One of the first things you hear about when starting to follow a Ray Peat way of eating is the Ray Peat Carrot Salad.

I have included it in the meal plans of both my ZEN Beach Diet book and my 3 Day Summer RESTART books, because it’s a pretty important part of a daily routine.

Here are all the ways our bodies are assisted with a Ray Peat Carrot Salad:

• improves the ratio of progesterone to estrogen
• Prevents reabsorption of estrogen in the intestine
• Improves cortisol balance
• Lowers anti-thyroid substances
• Reduces endotoxin in the gut
• Improves immune function
• Detoxifies the liver
• Improves hormone function
• Anti-inflammatory
• Improves bowel health
• Coconut oil and white vinegar are mild germicides which aid the gut cleansing function
• Assists with constipation and regularity

So wow! I wonder how we managed to get along without it?

Anyway, the basic recipe is this:

I’ve seen many people ask a lot of questions about this over the last few years, so I will try and summarise them all here in a type of Frequently Asked Questions format:-

Q/ Can I add any other things to the carrot salad like raisins, cheese, meat etc?

A/ If you are eating the carrot salad to avail of all the benefits listed above, then no you can’t. It would interfere with the way the carrot is supposed to brush through the gut, the germicidal properties of the coconut oil and vinegar and the speed with which it is supposed to move through the gut unhindered.

Other food eaten with this insoluble fibre just results in a digestion delay and contributes to endotoxin build up as it all moves more slowly through the gut than it should.

Q/ Does it really matter which way you grate the carrot?

A/ To be honest I’ve never understood the insistence on this. Unless you are swallowing the strands whole, then it makes no difference. I grate it any way that is easiest for me otherwise I start skipping it and definitely my body feels not quite right without it.

Q/ How much of the Ray Peat Carrot Salad should I have?

A/ When I first started eating this way, I couldn’t eat any more than about 3 mouthfuls of this carrot salad without getting gut cramps and pretty severe bloating. So I left it at that amount for a few months and had it only once a day.

Now that either my gut is cleared out of whatever was causing that issue or my body is used to it now, I can have about half a cup at once without negative effects. (So that’s about one medium sized carrot grated.)

I think having it twice a day, once before lunch and once before dinner is probably optimal but it depends on your body and how it reacts. Personally I don’t feel any additional benefit from having it more than the one time, so I don’t.

Q/ I’ve seen some people say they rinse the grated carrot before they eat it. Why would you do that?

A/ Rinsing the carrot is to remove excess beta carotene which can be thyroid suppressive. This may be useful for some people if they eat a lot of it and start seeing their palms turn orange. Also for people whose bodies can’t process beta carotene properly.

Q/ Do I have to grate the carrot fresh every day?

A/ No. I personally grate carrots with a machine once a week now and store it in water in the fridge for up to a week. I just pull out the quantity I need, drain and shake off excess water. Then dress with the coconut oil and vinegar. I find they keep really fresh this way.

Q/ Does anyone have a recommendation for the best machine to buy to grate the Ray Peat Carrot Salad?

A/ Some of the ones mentioned have been:-

Salad Master “Salad machine”

Magimix

Sumo Slicer

Electric spiralizer

Food processor, grater blade

Blender with water, then drain (not strips but grinds the carrots finely)

Q/ Is it necessary to have carrot? Does anything else do a similar thing?

A/ Not necessary to only do the Ray Peat Carrot Salad, apparently bamboo shoots and cooked button mushrooms (for over an hour) does the same thing.

Q/ Can I use apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar?

A/ Apparently ACV is not favoured due to potential mould issues, which can be irritating to the gut for some people and full of mycotoxins.

So if you have any questions about the Ray Peat Carrot Salad, please let me know on either my Facebook page or Instagram – @slimbirdy and I will add them to this list with the answer.

Start on it today and improve your health.

Kristy x

 

Note: For anyone new to my website, a good page to start to learn the Ray Peat style diet is here: Ray Peat Beginners Guide.