"A raw-carrot-a-day keeps the doctor away!" True! Not negating the benefits of apples at all, but The Humble Carrot has a whole lot to offer that you may not be so aware of or have been deterred from considering due to it being a high glycemic index food. No problem. Easy to remedy( see coconut oil & olive oil in the recipe here) that and receive the beautiful benefits of a raw carrot.
Thanks to Ray Peat PhD's research in the 1970's he found an easy, tasty and effective way to support your gut health with a medium -sized, raw daily carrot.
“One vegetable has a special place in a diet to balance the hormones, and that is the raw carrot. It is so nearly indigestible that, when it is well chewed or grated, it helps to stimulate the intestine and reduce the reabsorption of estrogen and the absorption of bacterial toxins. In these effects on the bowel, which improve hormonal balance, a carrot salad resembles antibiotic therapy, except that the carrot salad can be used every day for years without harmful side-effects. Many people find that daily use of the raw carrot eliminates their PMS, headaches, or allergies. The use of oil and vinegar as dressing intensifies the bowel-cleansing effect of the salad. Coconut oil is more germicidal and thyroid promoting than olive oil, but a mixture of coconut and olive oil improves the flavor. Lime juice. salt, cheese and meats can be used to vary the flavor.” - Ray Peat, PhD
So, if you have any of these symptoms, I would encourage you to include the daily raw carrot:
Hypothyroidism - cold hands and feet as one indicator
Headaches or migraines
Estrogen dominance and PMS
Constipation
Liver problems
Flatulence/gas
“It takes a few days for the intestine to adjust to raw carrot, but the indigestible fiber is very protective for the intestine. Boiled bamboo shoots, which are also mostly indigestible, have a similar effect. These fibers prevent the reabsorption of estrogen in the intestine, and can shift the balance away from cortisol and estrogen, toward progesterone and thyroid, in just a few days of regular use. Oatmeal and potatoes do provide fiber, but they are good food for bacteria, and bacterial endotoxin is usually the basic problem causing hormone imbalance, by being a chronic burden for the liver, keeping it from storing enough sugar to process thyroid and the other hormones effectively.” - Ray Peat, PhD
Benefits:
A raw carrot is virtually indigestible. Meaning, it serves as a great fiber to add to your day.
When grated longways, the fibrous action is an excellent toxin-binder (similar to activated charcoal) and assists with elimination (relieves constipation) and detoxification.
In the gut excessive, unusable estrogen is eliminated, serotonin and histamine is lowered and therefore reduces the production of cortisol which is stressful to the body.
These long fibers don't feed gut-bacteria and therefore lowers inflammation and promotes immunity.
Lowers anti-thyroid and inflammatory substances
Reduces unnecessary liver burden
Assists with eliminating endotoxin (harmful bacteria in the gut)
Can reduce serum cholesterol
Lowers overall stress and calms the nervous system
Caution: Some individuals have stressed livers and are unable to convert the carotene (the vitamin A in yellow/orange vegetables) into the useable vitamin A that their bodies need. This can be very challenging to that individual's metabolism so you have a choice of well-cooked mushrooms or well-cooked bamboo shoots or simple soak the grated carrots in filtered water to remove as much of the carotene as possible.
“Endotoxin formed in the bowel can block respiration and cause hormone imbalances contributing to instability of the nerves, so it is helpful to optimize bowel flora, for example with a carrot salad; a dressing of vinegar, coconut oil or olive oil, carried into the intestine by the carrot fiber, suppresses bacterial growth while stimulating healing of the wall of the intestine. The carrot salad improves the ratio of progesterone to estrogen and cortisol, and so is as appropriate for epilepsy as for premenstrual syndrome, insomnia, or arthritis. There are interesting associations between vegetable “fiber” and estrogens. Because of my own experience in finding that eating a raw carrot daily prevented my migraines, I began to suspect that the carrot fiber was having both a bowel-protective and an antiestrogen effect. Several women who suffered from premenstrual symptoms, including migraine, had their serum estrogen measured before and after the “carrot diet,” and they found that the carrot lowered their estrogen within a few days, as it relieved their symptoms. Indigestible fiber, if it isn’t broken down by bowel bacteria, increases fecal bulk, and tends to speed the transit of material through the intestine, just as laxatives do. But some of these “fiber” materials, e.g., lignin, are themselves estrogenic, and other fibers, by promoting bacterial growth, can promote the conversion of harmless substances into toxins and carcinogens. When there is a clear “antiestrogen” effect from dietary fiber, it seems to be the result of accelerated transit through the intestine, speeding elimination and preventing reabsorption of the estrogen which has been excreted in the bile. Laxatives have this same effect on the excretion of estradiol. Inhibiting bacterial growth, while optimizing intestinal resistance, would have no harmful side effects. Preventing excessive sympathetic nervous activity and maintaining the intestine’s energy production can be achieved by optimizing hormones and nutrition. Something as simple as a grated carrot with salt and vinegar can produce major changes in bowel health, reducing endotoxin absorption, and restoring constructive hormonal functions.” – Excerpt from Article by Ray Peat – Epilepsy and Progesterone
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