Heal Your Gut With This Simple Tool
Carrots are pretty darn amazing. I discovered the hidden health benefits of carrots long ago when I was turned on to Ray Peat’s work. He talks about how the fiber in carrots are helpful for aiding the excretion of harmful bacteria in the gut.
This is a big deal because the fiber that we’re recommended to eat to maintain a “so called” healthy diet does not have the same properties as the fiber you find in the carrot.
Instead the fiber that’s recommended by mainstream nutritionists (starchy grains, green leafy veggies, fermented foods and cruciferous veggies) run the risk of sitting in the gut and putrefying if digestion is too slow. Leading to issues like leaky gut and bacterial overgrowth.
Carrots are pretty darn amazing. I discovered the hidden health benefits of carrots long ago when I was turned on to Ray Peat’s work. He talks about how the fiber in carrots are helpful for aiding the excretion of harmful bacteria in the gut.
This is a big deal because the fiber that we’re recommended to eat to maintain a “so called” healthy diet does not have the same properties as the fiber you find in the carrot.
Instead the fiber that’s recommended by mainstream nutritionists (starchy grains, green leafy veggies, fermented foods and cruciferous veggies) run the risk of sitting in the gut and putrefying if digestion is too slow. Leading to issues like leaky gut and bacterial overgrowth.
The difference is, carrots contain anti-fungal properties as well as a unique antimicrobial fiber that acts as a natural detoxifier by binding to toxins in the intestines (absorbing bad bacteria, aka, endotoxins).
This beneficial fiber also aids the body in excreting excess estrogen which could be why you get the most benefit from eating your carrots raw.
But what’s even more interesting is that when you make a carrot salad the beneficial fiber can be way more effective at eliminating toxins, aiding digestion and raising your metabolism than just eating the carrot alone.
How it all works
Hormonal Balance
Improving digestion with beneficial fiber improves hormonal balance by aiding in eliminating excess estrogen in the gut which tend to get recirculated through the intestinal walls if digestion is too slow.
Too much estrogen circulating in the body can then cause harmful side effects and increase your percentage of fat body since estrogen gets stored in your fat cells.
Why is excess estrogen a problem?
Excess estrogen can be a problem as we get older because there’s not enough progesterone to oppose the estrogen (which is a natural process that happens after a woman’s menstrual cycle has ended).
As women get older their ability to produce progesterone diminishes so it’s a double edge sword. You produce less progesterone to oppose the estrogen and the estrogen gets recirculated through the gut if your digestion is compromised.
If estrogen continues to get recirculated without being excreted you end up with severe premenstrual, menopause symptoms, thyroid issues and slow digestive motility. This all leading to a slower metabolism with more fat storage and less muscle growth.
Hence the midlife crisis for women, the thing all women dred as we approach middle age, getting fat (without having the ability to exercise and calorie count it away).
Liver Support (detox)
It’s all about liver support. Your liver is your main event and the one organ you want to pay close attention to. Because if you support your liver many other organs and systems will function well as a result.
According to Ray Peat, “A carrot salad eaten daily can assist the liver and GI tract in the detoxification process and elimination of endotoxin and excess estrogen, thus improving the function of your metabolism.”
Carrot salad in the making
70% of your hormonal conversion happens in the liver.
That may be an even bigger deal.
Your liver is your gateway to hormonal balance and efficient energy production.
That’s why it’s important to support your liver with the right foods. Foods that will aid your liver in it’s function of releasing and excreting toxins thus taking the burden off the liver so it can do it’s job of hormonal conversion and aiding the body in energy production by supporting the thyroid (since your thyroid regulates your metabolism).
The beneficial fiber from raw carrots, cooked bamboo shoots and well cooked mushrooms can provide this.
If you struggle with bacterial overgrowth, low thyroid, digestive issues, premenstrual symptoms, menopause symptoms, inflammation, low energy and autoimmune response I highly recommend you include this in your daily routine. I’ve seen digestion improve substantially within a week of eating the raw daily carrot salad.
Daily Carrot Salad - The Recipe:
Grate 1 medium size carrot lengthwise
Add 1 tsp of organic refined coconut oil (or melted if it's not refined) or olive oil
Add 1 tsp of white rice vinegar
Add 1 to 2 pinches of sea salt and a little pinch of pepper ( I like Jacobsen Sea Salt - they have a variety of flavors which help to change the flavor up)
Mix it up and enjoy!
