Ray Peat: A Poor Man’s Guide
Introduction: Ray’s Purpose.
Ray was an unbelievably nice guy. He answered emails prolifically and never asked for a penny. He genuinely wanted people to be healthy and maximize their vitality. All he did was present information in hopes of a better world one person at a time.
I feel as if this spirit has been lost amongst the “Peaty” community. As much as I love Ray and his advice, I’m not willing to argue with others to prove a point, nor do I want you to buy an oddly tested supplement. I present my ideas, Peaty or not, hoping you live a better life.
I’d like to return to the original spirit of what Ray was trying to do and offer some “Peaty” advice to those who are underprivileged and can’t afford supplements and/or the highest quality food. I hope you learn something!
Peaty Essentials:
1. Milk
I’ve spoken about Milk at length before, the essay can be found on my page. Milk is, if you can tolerate it, the most nutrient dense drink you can have in your diet. It’s also very cheap. Unless your digestion calls for it, you do not need A2 milk. You do not need raw milk. Ray personally drank 2% milk because, at one point, it comprised the bulk of his calories and it’s very easy to digest.
“What if I can't tolerate Milk?”
This is where Ray and I disagree slightly. I think substituting milk with greek yogurt is fine. However, Ray cautioned against too much yogurt due to the high lactic-acid content. If you choose to go the greek yogurt route, be sure to get just pure greek yogurt and sweeten it with honey if possible. It may be a little more expensive, but if you cannot tolerate milk I think dairy is worth the investment given the endless benefits. Eventually, you’ll be able to tolerate milk if you introduce it slowly.
2. Eggs
Eggs are extremely cheap. You don’t need farm-raised-bug-eating-gob-smacking-a2 quality eggs just yet. Ray didn’t have very many eggs because, according to him and his self-knowledge, the egg whites contain too much tryptophan for his liking. But, he did acknowledge the nutrient density of eggs, and so did the great bodybuilders of old. I personally have 5-6 eggs a day because I can tolerate them. If you can, buy eggs in bulk, and have at it! Furthermore, if you need more calcium, you can grind the eggs up very finely and make eggshell powder which is a calcium powerhouse.
3. Oranges (or orange juice)
Oranges are a vitamin and mineral powerhouse. Very high in sugar, and in the Peaty community we don’t fear sugar. Sugar is good for you! Your cells run off of it! Ray was a fan of orange juice in particular, however, most orange juices that are cheap are made from concentrate. If you can, I’d suggest juicing the oranges if your stomach is sensitive to fiber. If not, enjoy peeled oranges.
“What about my teeth?”
Ray recommended rinsing your mouth with water after consuming orange juice, or anything sugary for that matter. Plus, assuming you’re getting enough dairy, your teeth should be fine given they are getting a lot of calcium.
4. Coffee (with milk and sugar)
Depending on the type of coffee you get, this can either be very expensive or very cheap. Some of you may be wondering…
“Why with milk and sugar? Why not straight black coffee?”
Coffee without milk and sugar tends to be very irritating for people’s stomachs. If milk and sugar coffee is still irritating to your stomach, I’d suggest having a light meal to go with it. If you really want black coffee and your stomach can stand it, go ahead!
5. Knox Unflavored Gelatin(e) (or something similar).
Ray spoke very highly of gelatin due to its amino acid profile and it being a very complete protein source. It’s as close to being “nose to tail” as one can be without investing in copious amounts of supplements… or actually eating the entire animal. The easiest way to consume gelatine is to dissolve it in your coffee. If you are not having coffee, you can make “Jell-O” using orange juice.
Honorable Mention:
6. White Rice (if you meet conditions)
This may be controversial to those who are anti-starch. However, Ray spoke highly of white rice when combined with protein for athletes if someone needs the insulin boost to put on muscle. Plus, in the same interview, he spoke of white rice as being “filler” for those who need calories. The link to the interview is here. https://t.co/AqwSqt5nnq…
Things to avoid.
1. Anything processed.
This goes without saying. The underclass tend to be unhealthy due to the amount of unnatural things they eat. I know “ramen” and “spaghetti” and “hotdogs” are a staple in such households. However, if you read the label and do research on foods the underprivileged have to eat, they are FILLED with chemicals and additives. I cannot imagine this is healthy for humans to consume. If you are “poor,” or simply wish to live more frugally, I urge you to cook your own food from whole ingredients. Simply cooking your own food will be a game-changer.
2. Poly-Unsaturated-Fatty-Acids (PUFA).
I could go on about this for hours, but simply put: PUFAs oxidize in your cellular-system and go rancid very easily. When you cook your food in oils containing PUFAs, you are, in essence, eating rancid food and putting rancid food in your system. Ray spoke about this here. https://t.co/P2d9vBpdH0
Plus, most of the oils people use to cook their food in were once engine lubricant. I’m not an expert, but I don’t think humans are meant to consume engine lubricant.
3. Legumes*
In small amounts these won’t do you much harm, however, consuming copious amounts of legumes you are consuming things with extremely high amounts of defense chemicals. After consuming a lot of legumes, most people feel “bloated.” Which is a sign your digestive system isn’t happy.
4. Undercooked vegetables*
Similar to legumes, undercooked vegetables are loaded with defense chemicals causing a lot of the same problems as legumes. I know Paul Saladino likes to mention that gorillas are always bloated due to the high amount of plant content they eat. There’s some truth to this. I notice a similar effect in humans.
5. Whole Grains.
Interestingly enough, despite popular belief, whole grains are quite hard on your system to digest. Some people may counter with the “nutrient-density” argument. However, what does nutrient density matter if you cannot digest it properly? The same concept applies to plant “proteins.” They’re much less bioavailable than animal proteins, but that’s another discussion for another time.
6. Anything that doesn’t agree with you.
This takes trial and error. Everybody is different. What negatively impacts me or Ray may not negatively impact you. This is the beauty of the body and nutritional sciences. Do what you can to be healthy, try everything your intuition tells you to, and if you’re wrong and feel off, take note and try again!
*But what about fiber?*
That’s what fruits are for. There are lots of fibrous fruits to choose from that do a lot less damage to your stomach than vegetables.
Extra Foods/Supplements
Some of you may be wondering why this list is so short. Simply put, it’s supposed to be a skeleton. Everybody is different. Everybody has different financial situations. Below you will find foods I consider to be “extra.” Since they’re extra, I won’t go as in depth on their necessity.
Ground Beef (grass-fed preferred, but corn-fed is fine if it’s all you can afford)
Tropical Fruits
Simple cheese (make sure the ingredients are literally just milk)
Vitamin E (for anti-PUFA effects)
Coconut Oil (https://t.co/P2d9vBpdH0)
Vitamin D (if you aren’t getting enough sunlight)
Creatine (if you’re an athlete)
Wrapping it up:
I hope this post serves someone well. I don’t think health is only for those anxiously scouring the market for the highest quality foods. I think health is a basic human right. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out and I’ll respond when I can.
@Thermobolic My condolences. He sounds like a great man!
As a fellow sweet-tooth, I'll be sure to try his patented ice cream. Maybe it'll help me see 93!
Nicotine is known to raise BMR and daily energy expenditure. Basically, you burn more calories at rest using nicotine than you would without it. The amount you burn is dose dependent.
That's not to say using nicotine will never make anyone fat. I've seen extremely obese people smoke a pack or two a day, but the amount of low quality food and alcohol they consume is inhumane.
Today's stats:
2 hours in the sun.
3 sugary coffees chugged.
450g of carbs consumed (not including coffee).
7mgs of nicotine absorbed.
500mg of thiamine taken.
1 pint of ice cream calling my name.