Q and A: June 10, 2012

Welcome to CHEESESLAVE Q and A!

Every Sunday, I answer your questions. I’ll answer as many questions as I can each week. If I didn’t answer your question this week, please check back next week.

Be sure to sign up for my email updates so you never miss a post:

Enter your email address:

1. Question: Suggestions For Preparing For Pregnancy?

Hi Ann Marie,

I absolutely love your blog! I am thinking of having a baby with my husband in the next year or so. I want to do all the right things to ensure I have a healthy baby. I am planning on taking cod liver oil daily as well as eating liver once or twice a week. What are your thoughts on that?

There is so much misinformation out there especially with Vitamin A toxicity and pregnancy. I really don’t know why Vitamin A in its natural form gets lumped with synthetic Vitamin A.

Also, I don’t plan to take any prenatals since I feel that I will get all the proper nutrients with my diet. How do I convince my hubby of that though?

Hope to hear from you soon,
Irene

Answer

Hi, Irene,

Liver is the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. I think it’s very wise to try to eat liver a couple times a week and to take cod liver oil. Of course I recommend the fermented cod liver oil — you can find it on my resources page.

Have your husband read this: WAPF Diet for Pregnant & Nursing Mothers

2. Question: Recommendations For A Thermometer?

Hi,

Quick question about thermometers. You mentioned you used the Vick’s digital. My problem with all the quick read digitals I’ve tried is that I can take my temp one second and take it a few seconds later and get a completely different reading – sometimes more than 1 degree difference. So which temp is correct?

I’m despairing of getting any accuracy with quick read digital and am willing to do pretty much anything. With the whole tracking body temp thing for ovulation, etc, I want accuracy. Have you had any of these problems with Vick’s? Or would you recommend another type of thermometer?

I’ve also tried the old-style non-digital thermometer and, oddly enough ’cause I didn’t think it possible, the non-digital stopped working. Weird. Any suggestions you have are most welcome.

Wendy

Answer

Lately I’ve just been buying the crap thermometers at the local drug store. They are not as accurate as a mercury thermometer, but I don’t mind, because they are a billion times safer.

A few degrees off eh, it’s OK. I just take like 3 readings and then I use the highest one.

Occasionally I will get a bad one and I just toss it into the garbage can.

These el-cheapo thermometers do not last very long, especially when you obsessively take your temperature 50 times a day like I do. (Ha OK maybe 20-30 times.) But they don’t cost much so I just jettison them when I’m done with them — and I keep a few on hand at all times — in the purse, in the kitchen, next to the bed, and so forth.

3. Question: Thoughts On Toddler’s Ear Infections?

Hi.

I was hoping you might have some feedback on how to prevent inner ear infections in babies. My grandson (9 months old) didn’t have any ear infections while my daughter was breast feeding; however, due to circumstances beyond her control she has had to switch him over to formula and since that time (approx 3 months) he has started getting ear infections (3 so far).

Each time they put him on antibiotics and I have read extensively the damage that they do to our guts. Do you have any advise or did you experience inner ear infections while your daughter was young? Do you feel that if we switched over and made the Weston Price formula recipe that this would eliminate or greatly reduce these ear infections? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated…

Answer

Probiotics!

Unfortunately not all probiotics work the same and MOST (99%) do not work at all.

See my resources page for where to find quality probiotics.

And, YES, I think ideally he should be on the WAPF baby formula.

4. Question: Thoughts On IgG Testing? / Help With Inner Ear Infections?

Hi Ann Marie,

Thank you so much for all of your knowledge that you contribute to your blog! It really is a great service and I use your blog as a reference quite frequently.

I am looking for some advice regarding my current health. I am working with a Naturopath doctor who is helping me to heal my leaky gut. I had an IgG allergy test done and it was determined that I am having a response to eggs, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, bananas, pineapple, and cranberries. In my attempts to heal my gut, I am also following the GAPS diet, but the full version as I am nursing.

So my question is about the IgG testing…..do you have any experience with it? My ND says it is accurate and says I need to avoid these foods for the next three months. None of these foods give me a reaction after eating them though so do you think I still need to avoid them when following the Full version of GAPS?

