Foods

Reference list of individual foods, condensed from their former standalone stub pages. Almost all sweet fruits are better than bread, pasta and cereals, though bananas are mostly starch until fully ripe. With sluggish digestion, bacterial overgrowth, slow peristalsis or nocturnal reflux, starches worsen symptoms, and a low-starch fruit such as citrus is a good carbohydrate source. See Food pyramid for overall diet structure and Grocery list for shopping guidance.

Vegetables

Food	Notes
Beet	Sweet root; juice is concentrated sugar. See Potassium, Fiber.
Broccoli	Cruciferous vegetable. Cooked is usual; large raw loads are harder for some guts. See Fiber, Digestion, Thyroid.
Cabbage juice	Appears in old ulcer folklore. Taste and gas limit use. See Digestion, Fiber.
Carrot juice	Sweet vegetable juice high in carotenes. Conversion to vitamin A needs thyroid and fat context.
Carrot salad	Grated raw carrot used as a mechanical gut fiber tool in Peat-community practice. See Endotoxin, Digestion.
Cauliflower	Cruciferous vegetable, used as a low-starch substitute in diet culture.
Cucumber	Watery cooling fruit used as a vegetable. See Water, Fiber.
Garlic	Strong allium flavoring with sulfur compounds. Food amounts differ from megadose supplements.
Ginger	Rhizome used for flavor and nausea folklore. Tea and food amounts are common.
Kale	Tough leafy green with high fiber. Rich in calcium and magnesium; a big serving of cooked kale with a glass of orange juice is the next best thing to milk or cheese. See Thyroid, Digestion.
Lettuce	High-water salad leaf. See Fiber, Digestion.
Onion	Allium used for flavor. Cooked is easier than large raw amounts for many people.
Potato juice	Sometimes used in traditional experiments. Starch and potassium without fat.
Spinach	Leafy green high in oxalate. Cooking reduces volume; pair with calcium foods. See Iron.
Sweet potato	Starchy sweet root carbohydrate. See Potato, Starch.

Fruits

Food	Notes
Apple sauce	Cooked apple puree, easy carbohydrate for some guts. See Fiber.
Avocado	Fruit with mostly monounsaturated fat and fiber. Moderate amounts are fine; not a bulk fat replacement for butter or coconut oil.
Cherry	Sugar-dense stone fruit. Useful as seasonal carbohydrate (ripe fruit or juice).
Date	Dried fruit sugar bomb with fiber. Easy fuel for some; heavy for others.
Dried fruit	Concentrated fruit sugar with water removed. Easy to overshoot volume.
Jam	Fruit preserved with sugar. Seed-oil free if homemade simple.
Jelly	Clear fruit sugar gel without much pulp.
Lemon water	Water with lemon juice. Hydration with a little potassium and vitamin C; not a detox.
Orange juice milk	Classic high-sugar, high-calcium anti-stress drink pattern when digestion allows.
Orange juice pulp	Orange juice with pulp adds fiber to juice sugar. Still a sugar-forward drink.
Orange marmalade	Sugar-preserved citrus peel. Sugar plus fruit peel bitterness.
Peach	Summer fruit with sugar and soft fiber. Ripe fruit and juice are usable fuel.
Pear	Fruit with sugar and softer fiber than many raw vegetables. Easy when ripe.
Raisin	Dried grapes: concentrated sugar.
Strawberry	Soft fruit with sugar and vitamin C. Seasonal fuel when ripe, with cream or milk.

Nuts and seeds

Peat's general position: most nuts/seeds are high enough in PUFA (polyunsaturated fat) that they work better as small garnishes than a bulk calorie source.

