 Boiled eggs
- Feta cheese
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Bell peppers
Ray Peat’s digestive health advice
In our Hypothyroid Treatment Program, you will learn all aspects of the Ray Peat diet and lifestyle.
Module 10 of this program concern gut health and informs you more about raw carrots as well as other nutritional fibers for improving digestion.
Module 10 of the Hypothyroid Treatment Program also explains which nutritional supplements can help combat fungus infections such as candida and bacterial overgrowth.
Importantly our Hypothyroid Treatment Program also explains what types of foods you should stay away from because they feed bacteria and fungus (candida) in your intestine.
Ray Peat recommends Cooked Mushrooms
According to Dr. Ray Peat, cooked white bottom mushrooms can be an alternative to carrots for cleaning the intestine. You can learn more about the health benefits of mushrooms in the mushroom guide.
Ray Peat-approved Probiotics
In our probiotic guide, you can learn about which types of probiotics can be helpful for improving your digestive system by combating the overgrowth of bad bacteria in the intestine.
