Tag Archives: ray peat

liquid vs solid food

Liquid vs Solid Food – Ray Peat

Have you thought about liquid vs solid food, and how it may be affecting your health or weight?

We explored this question in our private Ray Peat group recently—how many cups of liquid do you have a day? Whether its juice, coffee, water, milk or anything else that is liquid.

Responses ranged from 5 to 12 cups a day.

My curiosity around this topic came from an observation in my own life, because I was feeling bloated around the middle. Also I could see what looked like jelly-like deposits on the insides of my biceps, more like cellulite, as well as on the tops of my legs. I wondered  – where this has come from all of a sudden?

What was the cause?

The only thing I had been doing differently lately was drinking a little bit of water at the end of meals, more so to rinse my teeth—as per the teeth care routine. But drinking it rather than rinsing and spitting it out. Sometimes I would have a cup of boiled water too at the end of the meal and sip it slowly. Again, more of a teeth protection thing.

If I did it after every meal, I may be drinking three extra cups of water a day.

It became an accidental habit, where as I knew logically that extra water is NOT necessary, and in fact dilutes the cells of electrolytes (minerals.) This interrupts many functions of the body including metabolic rate, electrical signals in your body like the peristaltic action in your bowels and heart function.

3 Cups of Water

So this was three extra cups of water on top of the regular fluid in the ZEN Beach Diet, which is a cup of juice at each meal (3 per day) and 2 cups of coffee. So 5 cups total. Plus one cup of milk in my breakfast. Total 6 cups. Then when you eat the required 2 cups of fruit at each meal which are also 90% water – 6 per day – can you see how the overload occurs?

The benefit though of juice, milk, coffee & fruit over plain water, is that they contain most of minerals required in the body, so at least your electrolytes wouldn’t be diluting as much, if at all.

Solution First Step

So first of all I stopped the water altogether & just rinsed my teeth with water after a meal & spat it out. No longer extra water going in. Improving my liquid vs solid food ratio.

After a week, the excess jelly/bloating everywhere disappeared. It was kind of like a water-retention type edema.

Second Step

Next, I took out my measuring cups to make sure that the amount of liquid I was drinking was the exact measure. I tend to have giant cups that are well over the standard 250ml (8.45fl oz) of regular cups, because I like to linger over my coffees and drinks because I enjoy them. However this was a super bad habit for my teeth – keeping sugar and acidic fluids like juice on them for far too long  – and also bad for excess fluid as it turns out.

I switched drinking my fruit juice to 1/2 a cup only BEFORE a meal & nothing during or after a meal. Then just rinsed my teeth with water & xylitol and spat it out.

This had many benefits:

  1. Limiting the amount ensured that if I was thirsty later in the day, I could still have more & stay within liquid & calorie limits.
  2. It enabled the juice to be absorbed freely & prepare the liver with glucose for any protein that was coming next. (Ray Peat has actually recommended this liver glucose preparation.)
  3. Digestion improved because I wasn’t adding cold juice to my stomach contents, which may slow digestion. Also enzymes wouldn’t be diluted.
  4. Elimination also improved, I think for a couple of reasons—one is not diluting electrolytes, as this is necessary for your bowels to function properly. Also another is that you are ensuring the gap of time between meals and not continuing to drink anything. It’s called the Migrating Motor complex and I’ve written about that here.
  5. I was more satisfied after a meal and less hungry between meals. I could easily wait until the next meal time, where as normally I was hungry hours before.
  6. It ensured I was not accidentally having excess calories. Fruit juice is especially notorious for this and it’s so easy to have too much.

Another week passed and my bust began to shrink a little as well. It made me wonder whether the bust enlargement part of my dairy issues was because of all the extra liquid in milk? Maybe?

Was the extra liquid in milk part of my issue with dairy too?

I’m still not having any more than one cup of any kind of dairy a day, however in my breakfast fruit bowl, I usually add a cup of skim milk. With this exercise though, I limited it to half a cup of milk and added 2 heaped tablespoons of skim milk powder. This had the effect of making skim milk more creamy. It adds more protein and calcium rather than fat and excess liquid. This whole exercise ensures I am getting all the nutrients without extra liquid, which my body doesn’t seem to handle very well.

Do you have this problem too?

So I just wanted to pass on these observations /findings in my own life, because it may be happening to others as well. Some may drink far more than this on a daily basis, and have no negative effects at all. They are likely super active or live where it is hot and perspire all the time, or it just may suit their body and lifestyle.

When I search online for things like—does drinking liquids slow or impede digestion—all the results said “No it doesn’t.” But I found that YES it does. My stomach is flatter, I get far less gas or digestive discomfort, as well as the other benefits mentioned above.