Food	Notes
Almond	High in PUFA relative to ruminant fat. Snack handfuls add linoleic load.
Almond butter	Ground almonds; high PUFA density in spoonfuls.
Brazil nut	Selenium-dense; a few cover selenium needs, more can overshoot.
Cashew	Softer nut with substantial fat; still seed-fat category for bulk snacking.
Hazelnut	Used in spreads and pralines; watch seed-oil chocolate spreads.
Macadamia	Higher monounsaturated among nuts, still not dairy fat.
Peanut	Legume used as a nut. Common allergy; oil used for frying.
Pecan	High-fat nut used in desserts.
Pine nut	Used in pesto; expensive PUFA-rich nut.
Pistachio	Green snack nut with PUFA fat.
Tahini	Sesame seed paste, used in sauces. Seed fat load in bulk.
Tiger nut	Tuber, not a true nut. Low-PUFA starch source; Peat named it as a favorable flour substitute. See Starch.
Walnut	Especially high in polyunsaturated fat. Small garnish, not bulk calorie base.

Meats and organ meats

Food	Notes
Bacon	Cured pork belly. Smoke and salt curing add nitrate/nitrite exposure beyond plain pork fat.
Brisket	Tough beef cut for long cooking, classic barbecue.
Burger	Ground meat sandwich; quality is patty and fat. See Cheese, Seed oils.
Chicken	Monogastric meat. Grain feed raises linoleic acid in fat and skin. Breast is lean protein; dark meat and skin carry more fat.
Ground beef	Versatile protein; fat percentage changes calories and satiety.
Heart meat	Muscular organ food with CoQ10 and protein.
Kidney meat	Organ food with distinctive taste and B vitamins.
Lamb	Ruminant meat with a distinctive fat profile; ruminants hydrogenate feed fats more than pigs and chickens.
Organ meat	Liver, heart, and kidney are nutrient-dense animal foods beyond muscle meat, rich in vitamin A and copper.
Pork	Monogastric meat. Fat linoleic content tracks feed oils. Traditional lard quality varies with what pigs ate.
Short rib	Fatty beef cut for slow cooking.
Tongue	Muscular meat with fat; traditional cut.
Tripe	Stomach lining, connective-tissue rich when cooked long. See Gelatin, Collagen.

Seafood

Food	Notes
Cod	Lean white fish, traditional with butter. Liver is the source of cod liver oil.
Crab	Crustacean shellfish protein. Allergy cross-reactivity with other shellfish is common.
Lobster	Crustacean shellfish, high protein, same allergy class as other shellfish.
Mussel	Bivalve shellfish: protein, minerals, and some carbohydrate as glycogen.
Oyster	Shellfish dense in zinc, copper, and selenium. Peat recommends shrimp and oysters regularly for copper that prevents the copper deficiency that drives iron overload. Classic mineral food in small amounts.
Salmon	Fatty fish with protein and marine PUFA. Food fish differs from oil capsules; farmed fat tracks feed.
Sardine	Small oily fish eaten whole with bone calcium. Convenient canned protein.
Tuna	Dense fish protein; large species concentrate more mercury. Moderation for high-mercury types.

Dairy and cheese

Food	Notes
A2 milk	Marketed as beta-casein A2 only. Evidence for superiority is limited; some report easier digestion.
Buttermilk	Cultured low-fat dairy liquid; tart flavor from bacterial fermentation, lower fat than whole milk.
Cashew milk	Nut beverage, low protein relative to dairy.
Cheddar	Common aged cow-milk cheese.
Coffee with milk	Pairs stimulant with food matrix and magnesium source. See Caffeine.
Gelato	Italian-style frozen dairy dessert, typically denser and less overrun than some ice creams.
Hemp milk	Seed drink with PUFA. Specialty beverage, not a dairy replacement for minerals.
Lactose free milk	Dairy with pre-split lactose. Useful when lactose bothers but dairy protein and minerals are still wanted.
Milk and honey	Simple bedtime or snack fuel: protein, sugar, minerals.
Milk powder	Dried milk. Commercial spray-drying heat-damages protein and forms oxidized cholesterol compounds. See Milk.
Mozzarella	Fresh or low-age stretchy cheese, lower histamine than long-aged types.
Parmesan	Aged hard cheese: concentrated protein, calcium, and flavor. Aged cheeses can be higher histamine.
Ricotta	Whey-rich soft cheese, mild and versatile.
Rice milk	Watery rice drink, high glycemic, low protein.
Sheep milk	Richer in fat and protein than cow milk, used for many cheeses.
Sour cream	Cream thickened by culture. Fat plus mild acidity.
Soy milk	Legume drink with phytoestrogens and processing variables. Not a dairy default. See Estrogen.
Yogurt	Fermented milk; see Yogurt for lactic acid and culture considerations.

