Ray Peat on Starch, Potatoes and Rice

Short answer: Ray Peat ranked starch below sugar. He wrote that starch drives insulin and fat storage, stimulates appetite, can feed toxin-producing bacteria, and that whole starch grains can pass from the gut into the blood. He advised a moderate or low starch intake.

What Ray Peat wrote about starch

Starch and glucose strongly stimulate insulin, which speeds the conversion of sugar into fat. He wrote that eating complex carbohydrates instead of sugars is a reasonable way to promote obesity. Source: Glycemia, starch, and sugar in context

Starch lowers the blood sugar after the insulin surge, and that stimulates the appetite. Source: Glycemia, starch, and sugar in context, Diabetes, scleroderma, oils and hormones

He described persorption. The researcher Gerhard Volkheimer showed that whole starch grains can pass through the intestinal wall into the blood. Mice fed raw starch aged fast and had blocked small arteries in every organ. Source: Diabetes, scleroderma, oils and hormones, Food-junk and some mystery ailments: Fatigue, Alzheimer's, Colitis, Immunodeficiency

He wrote that starch sometimes increases the growth of bacteria that produce toxins, and that starches that resist quick digestion should be avoided. Source: Diabetes, scleroderma, oils and hormones, Serotonin: Effects in disease, aging and inflammation

He advised avoiding cereals and beans and using fruit as a major part of the diet. He connects gluten sensitivity with diabetes and low thyroid function and calls it one more reason to skip cereal products. Source: Glucose and sucrose for diabetes

In a rat experiment he cites, animals short of vitamin D grew normal bones on sucrose but not on starch. Source: Glucose and sucrose for diabetes

Potatoes get better treatment. He lists them with cheese, eggs and broth as balanced proteins, and mentions the juice of raw potatoes as a cheap source of keto acids. Source: Multiple sclerosis, protein, fats, and progesterone, Serotonin: Effects in disease, aging and inflammation

What he suggested in practice

• Keep starch moderate or low, and get carbohydrates mainly from fruit, milk and sugar.
• Avoid starches that resist digestion.
• His anti-aging diet list: milk, cheese, eggs, shellfish, fruits and coconut oil.

Where he wrote about it

This topic comes up in 38 of the articles on his site. These are the most relevant ones:

• Glycemia, starch, and sugar in context · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Food-junk and some mystery ailments: Fatigue, Alzheimer's, Colitis, Immunodeficiency · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Sugar issues · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Diabetes, scleroderma, oils and hormones · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Glucose and sucrose for diabetes · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Milk in context: allergies, ecology, and some myths · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Iron's Dangers · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Vegetables, etc. — Who Defines Food? · original on raypeat.com ↗

My take

When the gut barrier is weak, simple sugars are way better than starches. Between the starches I pick potatoes over rice, cooked well and eaten fresh. Cooling potatoes turns the starch resistant.

Quick answers

What did Ray Peat say about potatoes?

In his articles potatoes appear among the balanced proteins, next to cheese, eggs and broth, and he mentions raw potato juice as a source of keto acids. His criticism is aimed at starch as the base of the diet, mainly from grains and beans.

What did Ray Peat say about rice?

His website articles say very little about rice specifically. They criticize starch-based diets in general and advise a moderate or low starch intake.

Did Ray Peat avoid grains?

He advised avoiding cereals and beans, citing fermentable fiber, phosphate, the link between gluten and thyroid problems, and the effects of starch on insulin.