Variations:
Did you know that carrots come in an array of different colors. Visit your local farmers market and see what you find. Using yellow or purple carrots is a great way to avoid too much beta carotene.
Kate Deering recommends grating an entire batch of carrots and soaking them in water before use. This keeps them fresh as well as aids in reducing the amount of beta carotene.
You change the flavor by adding different flavors of sea salt or spices to it.
Benefits of a daily carrot salad include:
Aids the liver in the detoxification process by carrying the toxins away via the carrot fiber
Stimulates the digestion
Increases thyroid hormone conversion
Decreases stress hormones; adrenaline and cortisol, as well as, aldosterone and serotonin
Relieves premenstrual symptoms
Contains an indigestible fiber that's antimicrobial and antibacterial which pull out endotoxins (bad bacteria) in the gut. Making your gut flora a much healthier place.
When you cut your carrot lengthwise (even after you chew it) you get the benefit of it pulling out endotoxin much more effectively and lower in the digestive tract.
The raw carrot is effective at detoxing excess estrogen in the gut and prevent estrogen from getting reabsorbed in the gut, thus creating hormonal balance.
Eat your carrot salad between meals, between breakfast and lunch or lunch and dinner.
Benefits of Essential components of the daily carrot salad
The coconut oil or olive oil aids in offsetting the unsaturated fat in the carrot as well as stimulates the metabolism by lowering your requirement for vitamin E, suppressing bacterial overgrowth and healing the intestinal wall.
The vinegar aids in digestion and stimulating HCL.
The salt aids in keeping adrenaline, aldosterone and serotonin levels down, stimulates the bowel, provides minerals your body needs, increases metabolism, maintains a healthy blood sugar and makes your salad taste better.
Dairy's Not So Scary
Food sensitivities are a big deal and it seems the amount of people with food sensitivities are growing every day. Since many issues are linked to food sensitivities, food elimination seems to be the most common approach, but I think there's so much more to consider first.
Food sensitivities are a big deal and it seems the amount of people with food sensitivities are growing every day. Since many issues are linked to food sensitivities, food elimination seems to be the most common approach, but I think there's so much more to consider first.
How Food Elimination Works
A food elimination diet works by taking the foods out of the diet that seem to be causing digestive distress for a certain period of time and then working the foods back into the diet one at a time, noticing any change in digestion during the process. While this gives a person temporary relief, it doesn't really address the bigger issue... why can't this person digest and metabolize their food? In other words, what's the root of the problem.
My Experience With Dairy Intolerance
Years ago I believed I was intolerant to dairy, but looking back on it, I had a blood sugar handling issue. I'd been eliminating so many foods and I remember feeling like I needed to make a switch with my approach, but I wasn't sure where to go since the only recommendations about inflammation were to eliminate the foods that are causing you distress. Losing inches initially was great, because inflammation would go away, but I was still feeling fatigued and run down all the time. I felt like I was missing something, I wasn't feeling good anymore and had zero energy. I eventually had to come to accept that my approach wasn’t working for me anymore and it was time to make a change.
Could the issue be blood sugar?
Soon after I was introduced to Ray Peat’s research and it simply blew my mind. Mainly because his ideas about nutrition were so hard to wrap my head around and so completely opposite to what I'd learned about nutrition. I remember thinking I could eat dairy and sugar again, how liberating, but how does that work? After a while, his ideas started to make sense and I was soon compelled to try it out on myself.
I realized I'd had a blood sugar handling issue the whole time. It wasn't diary's fault, it was my body not being able to metabolize natural sugars very well for energy. I discovered when I eliminated sugar I felt a lot better at first and many of my issues subsided, but after a while I started to run out of energy, my metabolism slowed down( I lost muscle) and many of my issues came back. I didn’t gain weight per say, instead my digestive motility slowed down, I developed a small pooch (distended belly) and I was tired and depressed.
What I found...
According to Dr. Peat, food intolerance lab tests are a vague indicator of an actual food intolerance. Mainly due to the fact that your immunity responds to everything you're exposed to. Finding the particular antibodies to that substance actually means that you've become tolerant to that food, not the other way around. Because of this, most blood tests end up being a very poor indicator of a food intolerance.
Other Reasons For A Perceived Dairy Intolerance
According to Dr. Ray Peat, dairy’s not the problem, it’s the degradation of our food supply, and I tend to agree. If you’re eating toxic food with preservatives, there’s a greater chance you’ll end up with food allergies, sensitivities, bloating, gas, vitamin D deficiency, parasites, etc. Even if you’re eating organic you can still get some toxic preservatives that may irritate and inflame your body.