Grains, baked goods and snacks

Food	Notes
All-purpose flour	Refined wheat starch and gluten. Modern high-yield wheat differs from older varieties like einkorn.
Baking powder	Chemical leavening agent; many commercial blends use aluminum compounds. Aluminum-free versions exist.
Bread	Baked cereal staple; industrial loaves hide seed oils. See Starch, Gluten.
Cake	Celebration sugar-starch; butter differs from oil cakes.
Chips	Thin fried slices, seed-oil and salt delivery.
Cookies	Sugar-fat-starch sweets; fat type matters.
Crackers	Dry snacks, refined starch with oils.
Donut	Fried sweet dough in commercial seed-oil fat.
Einkorn	Ancient diploid wheat variety with a different gluten structure than modern wheat; sometimes tolerated better.
Fries	Potatoes fried commercially in seed oils.
Pastry	Rich dough; traditional butter, industrial margarine.
Pizza	Bread, cheese, tomato; homemade avoids many seed oils.
Rice	Cereal starch; white rice is easier for many than brown.

Sweeteners and sugars

Food	Notes
Agave syrup	High-fructose sweetener marketed as natural. High fructose fraction without fruit context.
Brown sugar	Sucrose with molasses color and flavor. Same sugar logic as white sugar.
Candy	Concentrated sugar confection.
Coconut sugar	Sucrose-rich sweetener from coconut sap. Marketing oversells; still sugar.
Corn syrup	Glucose from cornstarch. High-fructose corn syrup is a different mix.
Demerara	Large-crystal raw-style cane sugar.
Honeycomb	Honey in wax cells. Honey is the metabolic part; wax is mostly not digested.
Jaggery	Unrefined cane sugar product with minerals and flavor. Still sugar fuel.
Molasses	Sugarcane syrup residue with minerals and strong flavor. Still mostly sugar. See Iron, Calcium.
Powdered sugar	Fine sucrose with anti-caking starch. Same sucrose fuel.
Simple syrup	Sugar dissolved in water for drinks and cooking.

Oils and fats

Food	Notes
Argan oil	Cosmetic and culinary oil from argan kernels, mainly monounsaturated. Specialty fat, small typical doses.
Avocado oil	Mostly monounsaturated like olive oil. Better than high-linoleic seed oils; still not butter or coconut for everyone. A 2026 UC Davis test found most "avocado oil" processed foods, chips especially, cut with cheaper seed oil despite the label; see Seed oils#Adulteration of avocado and olive oil.
Butter oil	Nearly pure milk fat, similar to ghee depending on process.
Corn oil	High-linoleic seed oil. Classic industrial PUFA; remove from the kitchen.
Grapeseed oil	Very high in linoleic acid. Popular in restaurants; poor choice for tissue PUFA load.
Peanut oil	Used for frying; high-oleic versions exist. Still a seed-oil category product in bulk use.
Rice bran oil	High-PUFA cooking oil marketed as healthy. Same linoleic problem class as other seed oils.
Safflower oil	Extremely high in linoleic acid. One of the worst kitchen oils for PUFA load; avoid.
Shortening	Solid vegetable fat, traditionally made by hydrogenating seed oils. Even trans-fat-free modern versions are a concentrated PUFA source.
Suet	Hard fat around ruminant kidneys, used for rendering tallow and traditional cooking.
Tallow	Rendered ruminant fat used for frying and pastry; see Tallow.
Olive oil	Mostly monounsaturated fruit oil; see Olive oil for its use and limitations.

