Mushrooms have always been one of those polarising ingredients—some people love ‘em, some people wouldn’t touch them if you paid ‘em. But Dr. Ray Peat, a quirky biologist and nutrition guru, has a hell of a lot to say about mushrooms—particularly the humble white button variety. Peat’s take? These little fungi can do much more than just garnish your salad. They’ve got the potential to be an antihistamine, aromatase inhibitor, digestive aid, and nutrient powerhouse, if you know how to cook ‘em right. So let’s break it down.

My Mushroom Reservations

With the hype around medicinal mushrooms, as a natural contrarian I could not help but be skeptical. During the ‘Plandemic’ period in 2021/2023 etc I was intrigued by the research of Dr who claims all fungi is effectively a fungus like mould and causes metabolic and physiological disregulation and harm in the body. I dont think he is wring but there is more to the story. We have heard of mushrooms ability to digest plastic, making me think, hey you know what maybe of of these fungi’s (could not help the pun), may have a similar effect in our guts.

Mushrooms & Hormone Balance

Peat isn’t messing around when it comes to the hormone-balancing potential of white button mushrooms. He’s been toying around with sautéing them in butter and coconut oil, and found that, when eaten before bed, they’re “almost like antihistamines” (Peat, 2015). Imagine that—mushrooms, not just a side dish, but a natural way to manage inflammation and digestion.

This isn’t just a side note for him—he’s serious about the aromatase-inhibiting properties of well-cooked mushrooms, which block the enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen. In one of his newsletters, Peat mentioned, “Some of the mushrooms’ protective effects result from inhibiting aromatase” (Ray Peat Newsletter), making them a potential ally in balancing hormones, particularly for women dealing with estrogen dominance.

If you’re not into carrots for gut health, Peat suggests mushrooms could be your new best friend. According to him, well-cooked mushrooms contain “antibiotics that are safe to use every day,” alongside carrots and bamboo shoots. He credits them for helping manage gut flora and inflammation in a way that’s safe and effective for daily consumption (Peat, 2015).

Cooking Mushrooms Right: It’s a Commitment

Here’s the thing about mushrooms—especially when you’re cooking them Ray Peat-style—you’re not just tossing them in a pan for five minutes and calling it a day. Peat is adamant about getting rid of hydrazine toxins, the stuff that makes raw mushrooms a no-go. His advice? Boil those suckers for anywhere between one to three hours. Yeah, you heard that right. Three. Hours.

“The hydrazine-containing toxins that Toth and others wrote about are destroyed by heat. Since extracts made by boiling the mushrooms for three hours were very active, I think it’s good to boil them from one to three hours” (Ray Peat Newsletter).

Why go to such lengths? Peat claims extracts made from boiling the mushrooms for this long retain their active properties, especially when it comes to their protective benefits against estrogen. Plus, for him, it’s all about the protein and nutrients you get from a properly prepared batch. He believes mushrooms contain “very high-quality protein that is easily assimilated” (Ray Peat Newsletter).

If you’re cooking for health, Peat recommends no less than a kilogram at a time. His approach is borderline industrial, tossing whole batches into a food processor, blending them into a paste, and boiling them for hours. The result? A dense, nutrient-packed mushroom mush that he stores in airtight containers for up to five days, ready to be reheated in butter or coconut oil whenever the craving—or need for hormone support—strikes.

For the Anti-Cancer Warriors

Mushrooms’ role in cancer prevention? Peat’s on board with the research. He references a Chinese study showing that women who ate at least 10 grams of mushrooms per day had an 88% lower incidence of cancer mortality (1). Let that sink in for a minute: 10 grams, roughly a small handful, and it could make a life-or-death difference.

The Mushroom Prep-Bible

If you’re going to dive into Peat’s mushroom wisdom, you’ve got to know how to prepare them properly. It’s not rocket science, but it does require a bit of patience. Here’s his recommended method:

Store and eat: Once boiled, cool the mushrooms and store in an airtight container. Reheat in a pan with butter or coconut oil as needed, and you’ve got a gut-friendly, hormone-balancing side dish that’s good for days.