This is why continued experimentation in your own life is really important, to find your own answers. Perhaps consider what other’s say and try it in your own life. If it doesn’t seem to work for you, then dismiss it and move on.

Example: the OJ & Milk Diet Experiment

For example, I had read in some of the forums where Ray Peat said that you would get most of the nutrition you need, if you just drank orange juice and milk, and had nothing else. Always looking to the easiest way possible to implement this diet, I thought it was a great idea – until I tried it!

OMG it was awful!!

I was constantly hungry yet felt water logged. The acid of that much orange juice in my mouth made my tongue feel sharp and teeth immediately became super sensitive. (Because you needed to be drinking about 2 litres or 0.5 gallons a day to reach the calories.)

Outside of the Ray Peat sphere, others caution against a liquid diet, advising that the chewing action of solid food was a necessary part of the digestive process. To me it all just felt bad and wrong, and it was the experience that demonstrated that this was not good advice for everyone. So we move on to find what does suit.

How about you?

If you conduct your own reduced liquid experiment, let me know what happens!

Note: I did add any missing calories from less juice back in with extra fruit – so the changes were purely due to less liquid vs solid food and not a reduction in calories.

Always learning,

Kristy x

Zen Beach Diet

bedtime snack

Bedtime snack. Yes or No?

In our private Facebook group, I asked the question – do you have a bed time snack?

Some said they do have one and some said no they don’t. For some, they advised the bedtime snack still didn’t help with sleep, yet for others it did. It just demonstrates how very different we all are.

Weight Loss not Sleep

The initial reason I brought it up was actually in the context of weight loss rather than sleep. The original post in the other RP group that triggered this topic was someone asking if —

…not having a bedtime snack, but ending your food consumption at dinner and elongating the non-eating window (ie longer “fasting” overnight) was helpful to weight loss.

My short answer to this is— yes it is helpful to weight loss, based on my experience. I will explain more on this later.

However one answer had me shaking my head. I wanted to explain more for those who may come across this supposed “rule” for a pro metabolic diet. If you blindly followed this, the likely outcome would be weight gain or the inability to lose weight.

The contentious comment

Her response was “ The only time for fasting is only when you sleep, especially as a woman. Never go to bed hungry. Always have a snack before going to bed, fruit with cottage cheese, orange juice, jello, milk with sugar (or honey, sugar works wonders though) In order to balance hormones, blood sugar must be steady and not letting it drop. While you sleep and not eat for 8-9-12h, your liver’s storage of glycogen gets depleted, cortisol and adrenaline rise=thyroid function is suppressed. Must eat before going to bed! You’ll feel much better. You’ll sleep better too!”

So let’s break it down. On the surface of it, most of what she is saying is correct. However as Ray Peat always said, context matters.

When a bedtime snack helps

In the context of a person coming off Keto, Low Carb or Carnivore with poor glycogen storage, who wakes up constantly in the middle of the night with a cortisol or adrenaline surge—then the advice to eat prior to bed is sound. This will likely help the person’s energy levels to get through the night with enough energy to sleep through and not wake up.

When a bedtime snack doesn’t help

However, if a person has restored insulin sensitivity, has good glycogen storage, finishes dinner at say 6pm and is only mildly hungry before bed at 10pm and sleeps soundly for 8 hours without having a pre bed snack, then the advice of “must eat before bed” is not correct at all. Eating before bed in this case, just because you think it’s a definite rule, would be most likely be counter productive to weight loss. It was for me.

Your meal at 6pm, depending on what you have, will take hours to digest and assimilate. It will steadily provide you energy overnight if you are healthy AND if you eat a decent sized meal and have eaten enough during the day.

This is why meal construction, macro & calorie balancing as well as meal timing are so important. You can read more about this in my pro metabolic guidebook here.

How much glycogen do we store?

When it comes to glycogen storage, the body can store about 100-120 grams in the liver which in terms of calories is 375 to 480 calories. This is what is used for blood sugar regulation at night.

About 350-400grams are stored in the muscles, but this is only for use when utilising the muscles. (This is why it’s important to use your muscles after eating, to help with blood sugar regulation by using and replenishing muscle glycogen stores.)

Knowing how much glycogen the liver stores above, it is interesting to see how much energy you use at night while sleeping…

“You use an average of 320 to 480 calories during 8 hours of sleep. This number varies based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is influenced by factors like age, gender, body composition, and overall health. The body uses this energy to maintain vital functions such as breathing and circulation, with Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep requiring more energy due to intense brain activity”

So while you sleep, your body will utilise the energy it pulls out of your last two meals as well as liver glycogen storage as needed.