Condiments and sauces

Food	Notes
Black pepper	Dried peppercorn spice; piperine content can irritate digestion in larger amounts. White, green, and ground pepper are the same plant at different processing stages.
Caraway	Seed spice used in breads and cabbage dishes; small culinary amounts.
Chili pepper	Capsicum fruit used fresh, dried, or in hot sauce; includes jalapeño, cayenne, and similar varieties. Capsaicin can irritate sensitive guts.
Cumin	Seed spice common in savory cooking; small culinary amounts.
Fish sauce	Fermented fish salt condiment, high glutamate and salt.
Hot sauce	Fermented or vinegar-based chili pepper condiment; salt and capsaicin load add up with heavy use.
Hummus	Chickpea-tahini dip. Legume fiber plus seed fat; some guts protest.
Ketchup	Tomato concentrate with sugar and vinegar. Condiment sugar is fine in small use.
Mayonnaise	Emulsion of oil and egg. Commercial mayo is usually seed oil; homemade can use better fats. Even "avocado oil" mayo often is not: 71% failed authenticity testing in a 2026 study, 100% of U.S.-made brands.
Mustard	Seed condiment with vinegar. Small culinary amounts.
Salad dressing	Commercial dressings are common seed-oil delivery with sugar and additives. Every "avocado oil" salad dressing tested in a 2026 UC Davis study failed authenticity checks, seed oil despite the label.
Soy sauce	Fermented soy condiment, high salt. Useful flavor; soy context varies.

Drinks

Food	Notes
Energy drink	Stacks caffeine and sugar or sweeteners.
Protein shake	Liquid isolate meal; pair with carbohydrate if used.
Soda	Carbonated sugar water with flavor acids and sometimes caffeine.
Sports drink	Supplies sugar and electrolytes for heavy sweat.

Cooking methods

Method	Notes
Bake	Dry oven cooking. Industrial baked goods hide seed oils.
Boil	Cooks in water. Gentle for potatoes, eggs, and tough cuts.
Broth	Savory cooking liquid from bones, meat, or vegetables. Bone broth is the gelatin-rich version.
Fry	Cooks in fat. Fat type dominates health: butter, tallow, coconut oil beat seed oils.
Grill	High-heat cooking. Char has tradeoffs; fat choice still matters more than theater.
Roast	Dry-heat cooked meat or vegetables. Simple protein centerpiece.
Steam	Cooks with vapor, soft texture, less fat needed.
Stew	Slow-cooked meat and vegetables in liquid. Traditional complete meal form.
Stock	Long-simmered bones and aromatics for a cooking base, overlapping broth.
Soup	Liquid food meal: broth plus solids. Easy digestion vehicle for salt, protein, and starch.

Processed protein foods

Food	Notes
Egg white	Albumin protein, low fat. Alone it is a high-methionine pattern without yolk nutrients; raw whites bind biotin.
Protein bar	Processed protein candy with oils and isolates.

DMSO

DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) molecular structure

DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) is a solvent capable of carrying other compounds through the skin, historically explored as a transdermal delivery vehicle. As RIMSO-50, a 50% aqueous DMSO solution, it has been an FDA-approved bladder instillation for interstitial cystitis since 1978, the only human use for which it holds approval.

Use as a carrier

DMSO has been discussed as a solvent for delivering topical desiccated thyroid (NDT) dissolved in a DMSO/ethanol solution, as a topical treatment approach for male pattern baldness.

Function/Mechanism of Action

A guinea pig cortical brain-slice study found that DMSO, across an unusually wide concentration range including very low, drug-vehicle-relevant doses [0.000025%-0.25% (v/v)], increased the metabolic rate of both pyruvate and glucose oxidation, a sign of direct stimulation of brain respiration. This fits Peat's general framework in which agents that raise metabolic rate and mitochondrial respiration tend to be broadly protective.

Separately, low concentrations of DMSO (0.5% and 2%) extended lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans by roughly 23-24%, an effect dependent on the sir-2.1 and daf-16 genes and associated with increased expression of stress-response genes including hsp-16.2 and hsp-70.

Safety

DMSO is usually safe in low concentrations, but allergy-like reactions to it do occur, and its underlying chemistry is complex enough to warrant cautious, watchful use.