Start big: No less than 1 kilogram of white button mushrooms.

Wash ’em: Throw them into a sink full of water, scrub them up, then drain.

Chop or blend: Either slice them thinly or blend them into a mush with water.

Boil the life out of ’em: Add to a pot, cover with water, and boil for up to 3 hours. Keep the extractor fan on, as hydrazine toxins are released in the steam (Ray Peat Newsletter).

Mushroom Soup Recipe

Sure, Peat’s cooking methods are practical, but he doesn’t skimp on flavor either. One of his go-to dishes is a mushroom soup adapted from Jamie Oliver’s “The Real Mushroom Soup” recipe. With ingredients like homemade broth, coconut oil, red onion, garlic, thyme, and mascarpone, it’s the kind of dish that turns nutrient-dense mushrooms into a downright comfort food. If you’re gonna be eating these things as regularly as Peat suggests, might as well make it delicious. Click here to view the recipe.

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Where does energy come in?

Where does energy come in?

Glad you asked. If your body is full of endotoxins, your gut and mind is not going to be in a good place. if your energy is pent up in your gut fighting off overgrowth, or dealing with brain fog, how is your energy gong to look? These toxins do much more than cause gut issues or foggy memory, they eat up nutrition that should be there to make cells and enzymes for metabolic processes. This is going to sabotage your would be optimal mitochondria productions.

Whats more, if your hormones are in a bit of a pickle, thats simply oestrogens being recycled in tyoru digestive tract due to constipation and low transit time, not least the toxic or phytoestrogen onslaught from endocrine disrupters in clothes, food , water, household cleaners and beauty products; you now have a recipe for low energy and fatigue. The good news is mushrooms help soak up these nasty toxins and if they are not floating your boat, you have raw carrots and bamboo shoots too, carry on reading below.

What if I cant handle mushrooms?

Raw carrots and boiled bamboo shoots are your answer—& they’re not just for stir-fry. According to Ray Peat, these fibrous, indigestible wonders are like little bouncers for your gut, keeping the troublemakers—like reabsorbed estrogen and cortisol—out of the party. Sure, your intestines might throw a bit of a tantrum at first (adjusting to raw carrot can take a few days), but once they get with the program, these fibers start doing their job.

What’s the job? Blocking estrogen from making a comeback tour in your digestive system and shifting the hormone balance in favor of progesterone and thyroid, all within days of regular use. Bamboo shoots, in particular, might be 95% indigestible, but that’s the point. They give your gut something to chew on, literally, without causing chaos. Toss in their antibacterial properties, and suddenly they’re not just food—they’re hormone regulators and gut protectors.

The real trick, Peat says, is avoiding foods that hang around too long in your system—the fermentable fibers and resistant starches that your body takes its sweet time breaking down. Instead, raw carrots and bamboo shoots go in, clean up, and get out fast. The result? Less endotoxin, lower serotonin levels, and a digestive system that’s not working overtime to screw you over. Want a healthier gut and better hormone balance? Look no further than your humble, crunchy carrot or a pile of boiled bamboo shoots.

So whats the scoop on shrooms in terms of your energy and hormone balance?? they’re a highly nutritious, low-cost, hormone-balancing food that should be treated with respect in both preparation and consumption. Whether you’re sautéing them in butter or boiling them into oblivion, these fungi are a powerhouse ingredient that Peat swears by, and if you trust his decades of research, you might just want to give them a second look.

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Sources

1 -https://www.reuters.com/article/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/mushrooms-green-tea-may-lower-breast-cancer-risk-idUSTRE52C58S/#:~:text=Overall%2C%20Zhang’s%20team%20found%2C%20women,cancer%20risk%20of%20non%2Dconsumers.