I’ll start with this tweet that I think was taken down because I can’t find it anymore:
Ray Peat was a problem nature took care of. — Jack Kruse
X explodes.
The feud between Peater’s and Kruse in the mitochondriac space is strong (and if you read my article on hate you understand that most of this is called displacement. Hating on someone you’ve never met is a complex psychological issue).
I discovered Ray Peat on X because his followers are quite enthusiastic and offer unconventional health advice such as, sugar is good for you and excess serotonin causes depression not too little.
But, if you google Ray Peat, results vary from “conspiracy theorist and quack” to revolutionary biochemist and nutritionist.
So, who exactly is this guy?
Ray Peat was a biochemist with a PhD from the University of Oregon. His own health issues with hypothyroidism inspired him to create a philosophy called “bio-energetics” or a “pro-metabolic” way of living. The meaning to him being, low energy states are what cause disease, and balancing one’s hormones by lowering PUFA’s (poly-unsaturated fats) and estrogenic compounds will improve the body’s metabolic function.
While there is no concrete diet or protocol, interesting health interventions include:
Raw carrot, well-cooked white button mushrooms and bamboo shoots as main sources of fiber
Gelatinous meats for protein instead of muscle meat to lower phosphorous and methionine production
Fruit juices to signal to the body safety and boost metabolism
Fruit and sugar as main sources of carbohydrates
Raw dairy as a primary form of protein and calcium
Oysters/beef liver as a source of copper and B-vitamins
Lowering PUFA’s to improve mitochondrial function
Lowering excess estrogen
Using aspirin to lower estrogen and protect against PUFA’s
Supplementing with dessicated thyroid, B-vitamins, particularly B1 (thiamine)
Use of progesterone and T3 as needed to boost metabolism and hormone function
Cyproheptadine — a first generation anti-histamine to lower serotonin
CO2 breathing or paper bag breathing to improve metabolism
Moving from a catabolic state (the body eating itself) to an anabolic one (building muscle)
Using tallow, ghee, and coconut oil as main sources of fat
No nuts or seeds except macademia nuts
Having a high body basal temperature upon waking as a sign of good metabolism
Common signs of Peater’s include drinking copious amounts of coffee, orange juice, ice-cream and mexican coca cola as a way to keep metabolism up. This is what I’d call plain sugar and caffeine addicts. And then there are older Peater’s who eat a lot of gelatin, beef and beef liver, sourdough bread, oysters, raw carrots and mushrooms, coffee and progesterone as their main diet.
To be clear, there is no Ray Peat diet — only a set of hypotheses based off of trial and error. Peat wanted people to experiment with what made them feel good in their bodies and to prioritize lowering stress to get the body into an anabolic state of rebuilding tissues rather than breaking them down through over-exercising and under-eating, which is how a lot of fitness enthusiasts come to find Peat.
Now, why the feud?
People are shallow. Peater’s hate Jack Kruse because he is fat and unattractive (with liver spots) while Ray Peat “looked young and sharp” until he died at 87, which I don’t think is that old.
People love to worship a guru, which makes people feel safe and protected under the aura of their projected idealization. This goes for both Peat and Kruse followers.
Peating makes you feel good and full of energy. How could you not with sugary drinks, caffeine, aspirin, and artificial hormones on the table? Whereas the sunlight-only intervention might be too slow to get someone feeling better and unattainable if living at high latitudes.
THE DEUTERIUM PROBLEM
The Ray Peat diet is extremely high in deuterium. Orange juice, sugar and gelatin/collagen are some of the highest forms of deuterium we know of besides coconut water. And deuterium slows down the functioning of mitochondria. Or at least Kruse thinks it does, but I don’t believe there are any formal studies proving this yet.
[I think if one were to Peat, it would be wise to do a deuterium-depleted water fast a couple of times a year to offset the effects and to have a hella good tan.]
AVOIDING STRESS
Peaters are also known to avoid cold plunging and any form of fasting as they think this promotes premature aging and stress hormones in the body and use how old Wim Hoff looks as an example. A bit shallow, I think.
Personally, I have found reducing PUFA’s, eating raw carrots, well-cooked mushrooms, and more fruit juices to have greatly improved my digestion and overall sense of energy. I will report back on blood markers when I get that done in a couple of weeks.
I believe between the two of them, one could make adjustments to feeling better. I do think chronic low carbohydrate eating and low sugar is detrimental towards thyroid health and is the cause of fatigue for many chronic dieters and former carnivore/paleo folks.
In our online existence, we lose nuance. Remember, Kruse struggles with obesity (a poor magnetic charge problem) and Peat with hypothyroidism (possibly the same problem) and they perhaps found some universal axioms for good health. Sunlight + healthy carbs = happy body +mind + spirit.
What do you think? Have you tried Peating?