Pesticides

Glyphosate molecular structure

Glyphosate is the world's most widely used herbicide (Roundup and generics), sprayed both on weeds and, in some crops, as a pre-harvest desiccant on the grain itself. Residue levels in food and links to disease are actively debated in mainstream research and litigation.

Context

No specific Peat commentary naming glyphosate was found. His general response to pesticide exposure (see Pesticide) was practical rather than purely avoidance-based: supporting the body's own defenses with adequate progesterone, calcium, and sugar, rather than treating "organic" as a synonym for safe. CDC biomonitoring (NHANES, 2013-2018) found 70.0-81.7% of the US population, including children as young as 3, had detectable urinary glyphosate, though concentrations fell 38% over that period, likely reflecting shifts in agricultural practice and regulation.

Glycine analogue hypothesis

One hypothesis proposes glycine-analogue substitution of glyphosate into proteins, potentially disrupting glycine-rich structural proteins such as collagen, elastin, fibronectin, and laminin and impairing folding, strength, and elasticity. A targeted proteomics study in MDA-MB-231 cells grown with 100 mg/L glyphosate for six days found no evidence of glyphosate-for-glycine substitution in proteins.

Practice

Washing produce reduces surface residue but not residue absorbed into the plant itself; choosing less-sprayed sources when practical is reasonable, without substituting label-reading for metabolic support. See Pesticide, Liver.

Pesticides reduce crop pests, with residue tradeoffs for people eating the treated food. Organophosphates are one major class with well-documented toxicity mechanisms.

Peat's practical response

For organophosphate exposure, the cited discussion emphasizes nutrients that support the body's own defenses:

I would have a good supply of progesterone, calcium (milk, cheese), sugar (cokes, orange juice, candy).

— Ray Peat

Practice (pesticides)

Wash produce; prefer less-sprayed sources when budget allows, without treating "organic" as a synonym for "safe" or a substitute for good metabolic support. See Glyphosate, Liver. A New York City birth-cohort study measuring the organophosphate chlorpyrifos in umbilical cord blood at birth found that each standard-deviation increase in prenatal exposure was associated with a 1.4% drop in full-scale IQ and a 2.8% drop in working memory at age 7, in 265 children followed prospectively.

Pomegranate

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a fruit whose arils and peel are rich in ellagitannins (especially punicalagin) and ellagic acid. Gut microbes convert those into urolithins. In the bioenergetic pattern the useful angle is barrier and endotoxin load, not antioxidant marketing.

Metabolic endotoxemia

In newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients, 900 mg/day ellagitannin-rich pomegranate extract for 5 to 35 days before surgery lowered plasma lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), a marker of metabolic endotoxemia, in a time-dependent fashion (RCT). See Endotoxin.

Estrogen activity and breast cells (in vitro)

Lyophilized fresh pomegranate juice reduced the estrogenic activity of 17β-estradiol by 55% in a yeast estrogen screen (YES). The lyophilized juice alone showed only minimal estrogenic action.

Polyphenols from fermented juice, pericarp, and seed oil inhibited aromatase by 60-80% in vitro. Fermented-juice and pericarp polyphenols and whole seed oil inhibited 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (converts estrone to estradiol) by 34-79% at 100-1,000 µg/ml, strongest for seed oil, then fermented-juice polyphenols, then pericarp polyphenols.

Fermented-juice and pericarp polyphenols suppressed proliferation most in estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells, less in estrogen-independent MDA-MB-231, and least in normal MCF-10A breast epithelial cells. In MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, fermented-juice polyphenols showed about twice the anti-proliferative effect of fresh-juice polyphenols. Pomegranate seed oil inhibited MCF-7 proliferation by 90% at 100 µg/ml, reduced MCF-7 invasion across a basement-membrane matrix by 75% at 10 µg/ml, and induced 54% apoptosis in MDA-MB-435 cells at 50 µg/ml.

In murine mammary gland organ culture, fermented-juice polyphenols reduced cancerous lesion formation induced by a chemical mammary carcinogen by 47%. Yeast, cell-line, and organ-culture assays only; not human clinical outcomes. See Aromatase, Estradiol, Cancer.