Who Is Ray Peat? - Dr. Raymond Peat Overview

"For Pavlov, the study of psychology or physiology without consciousness was simply crazy. Pavlov said that he studied nutrition to understand consciousness and the nervous system, because eating is our closest interaction with the world. Our brain is part of our digestive system. But eating has become highly institutionalized and influenced by our cultural beliefs. If people begin to think about the meanings of eating, they are beginning a process of cultural and philosophical criticism." Raymond Peat, PhD

Who Is Ray Peat?

Dr. Raymond Peat is a PhD in Biology with a specialization in Physiology from the University of Oregon. Dr. Peat specialized in studying the hormone Progesterone in 1968 along with other hormones, like thyroid hormone, and has continued to study the role of progesterone and endocrinology in the body to this day. Dr. Peat also served as a professor at a number of universities including: 

• The University of Oregon
• Urbana College
• Montana State University
• National College of Naturopathic Medicine
• Universidad Veracruzana
• The Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Mexico
• Blake College.

Lastly, Dr. Peat has authored numerous books:

• Mind And Tissue (1976)
• Progesterone in Orthomolecular Medicine (1993)
• Generative Energy (1994) 
• From PMS to Menopause: Female Hormones in Context (1997)
• Nutrition For Women (2001)

Nicknamed “Ray Peat”, Dr. Peat is most well known for his approach to nutrition commonly referred to as the “pro-metabolic”, bioenergetic, or sometimes the “Ray Peat” diet, but I think he may humbly take issue with the name of the latter. Despite his humility, Ray Peat is one of the founders of the pro-metabolic diet based on the bioenergetic theory of health.

The Bioenergetic Theory of Health is the idea that the root of all disease is an inability of our cells to produce and utilize energy. In humans along with all other organisms that perform cellular respiration you can think of this as though the cells are suffocating, due to a lack of or inability to use oxygen properly. 

The ability to use energy to create structure and function within a cell encompasses many of the aspects of cellular metabolism. Cellular metabolism is defined as the sum of energy of chemical  reactions that take place within the cell. Foods are primarily made up of macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats & proteins. These are broken down to be used as energy. Micronutrients: fat soluble vitamins, water soluble vitamins, electrolytes, trace minerals and amino acids are necessary to metabolize (break down) the macronutrients for energy and use them to create structure within the cells. 

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~ Hippocrates

It's important to recognize that there are a number of toxic substances with harmful effects within foods that decrease our cells ability to produce energy like polyunsaturated fatty acids and anti nutrients. 

Over time Ray Peat has put together an assortment of foods that he recommends to maximize cellular energy production by providing your body with lots of energy (calories) and all the nutrients it needs to be able to properly use these calories to create structure (order)

“The key idea was that energy and structure are interdependent, at every level” ~ Ray Peat

These foods include, but are not limited to:

• Saturated Fats (like coconut oil)
• Fruits and Fruit Juices (especially orange juice)
• Ruminant Meat
• Bone Broth
• Gelatin
• Milk
• Eggs
• Liver

Ray is also one of the few people who have a thorough understanding of the benefits that carbon dioxide has in the human body. Carbon dioxide is one of the end products of cellular respiration and plays a huge role in our ability to use oxygen properly. Ray has popularized the idea that this molecule is necessary for life and is not just a waste product from cellular respiration.

Last, but not least Ray Peat is also an avid painter and believes that painting is an integral part to understanding science. 

Read More: What Is The Bioenergetic Theory Of Health

Where Can I find Ray Peat?:

Ray Peat can be found posting blog posts on his website www.Raypeat.com and on the Ray Peat Forum website. 

And it wouldn’t truly be honoring Ray Peat without highlighting a few of the many people of which he has influenced through his work including:

Gorgi Dinkov

Christopher Walker

Danny Roddy

Kate Deering

Matt Blackburn

Kitty Blomfield

Jayton Miller

Read More: Best Places To Find Bioenergetic Information

From what I’ve heard and seen, Ray is truly a man of the people. A pure altruist with the sole intent of helping people to improve their health through dietary and lifestyle interventions. He has helped a countless amount of people with thyroid issues, autoimmune issues, and metabolic health just to name a few. Though I doubt he will ever read this, thank you Ray for doing all that you have done!

If you are interested in learning about the UMZU approach to eating to maximize your metabolism through the theory of Bioenergetics, look no further than our Thermo Diet program. Written by UMZU's very own CEO Christopher Walker, The Thermo Diet is our approach to eating for optimal health, and maximizing your health and longevity.