Also known as the Ray Peat Carrot Salad, this is my twist on this estrogen balancing salad. The classic version is nothing more than raw carrots, MCT oil, vinegar and salt, but I like my salads to be more exciting.
The reason why this salad is recommended on estrogen lowering protocols and healthy-hormone eating plans is based on the “cleansing” property of raw carrots. Because they are essentially a great form of easy to digest soluble fibre, they prevent the reabsorption of estrogen in the intestine and help to detoxify the liver.
One of the least known toxins in our environment is called lipopolysaccharide (also known as endotoxin), and is produced by gut bacteria. In fact these lipopolysaccharide molecules are actually found on the outer membrane of your normal gut bacteria…scary stuff.
As endotoxins are extremely damaging to the liver, elicit a powerful immune response and lead to systemic inflammation, we want to lower the amount of them in our digestive tract right? This is where the raw carrot and MCT oil come in handy. The net physiological effect of this recipe is to reduce bacterial endotoxin & estrogen (as well as other ‘downstream’ stress hormones – aldosterone, serotonin,prolactin, cortisol, etc), and to increase progesterone/testosterone/DHEA/T3 and other ‘youth’ hormones.
“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. The fibres in carrots prevent 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.”-Dr.Ray Peat
The apple is a personal addition, I love the added sweetness, and I also recently read an article about apple skins containing a very unique and beneficial type of bacteria called akkermansia. I don’t know if there is actual data to back this up, but since incorporating this salad into my daily diet, I’ve been having perfect 💩. There must be something to it 😜.
There are many versions of this salad out there, I myself often mix up a fee of the ingredients. Here’s how I made this one:
🥕 carrots, shredded
🥕 apples, shredded
🥕 pomegranate seeds
🥕 fresh parsley (mint or dill works well too)
🥕 sheep or goat feta
🥕 fresh lemon juice
🥕 coconut vinegar or red wine vinegar
🥕 mct oil
🥕 salt
I didn’t write down quantities with this one because, well, it’s a salad, not a cake. You really can’t mess it up. For a reference point though, I do about 2 parts carrots for 1 part apple, so for every 2 cups of carrots 1 cup of apple.