Bedtime snack composition

If you are having a bedtime snack then it should be high carb, moderate fat & low protein. This is because your digestion is slowest after sunset and eating anything high protein at this time, including cottage cheese, will put unnecessary strain on your body. This is why Ray Peat recommended traditional ice cream like a Haagen Daz Vanilla for example which is 3g protein, 13g fat & 16g of carbs. Eat this with fruit and you will be balanced perfectly.

For me, when I was recovering from Keto, I needed to eat like every 2 hours.  See the What I eat in a Day article, which was at the beginning of my pro metabolic journey. This included a bedtime snack because it’s what my body needed in the 2 years it took me to recover my insulin sensitivity.

Keto Recovery

When I recovered, I was able to space out my meals to 3-4 hours apart without feeling overly hungry or like I was going to pass out. I continued the bedtime snack for a while. But found I was putting on weight while doing this. So I stopped having anything after dinner, even if I was mildly hungry. The result was no interruption to sleep and weight started to reduce. I felt nicely hungry in the morning, which is what is supposed to happen when you are healthy and your metabolism is firing well.

So from the weight loss point of view, yes your bedtime snack may be hindering your progress. However, because we take a health first approach, tackling the glycogen storage issue and ensuring sound sleep first, is far more important than weight loss at that time.

It reminds me of something I heard once—you need to be healthy to be able to lose weight properly and for the long term.

Sleep specifically

Now the other issue that arose from people’s responses in this post were that some were saying a bedtime snack didn’t help their sleep. Or it helped at first, then stopped working. So I think a future thread needs to be about sleep specifically because poor glycogen storage may be only one issue that hinders sleep. There are many more that we need to list or touch on, so that people can explore different contributors to poor sleep, to see what may be their specific issue.

The health of your teeth & meal spacing

I’ve written about these before in these two articles— Tooth Sensitivity & Migrating Motor complex— and it’s relevant here too. Briefly, if you don’t have enough space between your meals, you are stopping the remineralisation of your teeth and the elimination process in your body. Please read the articles to learn more.

However if glycogen issues are the main problem, then the priority is to resolve that first. Once solved, the above two reasons are enough to stop to bedtime snack protocol, when you really don’t need it.

Also from the comments people have said, “I have orange juice, salt & gelatin by the bed to have drink if I wake up.” If they do this, I certainly hope they at least have some water by the bed to rinse their mouth from the sugar & acid. (Even better would be water with a pinch of salt or xylitol crystals to ensure your mouth returns to the right PH level.)

One of the worst things you can do is just go back to sleep with that sugar & acid sitting in your mouth. It will erode your enamel and lead to decay and cavities. In the daylight hours, it is your moving saliva that helps neutralise the acid and bacteria in the mouth but when you sleep, saliva production is decreased and it all makes it worse.

I hope this was helpful!

Remember nothing is an absolute rule. Understand where it’s coming from and why & make the best decision for your own body.

Always learning,

Kristy

blocks weight loss

What blocks weight loss?

What causes low energy and blocks weight loss?

We did a poll in our private Facebook group as to what health issues are still plaguing people, despite eating a pro metabolic diet. The highest two selections were weight loss and low energy, with some people ticking both.

This is not surprising as interestingly, these two issues are often inter-related.

I recall hearing somewhere that obesity is actually an issue of lack of energy—it may have been a Jay Feldman Wellness video. This seems like a crazy notion as the mainstream view is that a state of overweight is caused by excess food.

But if you are not creating energy efficiently from the food you are taking in, then you will suffer from low energy and likely store it as fat.

Let’s start at the beginning and see what blocks weight loss.

  1. The right energy-creating carbohydrates are essential

Under this category, all of the following are important…

A) Just having enough carbs total—like 260g of carbs per day and not just 50g— the body needs lots of energy just to carry out bodily functions, let alone any activity.

B) The right type of carbs—fruit, fruit juices, fruit-like veges—which are easily digestible and contain vitamins & minerals to help the conversion into energy. (More on this later.)

C) Not complex carbohydrates that take longer to digest (already low energy & probably have slow motility, so this will make it worse.) Not to mention too much fibre & likely starch, which will cause endotoxin in a slow moving body. Causing more issues.

D) Not avoiding carbs altogether like in Keto, Carnivore or Low Carb—making the body work too hard to convert fats or protein for the necessary glucose—this will constantly raise stress hormones, which will lead to more issues. I’ve heard many fans of these diets parrot “carbs are not essential.” This is true from a survival point of view, but not if your aim is optimal health.