In Kate Deering's book, "How To Heal Your Metabolism", she states that it's a matter of the kind of dairy you choose which determines if you're intolerant or not. The culprit may actually be the preservatives and not the milk itself. One harmful allergen that's added frequently to dairy, almond and coconut milk is carrageenan. This preservative originates from seaweed and can cause digestive distress and inflammation. I also found carrageenan in foods like soy milk, ice cream and yogurt, it’s in just about everything.
Poor blood sugar regulation can be another reason for food intolerance. According to Dr. Ray Peat, you have the potential to be sensitive to just about any food when you're in a state of low blood sugar. A solution to a food sensitivity can be as simple as keeping your blood sugar more regular on a daily basis, by eating more frequently, slowing down (make mealtime sacred), calming the nervous system before meals and chewing your food. Breathing more mindfully (taking your breath in through the nose and expanding your ribcage and diaphram) and including a daily meditation practice can even improve your ability to digest your food.
dairy is a nutrient dense food
Dairy contains a balanced ratio of phosphorus (essential mineral for bone development) and calcium (needed for healthy bones, nerve function, blood clotting, muscle and heart contractions). According to Kate Deering, this is important because the ratio of phosphorus to calcium in dairy aids in calcium absorption and that's why including dairy in the diet is so important as you get older. Even more so since we're more susceptible to osteoporosis as we age. The good news is we can essentially side step this issue if we're absorbing calcium properly which dairy can provide.
Dairy's incredibly nutrient dense and a complete food, providing all three macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) your body needs to metabolize your food and keep your blood sugar regulated. Dairy contains magnesium, potassium, selenium and iron, vitamins A, B2, B12 K and D. These vitamins and minerals are all needed for a healthy fully functioning metabolism.
This superfood is worth reconsidering.
References:
http//www.eastwesthealing.com
http//www.katedeeringfitness.com
"How To Heal Your Metabolism", by Kate Deering pg.141-142
The Many Benefits Of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one of my favorite super foods. With natural anti-oxidants which protect your body against free radicals, it’s my top choice for a healthy fat.
Veggie oils like soy and canola tend to increase free radicals in the body because of the extremely high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids they contain. This can noticeably speed up the aging process and create inflammation.
Why coconut oil is healthy for you...
Unlike destructive veggie oils, coconut oil can actually slow down the aging process and prevent free radicals from being released through free fatty acid oxidation.
Coconut oil has the potential to balance hormones by boosting metabolism naturally and stimulating the thyroid. Since the thyroid is the master regulator of the metabolism, stimulation of the thyroid can lead to weight loss.
Coconut oil is one of my favorite super foods. With natural anti-oxidants which protect your body against free radicals, it’s my top choice for a healthy fat.
Veggie oils like soy and canola tend to increase free radicals in the body because of the extremely high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids they contain. This can noticeably speed up the aging process and create inflammation.
Why coconut oil is healthy for you...
Unlike destructive veggie oils, coconut oil can actually slow down the aging process and prevent free radicals from being released through free fatty acid oxidation.
Coconut oil has the potential to balance hormones by boosting metabolism naturally and stimulating the thyroid. Since the thyroid is the master regulator of the metabolism, stimulation of the thyroid can lead to weight loss.
It’s a great saturated fat which is solid at room temperature. Saturated fats are needed throughout the year and especially when there is less sunlight available. Coconut oil can help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins, like vitamin A and D, which can only be absorbed with saturated fats.
Coconut oil has also been proven to lower cholesterol naturally. A healthy cholesterol level is needed in order for the body to make essential hormones that keep you young and healthy.
The many ways I use coconut oil...
I enjoy cooking with it, but you can a spoonful of it or even brush your teeth with it. It’s an excellent choice to use with higher heat cooking too.
Coconut oil acts as a natural anti-fungal and anti-viral in the body. You can use it on your skin and as a mouth rinse.
I mix it with vitamin E to create my own natural toxin free lotion. Use it as a sunscreen in the summertime since it naturally blocks the harmful rays and lets the healthy rays in.
Buying coconut oil...
When buying coconut oil make sure you get organic. Sometimes the processing of coconut oil can be toxic so if it's organic they don't use petroleum to refine it.