My other question for you is if you have any knowledge about male hair loss? Have you heard about anything food or health wise besides thryoid function contributing to hair loss? I need a starting point for my research and I’m just not sure where to begin because I read so frequently that male pattern baldness is just genetic and nothing else.

Thank you for your grains webinar! I attended it and enjoyed all the info you shared!

Thanks so much for your help!
Beka

Answer

Hi, Beka!

I’ll be honest. There is nothing that irritates me more than hearing something like this: I am having a response to eggs, almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, bananas, pineapple, and cranberries

The IgG allergy test is totally unreliable. I had a friend, she died this year of breast cancer. She had gone to a naturopath a few years ago who had convinced her that she was allergic to EVERYTHING.

I wish they had looked into the fact that she was most likely low thyroid.

Please go buy a drugstore thermometer and start taking your temperature every day. If it is below 98.6 on a regular basis, immediately get a copy of Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic by Dr. Mark Starr.

If you are low-thyroid, it is probably best that you do NOT do the GAPS diet. Low carb is not good for the thyroid. (If you want evidence of that, I can provide plenty.) Carbs are your friend.

Male pattern baldness is not genetic. It’s due to low thyroid function which has become epidemic (see above book by Dr. Starr). Did we ever see so many bald guys in their 30s a century ago? No, we didn’t.

I really want to make a t-shirt that says, “It’s your thyroid, stupid.” Sigh… I know, a bit obnoxious. I just get so tired of all these naturopaths leading people down the wrong path.

5. Question: Opinion On Food Allergies And Seizures?

Hi. My name is Molly, from Ohio. I am 35 years old, a mother of four… Samuel is 6, Jeremiah-4, Elizabeth-2 and Noah-2 months. They are all great blessings.

FIRST of all, THANK YOU for your defense of grains. I am so thankful to find an intelligent defense of this food group!!!

Okay, I will REALLY try not to give you my life’s history. So in a nutshell, I was a low-fat eater most of my life (diagnosed with an eating disorder in my high school/college days). Not a good pre-pregnancy diet. I was EXTREMELY nauseated my entire pregnancy with Samuel, # 1 pregnancy, and to make matters worse I was put on SIX different antibiotics during his pregnancy to get rid of a recurring UTI!! Yikes! After I had Sam I was introduced to WAPF and raw milk. I really didn’t start feeding my family a full WAPF diet until about 2 years ago, after my daughter was born (implementing little by little over the years).

Sammy was a very high-need baby, but I would not have labeled him terribly colicky — like crying for hours at a time or anything. I just held him in a sling a lot. I breastfed him almost exclusively the first year (he didn’t want solids), and after that until he was 17 months. I did not vaccinate him or my other children — thank the Lord. Samuel was showing signs of allergies early on, but as I have fed him more real food (especially probiotics, raw honey, properly prepared grains) they have nearly disappeared. He has only ever had 1 antibiotic in his six years and really gets over sickness quickly.

Because he still wets in the night (pull-ups help) and he would go sometimes 4-5 days before having a bowel movement I’d considered GAPS for him. Sam has not really shown any other MAJOR reasons for me to put him on the GAPS diet, until just recently.

This past December I heard a strange noise coming from his room (about 6:30am) and found him in bed having a seizure. When he was little he had fainted a few times, but always in response to some fear or something. Now I am wondering if he has some kind of food allergy or sensitivity that is causing him to be overly anxious. He is a pretty sensitive guy. He just had his second seizure a couple of nights ago. My husband and I are, of course, terrified. It’s funny, because just in the past 2 months I have just started giving my kids FCLO for the first time and eating MORE broth….THEN this happens.

Have you EVER heard of seizures due to food sensitivites? Would your first course of action be GAPS?

Thanks for your time. God bless,
Molly

PS: My mother had six kids. I was the only girl. She had the second youngest when she was 33 years old. She was told that she and my dad could not have any more children. Her horrible diet changed during this time to much better (better fats, meats, fruits, veggies, but not a total WAP diet) Well, she had my youngest brother when she was 43 years old. I have read you would like to get pregnant again, and I just wanted to encourage you!!