If we are having enough of the right type of carbohydrates, then we need to…

Consider any ways the body is blocking the conversion of carbohydrates to energy

A) Digestion issues

B) Assimilation issues (gut health)

C) Liver issues (fructose processing & glycogen storage)

D) Insulin resistance/diabetes

E) Lack of intake of necessary nutrients to enable the conversion to energy

F) Intake of too many substances that block vitamin & mineral absorption – phytic acid, oxalates, lectins etc

G) Excessive stress

H) Any other illnesses/issues, like thyroid problems, inflammation, etc

Essential nutrients in energy creation

In our private Facebook group & on Instagram, I did a quiz asking if people knew what nutrients were essential for energy creation in the body & the choices were:

A) B Vitamins

B) Magnesium

C) Iron

D) All three

The answer was actually D—all three in that instance. The truth is however, that there are way more involved. This is why the nutrient-rich aspect of a Pro Metabolic diet is critical to it’s success and the Sugar Diet will never measure up.

So here is the total list of vitamins/minerals directly involved in energy creation: –

  • Vitamin A
  • All B Vitamins
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium
  • Iron
  • Chromium
  • Zinc
  • Manganese
  • Iodine
  • Copper
  • Selenium

And when I look up others like Vitamin K for example, apparently they are not directly involved but have support roles.

This is why the certain foods are critical in a pro metabolic diet. It’s not about taking endless supplements. It’s making sure you understand which foods provide the above nutrients and to make sure you get enough of them.

An example of some of recommended factors…

Fruit, Juices & fruit-like veges— Vitamin C, range of Vitamin B (in oranges) & a range of minerals

Dairy—Vitamin A, some B, D & a range of minerals especially the highest source of calcium

Shellfish—Vitamin B12, D, A, Selenium, Zinc & a range of other minerals

Beef/Lamb— Range of Vitamin B, & a range of other minerals

Coffee—magnesium & other minerals

Beef Liver— highest source of Vitamin A, one of the highest sources of B12 & a range of other vitamins & minerals

Sunlight— at least 20-30 minutes daily gives recommended daily amount of Vitamin D—apparently no food source gives enough.

 

So if you are still battling with something that blocks weight loss or struggling with low energy, despite being pro metabolic for some time, become a detective in your own diet & lifestyle. Look into each factor above to see what you are missing or blocking. Do some experiments and see what makes a difference for you.

True health and clearing what blocks weight loss, is more complicated than most realise.

Dr Ray Peat actually knew all this, and we are so lucky he left us with enough information to point us in the right direction. Forever grateful.

Kristy x

PS: Get started on your Ray Peat inspired Pro Metabolic Diet today…

Zen Beach Diet

strawberry ice cream

Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe – Ray Peat Inspired

Who doesn’t love strawberry ice cream?

I’ve been meaning to try the 4 cups of fruit and 1 tin sweetened condensed milk ice cream idea for a long time. I’m always looking for ways to utilise lots of fruit in yummy dishes for our pro metabolic diet. This is perfect with Summer coming on here in Australia.

Continue reading →

Blueberry Muffin Recipe

In a Ray Peat style diet we’re trying to fit fruit in everywhere, so an easy Blueberry Muffin Recipe is perfect.

I’m loving the ease of frozen blueberries lately. Not to mention they’re $17kg instead of the fresh ones, which are $45kg!

What?!

Until food started to get ridiculously expensive, I didn’t even consider it.

Let’s get cooking, and a little more explanation later.

Continue reading →

Oat Bran in a Ray Peat Inspired Diet?

Ray Peat mentioned that he is trying a bit of Oat Bran recently and feeling better for it. I personally feel better minimising starches and grains. I still have 25% of my carbs as starch because I find just sugar/fruit alone doesn’t feel quite right, especially in winter.

So I bought some Oat Bran this Australian winter just to try it.

Read on to see what conclusions I’ve drawn.

Continue reading →

bean protocol

Bean Protocol discussion from a Ray Peat Inspired perspective

Interesting topic raised in our private facebook group about the Bean Protocol by Karen Hurd. A member asked if anyone had tried it and discussion ensued about whether they had or hadn’t, and what they thought of it.

Now bottom line, this “diet” is completely contradictory to everything Ray Peat says.

Continue reading →

lower protein

Lower Protein – Ray Peat Inspired

Ray Peat has shocked his followers by declaring on some recent podcasts that he has been experimenting with lower protein. (Date for reference July 2022.)

The amount he mentioned was 50g being the minimum for health and he was at about 60g at the moment. He found that if he reduced his protein to this amount, he was able to use less of his thyroid supplement and stay in good health.

Continue reading →

Constipation Help – Ray Peat Inspired

We recently conducted a survey in our private Facebook group and 60% of respondents said they experienced constipation some of the time with 40% of those advising it was quite frequent.

I usually write about issues that I have personally and how I overcame it, and this one is no exception. A weird thing happened a few weeks back where out of the blue, I felt like I was no longer having any urge to poop.

At all.

Continue reading →