A good way to do the Shangri-La Diet is to drink flaxseed oil between meals. It pushes down your setpoint and also supplies omega-3. Alex Chernavsky, for example, has had success with this. You will probably want to make the flaxseed oil smell-less. Here’s how:
I read something on Amazon by one of the people who reviewed your book and it’s worked for me. I take a small sip of water and keep it in my mouth and then take the tablespoon [of flaxseed oil] with my nose closed with the water in still in my mouth and swallow. Then I take a another drink of water and then I swish my mouth out with water and after all of it is done I have no residue of flax oil taste. It sounds like a lot to do but it really isn’t.
Lately I’ve been doing the Shangri-La Diet by eating a daily bowl of yogurt, ground flaxseed (50 g), honey and fruit with my nose clipped shut. It tastes great because it is creamy, sour and sweet and has a variety of textures. It has a fair amount of calories (400?) so it’s good for weight loss. I have to push myself to drink flaxseed oil but I have no trouble eating this.
Why not try the original Budwig Recipe? Flaxseed oil mixed with Cottage cheese (or quark). It’s creamy, delicious, and energizing, and it has been my breakfast for several years (even before I heard of the Shangri-La diet). I put some (lightly roasted) sesame seeds and some (pure) sunflower seeds in for a little extra flavour. No honey or fruit (which is perfectly healthy, but because of the sweetness might nullify the ‘Shangri-La principle’ of tasteless calories).
I nose-clip about five minutes before, rinse my mouth out with water, take a shot of flaxseed from a shotglass (2 tablespoons), and then rinse my mouth thoroughly with water once again before removing the nose-clip. Unless it’s a little old, I don’t have a problem drinking it straight most days, but I try to break the calorie-flavor association as suggested in the book.
Of boiled potatoes: is it better to use salted or unsalted butter on them?
1) What does it say about our aversion to the taste of flax compared to say butter (or sugar)?
2) My method is 1 large glass of COLD low-sodium V8 tomato juice (500mg Potassium), 1-2 tablespoons freshly fine-ground flax seeds, tablespoon coconut oil, and lateIy throwing in some pure gelatin as an experiment. Stir it up and it goes down well if you drink it in one or two goes as I do and just feels like drinking chilled thick’ish tomato juice.
I take my flaxseed oil right after my half teaspoon of cinnamon. Easy process and I can’t taste the flaxseed oil at all.
I’m not sure I understand. I thought that it was tasteless calories, or unusual tasting calories that caused the setpoint to change. But you talk about how the yogurt-flax seed mixture tastes good, and how you are on the diet by eating that. What am I missing?
Seth: It is calories without smell that lower the set point. I eat the yogurt-flaxseed mixture with my nose shut. There is no smell but it tastes good because it is sour, sweet, creamy, etc.
Hi Paul: I was suggesting people try this (quark+flax OIL – not seeds) mixture as an alternative way to down their flaxseed oil. If you don’t mix it with anything it’s tasteless (and kinda smell-less) and has no bad taste (and no after taste either). I myself however am not taking it as part of any diet in particular (I’m already very athletic and well built
but because it’s the quickest and easiest way to have a breakfast that will keep you satisfied until lunch. And then there’s the supposed anti-cancer effect of the mixture, but that’s another story.
Hi Seth!
I wonder what your opinion is on the position of Ray Peat concerning polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially in fish and seed oil.
…declaring EPA and DHA to be safe, the FDA neglected to evaluate their antithyroid, immunosuppressive, lipid peroxidative (Song et al., 2000), light sensitizing, and antimitochondrial effects, their depression of glucose oxidation (Delarue et al., 2003), and their contribution to metastatic cancer (Klieveri, et al., 2000), lipofuscinosis and liver damage, among other problems.
From raypeat.com/articles/articles/fishoil.shtml
Seth: I’m not interested in the binary category safe/dangerous. What interests me is what intake is optimal. A substance that is harmful at a high dose may be helpful at a lower dose. The references may be helpful but I would look at them differently than Peat.
What made you change your answer?
Your first response seemed more aggressive and angry.
Seth: Yes, that’s why I changed it.
I just started this diet 5 days ago and I do flax seed oil, walnut oil, and the light tasting olive oil. I recently read an article about the health benefits of safflower oil, is this an oil I can implement on this diet as well? Thank you!
Seth: Safflower oil is high in omega-6, which is pro-inflammatory. I avoid it for that reason.