Answer

Hi, Molly

You are welcome and YES I believe in whole grains wholeheartedly. I think this anti-grains thing going on is total hogwash. And by the way, Dr. Weston Price was also a big fan of whole grains.

And thank you SO MUCH for your encouragement that I will be able to get pregnant again. You are such a sweetheart and I appreciate your kind words so much.

My goodness… I wish I knew what to tell you. That must be so scary.

I’m not trying to alarm you here, but I had a friend whose daughter died a few years ago at age 14 from epilepsy. I just want you to know that you are right to be taking this seriously and reaching out for help.

I wish I could guide you to a qualified holistic practitioner. I am not that. I’m just a blogger, with no medical qualifications.

If it were me, I would start taking his temperature every day. Google hypothyroidism and seizures. There is a connection.

If he is hypothyroid, you can get medication for that, and/or dessicated thyroid, and just increasing carbs can help a lot. See Matt Stone’s blog, 180 Degree Health.

I suppose it could also be gut dysbiosis… if he has other symptoms of that. Such as eczema, constipation, etc.

Again, I am not a doctor. This is just what I would look into if I were in your shoes.

Hugs and best wishes to you!

6. Question: Advice On Using An Acidic Medium?

Why do you say that you can’t use sourdough starter as your acidic medium in oatmeal? I have read somewhere else that you could so now I am confused.

Thanks!

Mary

Answer

Hmm… where did I say that? I don’t remember ever saying that — of course it is entirely possible that I did. But I don’t recall this — I had never heard of someone adding sourdough starter to oatmeal.

I suppose it would work very well. Makes sense to me! It’s actually a great idea!

7. Question: Recommendations About Eating Raw Greens?

Hi there

I have just found your website and blog and came across the maca smoothie recipe where you state that raw greens are not great because they contain anti-nutrients that block mineral absorption.

Yet in the book Nourishing Traditions it does state that a very high percentage of our food should be raw though we should not be 100% raw as no ancient civilisation ever was.

So I am confused. And desperate to come to my own personal food philosophy moving forwards. I have a foot in the world of cooked foods and a foot in the world of raw — and I don’t know how to move forwards. I have compromised digestion and absorption.

More recently I have been having raw green smoothies and green juices. I believed in this format my body could take the raw food. I am also keen to use food as a way to raise my personal vibration. And I am starting to get into fermentation.

My cooked foods have been soups or well-cooked foods. But I hear arguments for and against both these ways of eating! That if foods are cooked they have less vibration than raw and no enzyme benefit. That cooked foods if that is all we eat, reduces our digestive enzymes inside us and depletes the immune system. Yet I like both worlds and see benefits in both! Is it really the case that I should never eat raw greens??

You must yourself be eating a lot of raw as that is what I read in Sally’s book?

Thank you so much for anything you can share with me.

Kind Regards,
Caroline

Answer

Hi, Caroline!

I do not eat raw greens. Sure, a salad here and there, occasionally. But I don’t drink green smoothies and I don’t eat raw spinach or kale ever. Most vegetables need to be cooked in order to reduce/eliminate the antinutrients.

Raw dairy (milk, butter, cheese) is fabulous. Raw meat is good, too — in the form of carpaccio or steak tartare. Sushi (raw fish) is also a great way to eat enzymes.

Enzymes are great but plant foods are full of antinutrients, so if you are not soaking and sprouting, it’s best to limit those foods.

I do love raw tomatoes and basil (caprese salad), pesto, raw cucumbers, bell peppers, lettuce, celery and other raw plant foods and these are all fine.

But don’t go overboard on the raw plant foods. Drink a few cups of raw milk each day instead, or, if you don’t like dairy, eat sushi.

Check out this article by Kaayla Daniel on the WAPF site: Plants Bite Back.

Got a Question?

Please submit your questions to questions AT cheeseslave DOT com. I’ll answer your questions every Sunday in the order I receive them.

Photo credit: Sirwiseowl on Flickr
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5v